About idlis, dosas, commoners and kings

History as it is taught in Indian schools borders on the boring, and most people turn to the sciences at the end of their schooling in a desperate attempt to get rid of the subject. History, though, can be the most interesting of subjects if it is approached as a narrative of events, a story with all the elements of wonder and drama that it undoubtedly holds. Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to activate our brains, just like a smell or music that are both powerful triggers for memory. Sometimes even reminding one of things long gone, that we may have not been conscious of remembering.

To focus on this, Saffrontree held a fest of fiction and non-fiction based on Indian History in the first week of Decenber. It has a wonderful bunch of books that deal with Indian history in a fun way. Do go to the posts and read all about these books.

Here are my contributions. Both of these are books A has thoroughly enjoyed. They have been extensively used for school projects this year, she has been recommending them to her friends AND her history teacher, and we've already gifted many copies of the first to a few close friends.

pic courtesy flipkart

Let’s Go Time Travelling: Life in India through the ages
Written by Subhadra Sen Gupta
Published by Penguin Books India
Age 9-12 years

In her interview in The Hindu at the publishing of her book Let’s Go Time Travelling Subhadra Sen Gupta says, "My target readers are the kids in classes 6 to 8, who begin studying Indian history. The book aims at making history less intimidating for them and also talk about things that kids are curious about. The stuff that textbooks leave out, like food and clothes, transport and school."

Very true. History textbooks have a way of putting the child off the subject, unless there is an exceptional teacher in the offing. This book fills in exactly that void. For my daughter in the 6th grade, this was THE book to read, much in the mould of the irreverent Horrible Histories series.

A period of close to 5000 years has been divided into 4 parts- Early India from 2600 - 500 BCE, Ancient India from 300 BCE – 1100 CE, Medieval India from 1200 – 1850 CE and British India from 1800 – 1940 CE. I give the dates here not to overwhelm the reader of this review with dates: something that always put me off from an academic study of history, but to demonstrate the scope of this slim and wonderfully crafted book.

Subhadra Sen Gupta ( interviewed here on Saffrontree) deconstructs the weight of all that history and distills it into bite-sized parts. She keeps her finger firmly on the pulse of the middle school child who is lured into wanting to find out more after reading the short story at the beginning of each chapter, comprising ordinary people from that particular period. The story tells a lot about their thoughts, ideas, customs and beliefs. She focuses on the ‘storytelling aspect’ of history, giving a holistic yet richly detailed view of each era.

Along the way, we get a peek into how historians decode the data they have at hand from archaeological findings, written records, period literature, and any other relics of a period to recreate the how and why of all that has happened. For example, we can know what food people of a period ate and why. In the chapter on the Pallava and Chola dynasties, we learn that people ate many varieties of the dosa, but the idli was not invented yet. How? From the references in the literature of the period. Odes to dosas, but no idlis. Also that spices used in sambar were pepper and tamarind. Chillies and tomatoes were a colonial import, brought by the Portuguese from the Americas in the 1700s.

An enjoyable book, and a valuable addition to the study of Indian history, along with Anu Kumar's 'In the Country of the Gold-digging Ants' and Roshan Dalal's twin volumes by Puffin.

pic courtesy flipkart

Victory Song
Written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Published by Penguin Books India
Age 9-12

Neela is a spunky 12 year old girl living in the British India of the 1930s. It is a few years before the Quit India movement. Freedom fighters are everywhere, in the guise of ordinary people. Neela befriends a young freedom fighter, Samar, during her elder sister’s wedding. Neela's father has to go away to Calcutta on some patriotic work soon after the wedding.

Samar is seriously injured during a raid on a British facility. He takes refuge in Neela’s home, where he is kept in hiding until he is well, as the British soldiers are looking for him. Soon, Neela’s father goes missing in Calcutta. The feisty little girl dresses up as a boy, a wandering minstrel, and takes Samar’s help to go to Calcutta to find her father.

What happens to Samar and Neela in Calcutta? How do they find her father? The rest of this riveting tale on the backdrop of the freedom movement against British rule has to be read to find this out.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni brings us a book for pre-teens that takes us into the everyday world of a girl of the period, complete with people’s attitudes about 'girls should be seen and not heard', and how it is this feisty girl’s courage and resourcefulness that saves the day.

Crossposted at Saffrontree.

Of Whipple-Scrumpets and Vexatious Teachers

Today is Roald Dahl's birthday, and I couldn't let the day go without a tribute. He was born on 13th September, 1916.

