First-time author Simi Boparai wrote Rani’s Ikk Do Tinn after being inspired by her daughter, who loves the book. Photo by Lyonel Doherty
To Simi Boparai, every woman’s daughter is a Rani (that means princess in Punjabi).
And all little princesses deserve a story.
So one day, in a land not so far away, the former Oliver resident felt an urge to create a story for her two-year-old daughter Sunam, and the response has been great.
The 29-year-old mom and volunteer nurse recently self-published a children’s book called “Rani’s Ikk Do Tinn (translation: one, two, three).
Boparai immigrated to Oliver from India in 1995 with her parents, Jas and Mandeep Sidhu, who operate Best of India.
She attended Oliver Elementary School, where her first teacher was Mrs. McCarthy.
Boparai had a passion for reading and spent a lot of time in the school library, where the stories came alive for her in a very meaningful way.
“I see the same in my daughter . . . she loves reading, and Rani is her friend (now).”
The years flew by, and Boparai graduated from Southern Okanagan Secondary School in 2004. After that, she enrolled in the nursing program at UBC Okanagan and graduated in 2008.
Now she’s a full-time mom living in Surrey.
The inspiration to write the book came from her daughter. Boparai wanted to ensure that Sunam learned Punjabi since there was not much Punjabi literature for children.
One can imagine that writing a book comes with a number of challenges, but Boparai faced a particular challenge in that she could only work on it for 20 minutes at a time during Sunam’s nap schedule. Needless to say, she had to use her time wisely during the eight months it took to write the book.
Rani is a little girl full of adventure and curiosity, just like Sunam. She goes around counting objects and learning from the environment.
“I try to see the world through my daughter’s eyes, every time you read the book it’s a different story (for her).”
When Sunam comes to the page with the balloons on it, she will sometimes pretend to pick them up and carry them around.
Boparai said she feels very blessed and happy about publishing her first book, and is now working on her second, a family-oriented short story.
“As parents, that’s what we live for, to see the smile on our kids’ faces.”
Parents who want a copy of her book can email [email protected] or visit Boparai’s Facebook page under Rani Books.
By Lyonel Doherty
