Junior Kumbhakarna!

Over this weekend, we went for a book launch of “Junior Kumbakarna” at one of our favourite book stores, Atta Galatta. It had been a while since we went for a book launch and I was quite looking forward to being there with Abhay….from start to end! But since I had to finish up some work at office, it was agreed that I would go in directly while it was my husband’s job to drive Abhay from home. But as I reached the venue at sharp 5.00 PM on Saturday, both Abhay and his dad were nowhere in sight! As the author began reading aloud from her book, with the help of puppets and props that had the whole group of kids and their parents in splits, all I wished was for Abhay to join them soon. Though he missed the initial round of questions and discussions, Abhay sauntered in just in time to wake up Kumbhakarna!:-) Well, before I could pull up the daddy for his presumed tardiness, he passed the buck over to our little "Junior Kumbhakarna” who’d refused to be woken up from his Saturday afternoon siesta! :-)

Abhay also enjoyed the fun activities post the story while I met up with many like minded moms who enjoy reading, blogging and writing children's books! Of course....one can never leave Atta Galatta without a book and so we bought a few, besides picking up our copy of "Junior Kumbhakarna" signed by the author!  As if to make up for their delayed entry and in keeping with the daddy’s posting day on 30 books in 30 days  challenge promoted by friend and fellow blogger the bubbleink, Abhay’s daddy read “Junior Kumbhakarna” by Arundhati Venkatesh and illustrated by Shreya Sen. I must say that we loved the illustration of Kumbhakarna  which appears both authentic and hilarious at the same time. It’s bedtime for Kuku and like most kids, he wants his favourite story – the story of Kumbhakarna and his appa has no choice (like most appas!) but to regale him with Kumbhakarna’s giant lifestyle, with an appetite equivalent to that of a hundred men, with a burrp loud enough to make your little one giggle, a stretch here and a yawn there to ultimately slip into what Kumbhakarna is most famous (or infamous) for – his deep slumber yielding snores like thunder! As animals from donkeys to elephants, from people blowing trumpets to making laddoos, all  attempts to wake Kumbhakarna fails and Kumbhakarna only goes ZZZZZZ! So what happens? As you read on, your little one will be surprised as to just whom is the book talking about – the mighty Kumbhakarna or junior counterpart! A mythological tale beautifully adapted onto what is an everyday saga in most homes with kids! A great book to reflect on and have a hearty laugh over our daily morning mania!