New Delhi, Nov 14 (PTI) After directing a critically-acclaimed documentary on the inspirational story of Kerala's legendary Karthyayani Amma, celebrity chef-writer Vikas Khanna is now out with an illustrated children's book on her remarkable life journey.

"Barefoot Empress", the title borrowed from the documentary, is published by Bloomsbury.

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It is the story of Karthyayani Amma who, having never had access to education as a girl, when finally got a chance to study at the age of 96, cleared the fourth standard with flying colours -- scoring a stellar 98 out of 100.

The nonagenarian was the oldest among the 43,330 candidates who appeared for the 'Aksharalaksham' test, a fourth standard equivalent examination. She dreams of studying up to grade ten.

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"One of those tales that everyone can relate to and a character all can love. 'Barefoot Empress' will inspire young and adult alike," said Krishan Chopra, editor-in-chief at Bloomsbury, in a statement.

Karthyayani Amma, a widow and mother of six hailing from Alappuzha's Haripad municipality in Kerala, swept the streets outside temples in her village to bring up the children.

In 2019, she became a Commonwealth of Learning Goodwill Ambassador. She was also awarded the 'Nari Shakti Puraskar' by former president Ram Nath Kovind on Women's Day in March, 2020.

Amritsar-born Khanna has previously authored books such as “Barkat: The Inspiration and the Story Behind One of World's Largest Food Drives FEED INDIA” (2021), “My First Kitchen” (2017), “UTSAV: A Culinary Epic of Indian Festivals” (2017) and “Indian Harvest: Classic and Contemporary Vegetarian Dishes” (2015).

The book, priced at Rs 350, is currently available for sale on offline and online stores.

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