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pic courtesy flipkart

Spotty Powder and other Splendiferous Secrets
Compiled and illustrated by Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin (Pocket Money Puffin series)

The book begins with a quote from his book The Minpins: “Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most likely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” This should be the guiding light for all who associate themselves with children’s books. Or any books at all. Or anything that raises one above the mundane. As Dahl’s books certainly do. He was a keen observer of his surroundings, human or otherwise, and each of the twelve chapters begins with his essay on the month or season.

Do you know…

…that there were as many as ten naughty children to feature in his most famous book Charlie and the Chocolate factory? These were to have names like Bertie Upside and Herpes Trout. Or that the Oompa-Loompas were to be called Whipple-Scrumpets?

…that the Roald Dahl-Quentin Blake partnership began in 1976, quite late in Dahl’s career, and that initially Blake was nervous about illustrating for such a famous writer?

…that Dahl kept two notebooks in which he pinned down any stray idea that entered his head, and that almost all his books came from these years later?

…that strange though it may seem to his readers, his English teacher at boarding school had written him off? “This boy is an indolent and illiterate member of the class.” “Vocabulary negligible, sentences malconstructed. Ideas limited.”

…that in the churchyard at Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, big friendly giant footprints lead to Roald Dahl’s grave?

pic courtesy flipkart

D is for Dahl

A gloriumptious A-Z guide to the world of Roald Dahl

Compiled by Wendy Cooling

Illustrations Quentin Blake

Publisher: Puffin books

It begins with a smudged copy of the Dahl family tree on page 1. The next 149 pages are cram-filled with alphabetically arranged snippets that will warm the heart of even the most reluctant of readers. All things Dahl : personal life, his books, quirks, his literary associates, his working style, his opinions about everything he came across- it is all there, in bite-sizes, and embellished with the zany illustrations of his friend and long-time illustrator, Quentin Blake.

Some our favourites are the Random Roald Facts in boxes:

He wrote his first ever story at the age of 10, titled “Kumbak II” about a machine that could tune in to conversations from the past.

From an essay written by him at school, describing his teacher: “He’s a short man with a face like a fried elderberry, and a moustache which closely resembles the African jungle.” On his teacher's cane: “It wasn’t simply an instrument for beating you. It was a weapon for wounding.” Do you see Miss Agatha Trunchbull from Matilda?

No wonder his teachers were vexed with him!

Here is a review of a proper biography, Fantastic Mr Dahl, written by Michael Rosen, on Guardian Children's Books.

Cross-posted at Saffrontree.

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Happy Birthday, Roald Dahl! You have given us - A and myself - some giggleworthy moments of childhood.

Of friends and books

Spent Valentine's day lunching with friends- Choxbox, Sangi and Starry, who have somehow over the period of the past two years metamorphosed from blog-pals to dear friends. Who know me. Who I know will not refrain from pushing me to do what I should be doing, what is right. Keep at it, ladies. Thanks for believing enough in me to nag. Much appreciated. I need it so much to overcome my inertia.

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February 14th was also the International Book Giving Day, a day to pass on new & used books to friends, relatives, strangers, your schools, libraries, or a favourite charity. Pass on the love of reading and books. A perfect day to celebrate. Check out what one of my favourite book bloggers, Zoe, did for this day.

Me? I gave a copy of one of my favourite Enid Blyton books, House at the Corner, to a very special boy. This book is partially autobiographical, as Blyton has taken many situations from her own experience of childhood in a dysfunctional family. The closest she has come in her fiction to her reality. This relatively unknown book by her is a must-read for anyone who enjoys her work.

I have also put together quite a few books to give away to A's school library.

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Here's to friends- those that we choose to be with- with two books having very different potrayals of friendship.

When I asked A to recommend the first book that came to her mind about friends and friendship, she promptly said- "Winnie-the-Pooh."

Contrary to the image of Pooh Bear, the Bear of Very Little Brain, as the fiefdom of very small children (no thanks to the Disney version of Pooh), Pooh belongs to everyone from 0-adulthood.

Winnie the Pooh / The House at Pooh Corner

Written by A. A. Milne

Illustrated by E. H. Shepard

Published by Puffin / Dutton books

Ages: 4+ read-aloud, 8+ read-alone

These stories are a labour of love- written by an indulgent father for his son Christopher Robin Milne, and featuring his collection of toys. I'm sure most parents would have at some point in time made up stories for their own children, with them featuring large in them.

