Nandini Bajpai
Nandini Bajpai is a Boston-based author of Indian origin. Her debut young adult novel “Red Turban White Horse: My sister’s hurricane wedding” was published by Scholastic India in 2013. Bajpai’s book, Starcursed, a historical young adult novel, was published by Rupa Publications in November 2013. Nandini’s book Rishi and the Karmic Cat is a middle grade (for children aged 9 and up) was published by Rupa Publications in September 2015. In November 2017 Nikki Garcia at Little, Brown bought Nandini Bajpai’s contemporary YA novel A Match Made in Mehendi for publication in spring 2019. A Match Made in Mehendi was released in September 2019 and received good industry reviews including a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Her young adult novel “Sister of the Bollywood Bride” was acquired by Little Brown/Poppy for a summer 2021 release.
Nandini Chauhan was born in Meerut UP in a Rajput family. Her father was a military officer and she has three sisters. The youngest of the four Chauhan sisters is the well-known Indian writer, Anuja Chauhan. Nandini immigrated to Australia with her family in 1991. In 1994, after her marriage, she moved to the US. She worked at Fidelity Investments in Boston until the birth of her first child. After that she became involved in volunteering with several community and animal rescue groups while also starting to write. She was nominated for the India New England Woman of the Year award in 2015.
Books
SISTER OF THE BOLLYWOOD BRIDE – NANDINI BAJPAI
For fans of Morgan Matson’s Save the Date comes a charming novel about one teen’s summer tackling disasters including, but not limited to, family, romance, and weather — as she plans her sister’s Bollywood-style Indian wedding.
Mini’s big sister, Vinnie, is getting married. Their mom passed away seven years ago and between Dad’s new start-up and Vinnie’s medical residency, there’s no one but Mini to plan the wedding. Dad raised her to know more about computers, calculus, and cars than desi weddings but from the moment Mini held the jewelry Mom left them, she wanted her sister to have the wedding Mom would’ve planned.
Now Mini has only two months to get it done and she’s not going to let anything distract her, not even the persistent, mysterious, and smoking-hot Vir Mirchandani. Flower garlands, decorations, music, even a white wedding horse — everything is in place.
That is, until a monster hurricane heads for Boston that could ruin everything. Will Mini come through as sister of the bride and save the day?
A MATCH MADE IN MEHENDI – NANDINI BAJPAI
Little, Brown Young Readers
For fans of When Dimple Met Rishi comes a lighthearted novel about tradition, high school social hierarchy, matchmaking, and swiping right (or left!).
Fifteen-year-old Simran “Simi” Sangha comes from a long line of Indian vichole-matchmakers-with a rich history for helping parents find good matches for their grown children. When Simi accidentally sets up her cousin and a soon-to-be lawyer, her family is thrilled that she has the “gift.”
But Simi is an artist, and she doesn’t want to have anything to do with relationships, helicopter parents, and family drama. That is, until she realizes this might be just the thing to improve her and her best friend Noah’s social status. Armed with her family’s ancient guide to finding love, Simi starts a matchmaking service-via an app, of course.
But when she helps connect a wallflower of a girl with the star of the boys’ soccer team, she turns the high school hierarchy topsy-turvy, soon making herself public enemy number one.
RED TURBAN WHITE HORSE – YA Contemporary by Nandini Bajpai
Scholastic India 2013
Updated US edition available May 2021 as SISTER OF THE BOLLYWOOD BRIDE
Can a teenager plan a Big Fat Indian Wedding–in America?
It’s been seven years since mom died—and dad’s raised Mini to know more about computers, calculus, and cars than desi weddings—but ever since Mini saw the jewelry mom left them she’s wanted her sister to have the wedding mom would have planned.
Dad’s tech start-up means a shoe-string budget, but Mini has her old Mini Cooper, her new driver’s license, her stellar sense of style, and two months of summer vacation to get it done. And she’s not letting the persistent, mysterious, and smoking hot Vir distract her either.
Flower garlands, decorations, catering, clothes, even a white wedding horse—everything is in place. But a monster hurricane is headed for Boston and it could blow the whole band, baja, and baraat away…
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