Meet Prisha Hedau, Youngest Author of A Book on the Pandemic

Video Editor: Ashutosh Bharadwaj

At the onset of the pandemic, Prisha Hedau barely knew she would end up writing a book about it. But the feisty 10-year-old says she was aware that this was a historic event she wouldn’t want to forget.

In a conversation with The Quint, the young author said:

“The virus was new here and there, and me and my parents sat down and watched the news so then one day, out of nowhere, I just started writing note cards so I don’t forget my experience. I knew from that day that this was a historic event that I am experiencing and I do not want to forget it, so that’s when I started writing note cards which just had stuff that I did on a daily basis. Then those note cards started turning into essays. Then one day, we were walking by the lake and my mom suggested to write a book because I wrote essays and note cards. My dad thought it was a good idea so then I started. I sat at my dining table and the chapters turned into a book.”

Prisha Hedau

A nationally ranked chess player, Prisha says she misses going to tournaments and hanging out with her friends at school, but doesn’t mind online classes despite having to spend long hours before a screen.

“I really don't mind because it just showed me a whole new perspective, where you can learn but just in a different way,” she says.

A Young Achiever

Prisha was recently awarded the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education excellence award for being a distinguished student.

Her teacher, Mrs Kristi Hayes, speaks highly of her. “Prisha excels in academics, is talented and also exhibits leadership qualities,” she said, on conferring the award.

The fifth grader from Kentucky, USA is also a dance enthusiast. Her YouTube channel has a list of videos of her dancing to various tracks from Bollywood. “Dancing is a huge part of me,” she says, adding that her favourite forms of dance are classical and hip hop.

Keeping herself busy with online school, dancing, maths and chess, she says she doesn’t mind being indoors in the wake of the pandemic.

What’s more, she is encouraging everyone around her to be optimistic. “I know there could be a lot of negative things in a pandemic but you can take positive things out of it, so just look at it – remember that it's not just you there. The whole world is doing this. And one day it's gonna be normal life. So yeah, don't worry about it.”