About Us

longlongtimeago.com was started in 2002 by Rohini Chowdhury, with the aim of making available original and interesting stories for children.

Rohini writes for both children and adults and has published several books.

Her most recent work is Ardhakathanak (A Half Story) - a translation of the 17th century text, Banarasidas's Ardhakathanak, from the original Braj Bhasha into English (Penguin India, 2009).

She has also translated the same text into modern Hindi. Her Hindi translation by the same name Ardhakathanak was also published by Penguin India in 2007.

In Ardhakathanak, Banarasidas - merchant, poet and scholar - tells the story of his life; it is considered to be the first autobiography written in an Indian language.

Rohini's books for children include:

The Three Princes of Persia, a collection of world myths, retold for children aged ten years and older - Puffin India, 2005

White Tiger, a novel for children set in the forests of the Himalayan foothills - Puffin India, 2006

Aesop's Fables, retold for young children, in English and Hindi - Scholastic India, 2007

Rohini's stories for young children, The Adventures of Meera, are now available to read on this website. These are a series of tales about a little girl called Meera who lives in a big city in India with her family. Her best friend is Meena. Meera and Meena have all kinds of adventures together. The first six of these stories were first published in book form in 2002.

Rohini is currently working on a historical examination of pre-empire India

She is also teaching herself Sanskrit, and is engaged in translating the ancient Sanskrit collection of fables, the Panchatantram , into English. So far, she has translated the first of the five parts the work is divided into. She has not yet decided whether she will give the work to a publisher or put it up on this website.

Her other passions include mathematics, ancient history, mythology, folklore, travelling, and internet technology.

Rohini was born and educated in India. She now lives in London, and divides her time between India and the UK.

To contact Rohini directly, write to her at rohinichowdhury@longlongtimeago.com