As variegated a collection of friends as possible, staying in the wonderfully named Hundred-Acre-Wood. Muddleheaded Pooh with just one thing on his mind- food. A scaredy-cat Piglet, who can be the most courageous at times. A very Bouncy Tigger, who makes everyone want to 'unbounce' him at times. Rabbit, who can take his workaholic and irritating ways to limits at times, but has his heart in the right place. Wise Owl, who everyone goes to when in need of some timely help. Kanga- affectionate, yet a stickler for discipline- the perfect mother figure. Grumpy Eeyore, who seems dry on the outside, but a softie inside. Roo- the littlest one of the lot, who gets into many scrapes with the irrepressible Tigger.

A. A. Milne, though, contrary to what the books lead us to believe, was not a hands-on father to his son. He was usually absent from active bringing up of the boy, and the tales he has woven were around Christopher's escapades that his mother would narrate to her husband. If the stories are so wonderful, imagine how much more so they would have been, if Milne were to be physically there to take part in these.

A case for a father's involvement in child-care! 

A suggestion- by all means, watch the Disney versions, but read the books to enjoy the gentle humour and wonderful characterisation. There is no substitute.

Lord of the Flies

Written by William Golding

Published by Faber & Faber

Ages: 15+

A chillingly dystopian book, whose writer, William Golding was awarded the Nobel prize for literature.

Set during WW2, a plane carrying children evacuating to a safe place crashes on an unknown island. The pilot, the only adult, is killed. The children are left to fend for themselves. What begins as an adventure (reminding one eerily of the Enid Blyton adventures where only children feature) slowly but relentlessly descends into a primitive desire for power and survival.

None of the children, except those in a choir group, have ever met each other before. Unlikely friendships are forged; those seemingly most like each other ending up bitter enemies, not even stopping at murder. Again, a diverse group of characters, who bond and repel in the most unexpected ways. With echoes of the cat-eat-rat mentality seen in many of today's children. Friendships gone wrong. Survival of the fittest.   

Image courtesy flipkart. Crossposted at Saffrontree.    

Book review: Letters from a Father to His Daughter

Letters from a Father to His Daughter
Written by Jawaharlal Nehru
Published by Puffin Books, Penguin books India
Ages 8+ yrs

A father and his daughter. The bond has to be seen to be believed. When I see A and her father together, the affection is palpable. They often get into discussions about deep things- of late it has been religion, as we have friends of many faiths, and gender issues, especially those encountered at school!

By the nature of his work in the struggle for the freedom of India, Nehru was often away from his family, and his daughter was away at boarding school. Letters being the prime means of communication at the time, Nehru wrote these, which, according to the foreword written by him, were 'personal letters addressed to a little girl, ten years of age.' They, however, speak of many things. In the preface, written in 1973, Indira Gandhi writes, "they deal with the beginnings of the earth and of man's awareness of himself. They were not merely letters to be read and put away...they taught one to treat nature as a book."

The letters speak of the beginnings of the universe, the formation of the earth and its landforms, of pre-history, the beginnings of mankind, the migration of human beings- he shows great learning and vision in his conclusions- "It may be that the German and the Negro are descended from different types of men, but some time or other they must have had the same ancestor. The differences must therefore have come in by the process of adaption to their surroundings...so we find that people's complexions are the result of the climate they live in. They have nothing to do with the worthiness or goodness or beauty of a person." Explained wonderfully in this vein in language easy enough for a 10 yr old to understand.

He goes on to speak of races, religion- early beliefs and faiths, religions as we know them now, languages- the beginnings of communication by making meaningful sounds, of making meaningful marks leading to writing, of the relationships of the different languages of the world. He speaks of civilisation, the division of labour - leading to the patriarch- which led later to kings and kingdoms. And of ancient civilisations all over the world. About trade and travel.

He speaks of the coming of the Aryans to India, and the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha- I loved the simple way in which he has explained the gist of these great epics- again, putting them in an interesting perspective.

Of the Ramayana, he says, "The Ramayana, as you know, is the story of Ramchandra and Sita against Ravana, king of Lanka, that is now Ceylon...it may be that the story of the Ramayana is really the story of the fights of the Aryans against the people of the South whose leader was Ravana."

And the Mahabharatha- "It tells of a great fight between Aryans and Aryans. But apart from the fight, it is a wonderful book, full of great ideas and noble stories. Above all, it is dear to all of us because of that jewel of a poem which it contains--the Bhagavad Gita."

The book comprises 30 letters in all, short, independent reads each, or read in a sequence. Each is a story lucidly told, a father's affection for his daughter coming across in each. These letters were written over the summer of 1928, and retain all of their freshness for every child who has the opportunity of reading them. They have to be, of course, read in the context of terminologies used in the early 1900s, some of which might not be politically correct today.

