This is a young adult novel that tells the story of Abir Maqsood, a college-going student in Bangalore, who balances her family’s expectations of her with her own desires of the direction that she would like her life to take.

Abir’s entrepreneurial side comes to the fore when she decides to build an app to help small businesspersons like her mother, a mehndi or henna artisan, to ensure that they aren’t shortchanged by their clients. However, building the app means having to negotiate time and space of her own: whom does she lean on for this, how much does her family approve, and what becomes of the love triangle that she finds herself at the centre of?

The protagonist’s voice is spunky and engaging all through, with a tight, briskly-paced plot. Readers will find themselves naturally rooting for and despairing with Abir as the story progresses.

The Henna Start-Up is the winner of the 2024 Neev Book Award, India’s biggest award for children’s and young adult books. Every book on the shortlist receives recognition with a cash prize of INR 1 lakh, of which half is set aside for a book promotion tour. The winner—one book that’s chosen across different age groups—stands to win a trophy, citation, and an additional cash prize of INR 3 lakh.

In their citation for The Henna Start-Up, the awards jury states:

The story challenges norms and interprets the plot of enemies becoming friends in ways that artfully address concerns around class and gender. Lively dialogue is complemented by writing that has a light but thought-provoking touch. This hugely enjoyable novel will find wide appeal with teens everywhere.

The Henna Start-Up
Written by Andaleeb Wajid
ISBN: 9780143463689
Published by: Duckbill Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House India

You can buy a copy here* or find it at a library.

*Book purchases made via our affiliate link may earn GLLI a small commission at no cost to you.

Karthika Gopalakrishnan is the Head of Reading at Neev Academy, Bangalore, and the Director of the Neev Literature Festival. In the past, she has worked as a children’s book writer, editor, and content curator at Multistory Learning which ran a reading program for schools across south India. Prior to this, Karthika was a full-time print journalist with two national dailies. Her Twitter handle is g_karthika.