At just 16, when most teens are glued to social media, Neoma Nilesh Kava, a Class 11 student at Mahatma Gandhi International School (MGIS), is preparing to launch her second published book.Titled One Drop At a Time, the 119-page novel was written in just 90 days and draws inspiration from her visit to a torture museum in Tuscany. One exhibit—where a drop of water falling on a person’s head drove them to madness—stayed with her, not for its brutality but as a metaphor for life.“Often, it’s not the grand events that change you, but the small, persistent ones that slowly wear you down,” Neoma explained. “That’s when the idea of writing about hidden hurt and gradual disintegration began to form.”Her debut work, a travelogue, was published last December. This second book, published by New Line Publishing, dives into the secret struggles people hide behind smiles. “You never really know the weight someone carries until it begins to spill over. My novel explores how small, almost invisible moments can completely transform a person,” she said.Neoma also spoke about the challenge of building her characters, especially Lucy. “Lucy is technically a hallucination, but I needed her to feel more real than any other character. Every detail—how she talks, reacts, and makes others feel—needed precision,” she shared.The book is set to launch soon, marking yet another milestone for the young author.