This 2004 edition by Puffin is hardcover, printed on crisp white paper, and an easy-on-the-eyes font. With a fresh foreword by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Nehru's great-grand-daughter.

A loved it.

A logical follow-up to this book would be Nehru's Glimpses of World History, which was written from October 1930 to August 1933, as letters addressed from prison to his 13-16 year old daughter,  published much later.

Pic courtesy flipkart. Crossposted at Saffrontree and Bookreviews.

Review: Lord Ganesha's feast of laughter

Today was Ganesh Chaturthi, the 4th day of the waxing half of Bhadrapada. The birthday of my favourite god, Ganapati. This is a big festival for us Maharashtrians, and is celebrated in most houses. The festival was made public by Lokmanya Tilak, when the British put a curfew on public gatherings. In the guise of getting together for the Ganesha festival, freedom fighters would hold their meetings. Today, it has become something of a public nuisance, as there is no longer that need. Ganesha, however, still reigns over our hearts.

Pic courtesy Penguinbooksindia

Lord Ganesh's feast of laughter
Written by Meera Uberoi
Illustrated by Agantuk
Published by Puffin books, an imprint of Penguin Books India
Read aloud 4+, read alone 8+

Ganesha, or Ganapati, is probably the most beloved of the Gods. He is the remover of obstacles, the god of learning, and the one whose name is taken before beginning anything. The primordial sound 'Oum' is attributed to him, and one of his many names is 'Omkara'.

Ganesha is also seen as a benevolent god, and is often a favourite with children. They are also fascinated by the unlikely seeming form- one with an elephant's head, a large belly, and with a mouse as a vehicle to boot. Many of his stories have a childlike quality of fun. 

Meera Uberoi's book has many of these stories. Some known, some not so well known.

Do you know...
That Ganesha was the one who created the first tabla when his irate father Shiva broke his mridungam into two?
That Vyasa overcame a bad case of writers' block after invoking the help of Ganesha?
That Ganesha is wedded to Siddhi (accomplishment) and Buddhi (intellect)?
That Ganesha won a race for going around the world against his brother Skanda, once by going around his parents, a child's world, and once by going around the world in his mind, by reading up all of the available knowledge about the world?
That Ganesha swallowed and contained the demon of anger, Krodhasura (krodha=anger), who was destroying the world, and that is the reason why he has a belly that hangs down (Lambodara)? "Even today, anger must be swallowed to control it, just as Ganesha did."

These and many other tales make up this collection of stories. There are also some folktales about Ganesha other than the usual tales from the Puranas, which makes the collection complete- mythology and folklore.

Meera Uberoi's narration is very endearing, in terms that children use as a matter of course.

"Shiva's wife, Parvati, daughter of Himalaya with its sparkling streams, was pretty easy-going but disliked being disturbed when she was bathing. And Shiva never seemed to remember that. He strode in whenever he wished, cool as you please, and this really annoyed Parvati."

"'I knew it was one of your sneaky tricks!' Skanda exclaimed hotly. 'So tell me, how did you manage it?'
'We-e-ell,' drawled Ganesha, scratching one large ear, 'you didn't say which world. Parents are a child's world, so I walked around our parents--thrice.' Seeing that his brother was ready to explode, he piously added,'The scriptures say so. Ask Father.'"

A loved the book, and was giggling throughout. She has recommended it to all who would like to read fun-filled tales about the elephant god, whose birthday is today, Ganesh Chaturthi.

Crossposted at Saffrontree.

The thousand nights and one night

Pic courtesy janpienkowski.com

THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT
Retold by David Walser
Illustrated by Jan Pienkowski
Published by Puffin books
Ages 8+

What happens when a book of timeless tales is created when an inveterate traveller who is also a master storyteller collaborates with a gifted illustrator brought up on a steady diet of those very stories? A masterpiece like our book here.

The book has the expected link of stories. Beginning with the tale of the Sultan who wows to make a new woman a queen every day, only to kill her in the morning, as revenge for being betrayed by his first wife. Enter Shahrazade, the clever woman who can weave a web of stories, leaving it tantalisingly unfinished in the morning. She does this for a thousand and one nights. Until finally, having fallen in love with her, he abandons his wicked resolve.

So it is, in a way, a love story. But every tale she tells is full of a thrilling adventure, taking us to many parts of the world along the way, telling us of fantastical creatures and unbelievable happenings.

The book keeps us enchanted throughout, like the Sultan was, and A could not leave the book till it was finished. She had been put off by the inevitable violence of these tales when we had tried some other books previously. Walser, however, has faithfully brought the tales to life without scaring. As also brought to us the fact that these stories have originated at different places in the world, and not in Arabia alone.

