Bali Rai sharing his views on writing, censorship, the value of reading, ideas for books with a group of our 3rd form and pupils from Wellington Academy in Wiltshire.
One reaction from Kelsey who had enjoyed reading Bali’s latest book “Fire City”:
“I thought the talk was an amazing experience. It is such an honour to speak to the person that came up with the story you have just read. I thought it was great as it wasn’t too formal, and I felt comfortable chatting with Bali Rai about lots of interesting topics. He was calm and relaxed and it was a great atmosphere. You could clearly see how passionate he was, which is a great example for us to follow. A great experience- thank you so much for the opportunity!
“I enjoyed it because he didn’t bore us with the detail of the book and how he wrote it and his planning etc… It was mainly about his opinion on society and how we view it.”
Katie
“I found him very inspirational and that he had very interesting views of life.” Georgina.
Hilary:
“I loved his views on multiculturalism. He sees things people wouldn’t normal see and has interesting view points on racism. I’ve learnt both factual things (e.g. how we might all be from the same ancestor) and life lessons (e.g. we should not judge people based on their skin colour or family background). Bali’s life is really inspirational since he had a hard childhood but still managed to become such a well-known author. I’m impressed how Bali tackles serious issues or norms (e.g. rape, abuse, arranged marriage) most authors would rather avoid. In conclusion, I’ve really enjoyed and benefited from this talk.”
Tom:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the talk from Bali Rai, this is because it put a different perspective on communities and religions than I had before and helped me realise what it is like for people living in deprived areas and how religion can control people.”
Lucy:
“I thought that it was great to meet the author of a book I have read, as I was able to ask him questions about why he wrote it an where he got his inspiration from and made the book seem more personal and I was able to understand it even further.”
Imogen:
“He had a spontaneous style of presenting which allowed for interesting and free flowing discussions.”
Tom B.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the talk with Bali Rai and listening to him answer our questions. What I thought was most interesting was seeing the books from his point of view, as the author, and the motivation behind the work he put into his books.
I enjoyed hearing about how he planned his books and how he got inspiration, which I hope will help me with my own writing in English.”
