Bally Mahal

B.K. Mahal grew up in Derby, where she regularly visited her local library with her father and siblings. She enjoyed modern British fiction, but could find nothing that reflected the lives of those born to immigrant parents.

The Pocket Guide to Being an Indian Girl, B.K. Mahal's first novel, was written to fill the gap. In narrating the life of a second generation Indian teenager, B.K. Mahal forces us to reckon with our own stereotypes of "otherness". In her own words, she is "sick of victim literature", which focuses only on culture clash, rebellion and identity confusion. Nor does she wish to act as a spokesperson for her generation: she speaks from the margins of her community rather than for it.

B.K. Mahal drew from her own family background when writing The Pocket Guide. Her own father suffered a mental illness five years ago, and the experiences of her family coping with this illness profoundly influenced the book. Through the character of Susham's father, whose life of hard work has not reaped the rewards of his more affluent counterparts, B.K. Mahal depicts the poorer Indian underclass that is so under-represented in both mainstream and Asian media.

B.K. Mahal was born in Derby, where she still lives with her family. After studying English Literature and Media at the De Montfort University in Leicester, she began work on The Pocket Guide to Being an Indian Girl and gained a PGCE. She is 26 and works as a primary teacher. She is currently writing a sequel.