The illustrations!!! I could have picked this book up just for those, even if the story wasn't so enchanting. Vibrant colours- shades of red, orange and yellow in the background, with the actual figures in black silhouette, adding to the sense of drama. The double-spreads at the beginning of each tale are particularly overpowering.

A recommended book for anyone wanting to discover the magic of the Arabian nights.

Crossposted at Saffrontree.

Hippocampus, Holidays and Younguncle

Had a busy day yesterday. I have been a member of British Library since the past few years. It has been a long and fruitful association. But most things come with an expiry date. I have discovered a wonderful new library for children in Koramangala. Hippocampus comes highly recommended, and I just had to check it out. A and I had gone there a few weeks back and we loved it. It is in a residential area in an old style bungalow. The main room is large with shelves all around full of the most wonderful books. There are beanbags for all ages and childsized sturdy wooden tables and chairs placed strategically. We made up our minds to become members ASAP. We decided to wait till the middle of June as my British Library membership would expire by then. And here we are. We went and returned all BL items and got our Hippocampus membership yesterday. The books we have brought home as our first issue out?

All five images of these books: Courtesy Amazon.

The New Girl. Written by Lois Gladys Leppard.  Ages 7-10 yrs. Chosen by A. I do not know this writer, but the blurb is interesting. At least to a 9 yr old. It says: "Someone has moved into the old cabin on the hill--Faith, a girl the same age as Mandie! Mandie can't wait to have a new friend to share things with. But Faith doesn't seem to want any friends, and Mandie can't understand why.

What is Faith hiding? Mandie's determined to take the first steps toward friendship--and find out!
Includes a craft project for young readers!"

A Chest of Stories for nine year olds. Collected by Pat Thomson.  Again chosen by A. There are stories here by the likes of Phillippa Pierce, Joan Aiken, Naomi Lewis, Richmal Crompton, Arthur Ransome and more. "...You won't want to stop reading until you get right to the bottom of the chest! A good mix of stories and styles...there is something here for everybody."

Top Ten Classic Stories. Written by Valerie Wilding. Illustrated by Michael Tickner. Ages 9-15 yrs. Chosen by A. "Classic stories as you've never seen before." True. The book is in the format of the Murderous Maths, Horrible Histories and similar series. So you can imagine how wonderful it would be to read these. And the classic stories featured? Around the World in Eighty Days, The story of the Treasure Seekers, Swiss Family Robinson, Little Women, King Solomon's mines, The Wizard of Oz, Black Beauty, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Treasure Island. A veritable treasure, and a wonderful way of getting an introduction to the classics.

Singing for Mrs Pettigrew. Written by Michael Morpurgo. Chosen by me. This is a different kind of book. It is a collection of 11 of his stories in full, with a write-up by the author himself about the making of those stories. Includes stories like Meeting Cezanne, The Giant's necklace, The Mozart Question, Singing for Mrs Pettigrew and more. "From the first sentence of a Michael Morpurgo book, you know you are in the hands of a natural storyteller." The Guardian. This is a book I would like to review in detail after I have read it.

Harriet the Spy.  Written by Louise Fitzhugh. Ages 9-15. What can I say about this but that it has long been on our wishlist? It has not been available in any bookstore, except at Flipkart. Another one that I would like to review after I have read it.

We also read a very funny book over the past week. Or rather, A devoured it in under 2 hrs, and I read it in fits and spurts as I got time. Time, that precious commodity, is going to be in short supply over the next two months. A has her vacations, and is at home, so we will be doing many more things. The first thing we have already taken care of-- obtained a library membership at Hippocampus. So we shall have new books coming in every two weeks. I am not sure they will suffice, considering the rate at which they are being read, but will have to be supplemented by other things. I have promised A that we will take her best friend AM along every time we go to the library. So that they can have a day out together. That is if her family is in town at that time.

Then we have quite a few DVDs that A plans to re-watch. This is something we do not get to do much of during term time. A is not allowed TV on weekdays. Over the week-ends, we have sometimes watched something. That is something we plan to do a lot of.

A has plans of mastering cycling in these holidays. We never got that right. We still fall off frequently. Something we will have to rectify.

A also plans to do more of swimming if it does not rain and the water is not too cold. She is a natural in the pool and loves it. This is something we have to do.

We also plan to call over friends who also are on vacation at this time. We also hope to go to their houses sometimes. This will have to be decided ad-hoc.

AM, her best friend from school, has a birthday coming up. They have a farmhouse where AM's mother plans to have her birthday party. This is a beautiful place that I have visited before. Promises to be fun!

