Just when we were thinking there’s nothing else that bumbling Butterfingers a.k.a. Amar Kishen, an eighth grader with a genius for misadventure, could muck up, lo and behold! here comes another series of antics that’s bound to have you in stitches. Thanks to the genius of his creator, city-based author Khyrunnisa A., Butterfingers is off and running again with Run, It’s Butterfingers Again!
Khyrunnisa’s second collection of short stories, hot on the heels of her first anthology, The Misadventures of Butterfingers, is all set to be released on May 15. The book has been published by Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
It’s based on Tinkle ’s popular comic strip of the same name that follows the tales of Amar and his equally adorable friends, all students of the fictional Green Park Higher Secondary School.
“It’s only a matter of keeping your eyes and ears open to what’s happening in the world around you, even if it’s a trivial incident. That’s how the stories just keep coming. The story ‘Eye Clinic’ in the anthology actually came to me while I was sitting in a eye clinic, with my eyes dilated. I actually have a book where I jot down all my story ideas,” says Khyrunnisa, a former professor of English at All Saints College, who has been writing Butterfingers’ escapades for Tinkle for well over a decade now. “I like realistic storytelling and that’s what I am most comfortable writing. When you are happy doing something, the ease with which you write is a plus point and it gives a natural flow to your words,” says the author. She has already published three novels, H owzzat Butterfingers! , Goal, Butterfingers! and Clean Bowled, Butterfingers! in the series.
Like in the first anthology, in this book too, Khyrunnisa has started off with a novella. The story ‘It’s Karate Time’ has Butter getting to grips with the martial arts form, after a new Karate master joins the school faculty.
“The idea actually came from one of my friends, who said he would read my books only if Butter took up karate or judo or some other martial arts. I didn’t know much about martial arts so I enjoyed researching about it and watching movies like Enter the Dragon to familiarise myself with it,” says Khyrunnisa.
A quick flick through the story promises a lot more ‘thrills, spills, chills and giggles’ courtesy Butter and Co, right from when the new Karate master says in the introductory line, ‘Call me Rajan. Anish Rajan.’ “Fans of the series know that the principal characters are named after my son, Amar, and his friends. In the novella, the Karate master has a real-life inspiration too – Anish Rajan IFS, Representative of India to the State of Palestine, who hails from the city. He’s a friend and a long-time fan of the Butterfingers series, who has always wanted to be featured in the book. Finally, he gets his wish. I’ve also managed to include Arpita, my new daughter-in-law into a story too!” says the author, who is known for her sense of humour, particularly, her knack for punning and word play, whether it is for the series or for her fortnightly column ‘Inside View’ in The Hindu MetroPlus.
Another original story in the anthology is the ‘The Great Fall of China.’ “It’s nothing to do with the Wall, but put Amar and ceramic crockery in the same space... and, well, you can guess what happens next! The other 12 stories are all based on comic strips that have already appeared in Tinkle,” she says, adding that she has grown as a writer since her first novel was published back in 2010.
“Nowadays, I make sure that each chapter or incident in a story/novel is connected to the plot. I’m nitpicking but thinking back, I realise that in my earlier works I have included certain things just for the sake of humour, which were not really necessary for the plot. I have a instinct for what works and doesn’t work and it’s still helping me keep Butter running,” she says.
Looks like Butter is here for the long run, then.
