In an interview , she spoke about the influences behind her first book , '' A Breath of Fresh Air '' ( 2002 ) . While she was nine years old , her family was living in the Indian city of Bhopal because her father was posted in the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers . During that time , on the night of 3 December 1984 , methyl isocyanate gas leaked from Bhopal 's Union Carbide plant that killed many people . When this gas tragedy occurred , her family and she were staying at the Army Center which was a few kilometers away from the plant . Due to the wind that blew in a direction opposite to theirs , they remained unaffected by the gas leak . However , she remembered how those affected described the methyl isocyanate gas as chili powder in their lungs . These images stayed with her and took the form of a story , which she wanted to tell but had no idea how to . While living in Utah , the writing process for her first novel began
gas tragedy
Bhopal disaster
Amulya Malladi