We also have a lot of art-and-craft activities lined up. Will be taking inspiration from Shruti  and Zoe.

A and I plan to get some gardening done. This is something I usually do alone. This time A wants to help me, and we shall enjoy doing it.

We also have some holiday homework from school, which needs to be done. Some extra work needs to be put into Math, and doing things within a certain time. Practice, practice!

And the book we read last week? Here it is.

YOUNGUNCLE COMES TO TOWN.
Written by Vandana Singh.
Illustrated by Manjunath Kamath.
Published by Young Zubaan & Puffin books.
Ages 6+ read aloud, 9+ read alone.

Image: Courtesy Penguin books India.

We were city dwellers as children, and would visit our native town during summer vacations. Those were carefree days, when all we did was eat, sleep and play. Although trucks, cars, two-wheelers, and cattle are seen all-together on our city roads too, the mix is more eclectic even today in small towns and villages. Travelling to this place was an adventure in itself. Roads in the 70s and 80s were terrible and travelling on these by a bus always a very bumpy affair.

My memories of the town itself is of a bustling place, very dusty, noisy and crowded. At least the bus-station and market place was. There were shops selling every variety of stuff, vegetables, steel shops, sweet-meat sellers, shops of clothes. Cows chewing cud chose to stand right in the middle of busy streets, and no amount of honking at them disturbed their placidity. Where there are trees, there are plenty of birds and monkeys creating a racket. Sometimes a lone monkey or a group of them tried to steal food from some unattended stall, leading to a chase with whatever the stall owner found at hand to throw at the monkeys to scare them away. There is a market like that back home in Mumbai in the suburbs in which my parents stay, and there is often occasion to go there. One does come across such towns many times during one's travels around India. These towns are quintessentially the same with minor variations of language or the dressing style particular to the region.

Vandana Singh's book is placed in one such un-named town in North India. The flavour of the town has been brought forth with her effortless story-telling. It is an unobtrusive but unmistakable character in the book.

Younguncle is everyone's dream uncle, with the somewhat unusual name. Legend has it that he had been kidnapped by monkeys in his childhood, tossed around by them, but returned unharmed. Everyone loves him, and when he comes to our town to stay with Sarita (age 9), Ravi (age 7) and the baby, things begin to happen. He in enterprising, intrepid and a wonderful story-teller. There never is a dull moment with him around.

Whether it is when he tries to hold down a job and cannot because he "took his jobs too seriously."

Whether it was when he got a former-pickpocket-now-in-a-honest-trade to help him outwit the real pickpocketeers from troubling the people at the railway station.

Whether it was when he helped his unmarried sister get out of a boring matrimonial alliance without actually seeming to do anything about it.

Whether it was when he helped the local milkman Ramu get his beloved cow Janaki back from the clutches of the henchmen of the dreaded landlord Gobarmal by using the unwitting help of the monkeys on the trees.

Whether it was helping his Ancient Uncle get his prize horse Hira back from the clutches of the same Gobarmal, freeing the local bus-driver's beloved Renu from slavery at Gobarmal's place at the same time and playing Cupid.

Whether it was helping the ghost in the tree, Bakvaasnath, get back at the landlord Gobarmal, whose forefather had swindled him of his money.

And the most unbelievable escapade of all, one which requires a bit of suspension of disbelief from us--when he overpowers the old tiger in the sanctuary by gaining its trust by feeding it...hold your breath...palak paneer, rice pilaf, chicken curry, mutton curry and parathas, and gets its tail-hair for the baby who has asked for it as a present.

The characters also have wonderful names. Gobarmal is the dreaded landlord. "Gobar" in Hindi means cowdung. Bakvaasnath is the ghost on the tree who keeps wailing "Giiiive me myyy money!" "Bakvaas" in Hindi means nonsense. We also have a monkey who wears Younguncle's shirt and tries to read his book upside down, the baby whose mission it is in life to eat Younguncle's shirt, a busful of people who try to set up Younguncle's matrimonial alliance with a fellow-traveller's marriageable daughter, and Ancient Aunty who tries to bully Ancient Uncle. A lovable bunch.

You will have to read how all this comes about in Vandana Singh's delightful book. A read it with complete concentration, and was laughing, giggling throughout.

The book has this said by none other than Ursula K Le Guin, "Enchanting." That should say it all!

PANNA

Last year I visited the Strand book sale in July, and picked up an autobiography by Kamala Das. It was an interesting read, the story of a strong woman with a mind of her own. So when I recently saw this book, I was intrigued, as I did not know that she wrote for children too. This is her first book in English for children. It was published after her death on 31st May 2009. Yesterday was her first death anniversary. A tribute to this great writer who has written in Malayalam and English.

PANNA
Written by Kamala Das.
Cover and Illustrations by Puja Ahuja.
A Puffin original published by Penguin Books Ltd.
Ages: 8+

Cover image: Courtesy Penguin Books India.

Panna is a very beautiful girl who lives in a fishing village in India with her brother Moti. They are orphans and have only one another. The villagers think she is like a princess.

Moti went fishing everyday with the other fishermen, and Panna waited on the beach for him. Everyday he would return with his catch and sell it, and get lovely things for his sister.

One day, she waited for him like everyday. All the others came back, but there was no sign of Moti. She waited till it was night, and tired out, fell asleep on the beach. "The tide came alive. It hit the shore like a hissing serpent..." The waves came up the beach, stronger every time, and pulled the sleeping Panna into the sea. This part of the story is almost like the passing of Panna into the other world, a metaphor for Death.

In the tale, here begins an adventure. Panna finds herself in a strange land under the sea where there was a moving green sky, pearl-studded lanes, fish-ladies in their coral houses and oystermen who spewed pearls every time they laughed. She enters the Fish-King's palace, where both he and the Fish-Queen are asleep on their thrones. They wake up to the jingle of her anklets.When asked Panna says that someone brought her there while she was asleep. "I want to go home." But the Fish-King does not want her to. She would stay there forever, at the bottom of the sea.

The conversation between the three is very funny, and has a irreverence about it reminiscent of a mixture of the 'Queen of Hearts' and the 'Mad Hatter' from "Alice in Wonderland." One almost expects one of them to shout: "Off with her head!"

When the king falls asleep, the queen takes Panna to her 'bed-chamber'. On the way, she sees a great black monster howling, chained down. On asking, the queen tells her that it is the wind, who creates a lot of mischief, and sinks boats. Rambling around the sea-world, Panna forgets all about Moti.

But Moti has reached the sea-shore by now, and is searching for Panna. The tide is out and the waves gentle. There is no sign of Panna. Moti runs around, looking for her, wading out into the sea, calling her name. The Fish-King hears him calling out, and does not want Panna to hear. He wants Panna to stay in the sea and not leave. So he casts a magic spell on the water. This illuminates the water around Moti and he is changed into an eagle. A black eagle with yellow eyes. The eagle flies over and around the waves, searching for any sign of Panna.

In the morning the fishermen came out of their huts and saw the huge bird flying in circles over the sea.
"An eagle. Perhaps we will be lucky today," they said.
Every day, even today, the black eagle flies in circles over the sea calling out for the little girl who went down to the sea world.

A beautifully written fairy tale of the love of a brother for his little sister, and his continuing search for her. In the time honoured tradition of Indian legends and folk-tales, this is a story from the coasts of Kerala. Written by one of Kerala's greatest women poets, Kamala Das.

This is what Ruskin Bond has to say about the book on its cover page. "A famous poet gives us a lovely story of fairy-tale magic set along the sea coast near her home in Kerala. Just right for reading aloud to your children, or starting them off as readers in their own right. Kids will love the Fish King and the Fish Queen, and little Panna will steal your heart . . . "

The illustrations by Puja Ahuja are in the Madhubani style and add to the unreal and lyrical quality of the tale. The story itself reminds one of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid" with its sad ending. Even A agreed that it did, after I read her the story in the original. Not the popcorn version of Disney movies.

Picture of Black Eagle: Courtesy Wikipedia.

Crossposted at Saffrontree.

Bonding over bondas--and a book for Mother's Day

Yesterday was a long anticipated day.

I am pretty new to the world of blogging, although I had been following some bloggers regularly. A friend blogs on Saffrontree, a blog where I could read about my own passion, books. Reading this blog had become a regular feature for me. As soon as A left for school and my husband for work, I would make myself a hot cup of tea, switch on the laptop and go online. Over a period of weeks, I followed not just ST, but also the individual blogs of some of the bloggers. It became an addiction, a must-do thing with my morning cuppa.

Like any other mom, a bulk of my reading was age-appropriate books for A, age-appropriate reading for myself often taking a backseat. I began to enjoy these books, and had occasion to re-visit some of my own childhood favourites. I had always read a lot, devoured is a better word, and soon got big-time into the world of children's books. Saffrontree was like an extension of that love, and I had a ball reading the posts and adding my bit to them. Slowly, I began to get to know the bloggers and their individual styles. Connected with some of them. I knew I would like to get to know them, get into their world.

Then Artnavy moved to town and invited all of us to her place. Now I do not usually make friends easily. I was not sure if I could go and meet a whole group of strangers. But then I chided myself. Told myself that we had already been introduced to each other and communicated through our blogs. I should go and meet these lovely ladies. They were not strangers, not by a long shot.

What about A? She had a birthday party to attend on the same day, around the same time. I had read quite a few posts to her, and when I showed her the pictures of Art's two girls on her blog, she was quite keen to meet them. So we arranged it so that we go to Art's place first, followed by her birthday party.

Found her place quite easily. A and I walked into the complex, not knowing exactly where to go. There was a lady standing on the way, with two kids, a welcoming smile on her face. As soon as she saw me, she knew who I was, and I knew who she was. A and I had recognised Anush and Aditi! Soon  Usha Vaidyanathan, Shubha, and Swapna, who does not blog, but is a participant in the comments on ST, were there too, Swapna with her little one, who took an immediate liking to A, and kept telling her that she should visit her home. Her home was very warm, welcoming, very tidy for someone who had moved in there so recently, and very tastefully decorated. I was especially impressed as I am a very sloppy person myself in these matters. We saw the famed "Kawad", too.

Art had some wonderful kairi-lassi for us to drink, followed by yum batata-wadas. (Actually I should do a post sometime on batata-wadas or aloo bondas as they are called here. They don't taste anywhere like they do on the streets of Mumbai. More about that some other time!) These were lovely. Hot, crisp, with the right spiciness of the filling. Swapna had got some home-made cake, which I am sorry to say I ate only one piece of. I shall have to ask her for the recipe on A's demand. It felt just like attending a birthday party of sorts with good company, good eats, good conversation, and of course the (return?) gifts. I came back with a goody bag filled with gifts and a box filled with Art's batata-wadas for my husband, which got demolished in no time at all on reaching home after finishing with the other, actual birthday party. The gifts were duly (A's work) opened, admired, and immediately put to use.

As I said, I was initially apprehensive about going, but I was made to feel so welcome, so much one of them, that I was overwhelmed. They all felt like kindred souls, and I am glad I went. I really have a lot to thank Saffrontree  for. I only wish that the other ladies could also had made it, but let's keep it for another place, another day.

Here's also a book- on occasion of Mother's day. For our motherland.

Picked up this new book in Landmark the other day:

WE, THE CHILDREN OF INDIA

THE PREAMBLE TO OUR CONSTITUTION

Written by Leila Seth. Illustrations by Bindia Thapar. Published by Puffin books. Ages: All.

Image: Courtesy Penguin books India.

Leila Seth was the first woman judge of the Delhi High Court and the first woman Chief Justice of a state in India. Her credentials listed on the introductory page amply testify to her being the best person to have taken up this project. By her own admission, this book has been written with the help of her grandchildren, ages 5 and 8.

Leila Seth has beautifully deconstructed the heavy vocabulary of the preamble to make it comprehensible to all. She has gone word by word, giving succint examples and explanations with the help of speech bubbles--with a lot of help from the vivid illustrations by Bindia Thapar.

For example while discussing the word "Socialist" she explains:"socialism meant bettering the life of the people of India". Here the children in the illustrations explain to us:"so that
everyone should have enough food
everyone should be able to go to school
everyone should have a safe home
everyone should be able to lead a healthy life and be able to go to a doctor when they need to"
Clearly explained, with happy illustrations.

My favourite are the words used while explaining "Secular". To the names of all the religions prevalent in India, she has added other belief groups: "Agnosticism, Atheism, Rationalism, Humanism, Animism" There are these groups, too. They are part of "We, the people", and have to be included.

On each page, there are boxes where we are given the facts pertaining to those words. There is also a short account of the events leading up to and culminating in our constitution as well as an account of the people involved in writing it, with wonderful photographs.

The book ends with a simplified version of the Preamble with the word "people" replaced by "children", a short account of what needs to be done, and a short poem to help us remember the spirit of the preamble.

"Let's be equal, just and free-
Strong in our diversity:
Free in thought and free in prayer,
Free to dream and free to dare,
Free to love and free to care.
Let's be equal, just and free-
Strong in our diversity."

"Let's be equal, free and just,
Unified in love and trust:
Strong to lend the weak a hand,
Strong to help and understand,
Strong to build a happier land.
Let's be equal, free and just,
Unified in love and trust."

This poem is followed by a drawing by the writer's 8yr-old grand-daughter, Nandini.

A wonderful and timely book, making the preamble easy to understand for all, and more important, easy to remember and follow. A true gem, which should be recommended for all children and all schools.

Crossposted here.