Travelling to the Land of the Lepchas!

 

Over the last few days, we have been at Sikkim, the Northern eastern Himalayan state nestled in between Nepal and Bhutan. Known for its pristine beauty of glacial lakes, breathtaking valleys, gushing waterfalls at every corner of the mountain drive, panoramic view of the snow-capped Himalayas, and the precarious mountain passes. Mind you… exploring Sikkim is not for the faint hearted or one with a sensitive stomach - it involves fortifying yourself for  freezing temperatures, being prepared for anytime down pour, and enduring through winding and meandering drives through changing landscapes, bracing yourself  for breathlessness at high altitude points and of course grappling with motion sickness even when you  have never ever got sick during travel!  

But all such discomfort dissolves into delight with one look at the mist covered calm waters of Tsomgo lake, or the chance to snowball each other even in summertime at the “Zero point”, or the awe-inspiring views of the majestic Himalayas on the way to Yumthang valley, or experiencing the roar of the “Amitabh Bacchan” waterfalls on the way to Lachung, or taking in some cool refreshing  mountain air while on the pine forest trail to Rabtanse ruins at Pelling, or waking up after quick shut-eye during a long drive  to a spectacular sunset coloured sky over the silhouetted valleys… truly …travelling around Sikkim is all about enjoying the journey as much as the destination … more like life itself…isn’t it!! 

 

It’s after almost two and half years that we’ve donned on our travelling pants (even literally!) and our trip was wedged in between Abhay finishing his class 10 board exams and the reopening of courts in Bangalore after summer vacation and amidst incessant rains, and peak-season rush through out Sikkim and Darjeeling, Aadya’s terrible motion sickness (we had polythene bags tucked in at every compartment of the vehicle only to find them missing when we most needed them!) and Abhay’s annoying obsession with uploading stories on his instagram handle (now that his exams are over we had to keep our promise of letting him resume his social media activity!) …. we did manage to make it one of the most memorable trips ever! 

 

Our last stop was the West Bengal’s queen of hill stations - misty Darjeeling which was more of a reality check and reminder of the traffic jams back home in Bangalore!  Since we were nursing a minor stomach upset and were also exhausted from our Sikkim adventures, we avoided the usual touristy spots and chose to take it slow and indulged in some retail therapy on the Mall road, while enjoying some live jazz at one of its famous eateries - Glenary’s and stopping by Oxford Bookstore. 

 

One of the sure ways of avoiding  the crowds is to either travel during off-season or visit off-beat places within popular destinations. While it’s nearly impossible  to travel  during off season with school going-exam-writing kids, and  it’s not always possible to have the entire trip comprise of off-beat places, but it’s always possible to be a discerning traveller and look out for not-so-oft visited places like museums, quaint cafeterias and bookstores that are storehouses of local history and culture. For instance, while there were serpentine queues at the ropeway ride,  there was not a single soul at Gangtok’s Black cat museum - which we pleasantly discovered to be a wonderful state-of the art museum showcasing Sikkim’s history and the trajectory of the Army's Black Cat Regiment stationed in Gangtok. While none of the localities were even aware of this museum, the administrator of the museum himself appeared to be  curious about how we discovered this place. So much so, that even the taxi driver whom we hailed to go to our next destination was even more inquisitive about our visit and wondered  what interesting things possibly lay therein! 

 

 

 ….which leads me to our next destination….bookstores. As always in all our travels, one of the mini highlights of our trip is to visit a local bookstore and by now our entire family looks forward to it and given a chance Aadya would have spent an entire day at two of Gangtok’s famous bookstores - Good Books centrally located at Gangtok’s MG Marg and Cafe Fiction or Rachna Books (as it’s listed on Google) located opposite Gangtok’s Secretariat Office. 

 

Just off one of the busiest parts of MG market and near Baker’s cafe (a famous cafeteria with charming and eclectic decor, offering delectable variety of baked goodies and eateries ), Good books houses a wonderful collection of mainstream books and many works by local authors  where we ended up buying a few regular Usborn Early Readers for Aadya and an interesting compilation of tales of the land of Lepchas (Sikkim’s aboriginals), aided by amiable and helpful  bookstore owner. Good Books is indeed a lovely place for book lovers to make a pit stop amidst their MG market shopping! 

 

We also dropped into Cafe Fiction, an award winning bookstore cum cafeteria that has a beautiful display of a wide variety of mainstream and independent publications that one can pull out from the aesthetically placed bookshelves and curl into their super-comfy chairs reading them…while sipping a hot cuppa coffee, by the giant windows offering beautiful views of the street below. I wish “Namma Bengaluru” too had our very own Cafe Fiction! 

 

Anyways.. thanks to Make-my-trip, we now return to Bangalore glad that our Sikkim trip was by and large uneventful (though there were scares of landslides at certain places owing to heavy rains) refreshed and rejuvenated for our routine grind back home, our social media accounts full of stories and posts to put up and our minds full of happy memories and  four bags full of laundry! :-) 

 

Well… as my colleague was intrigued to notice books even in my travel DPs .. I must say that a travel without books is no travel at all! Despite long road trips during the day.. reading to Aadya was never given a miss (not that she would herself or let us go to bed without a book) and thanks to “Good Books” and “Cafe Fiction”, we were never short of interesting reads.  But to commemorate our Sikkim trip, we read from “The Legends of the Land of Lepchas Folk Tales from Sikkim” by Yishey Doma and Pankaj Thapa. 

A beautiful collection of folklores on various aspects Sikkim’s environment, history and culture. We were delighted to make some connections of what we saw, felt and experienced from some of the stories. From story of “ The Race between Teesta and Rangeet” that gives a mythical side to the confluence of the rivers of Rangeet and Teesta river that we came across on our way from Bagdogra to Gangtok to “A tale of two trees” being the story of Lali Guras, Sikkim’s Rhododendron that we saw aplenty at the Yumthang valley, or the “The Cave of Occult Fairies”, the story of Guru Padmasambhava or Guru Rimpoche who subjugated the demons and saved his devotees from evil, that reminded us of giant statues of Guru Padmasambhava  at Sandrupse hill and at Pelling skywalk, and the fact that Mount Khangchendzonga is a constant presence in all the stories just as the view of the mountain  Khangchendzonga  was our constant quest throughout our trip! While we are set to get back to pavilion from now on, this book serves as a wonderful parting shot for our minds and hearts still hung over the land of Lepchas! 

What can I be!

 

It’s not very often that both my children (who are almost nine years apart ) are pondering over the same things.. and when that does happen .. the difference in their respective situations seem even more glaring and bemusing! Not too long ago, my soon-to-be seven year old daughter was quite taken in by Niyatee Parikh Sharma’s “What can I be”? (It’s a different matter that I managed to find time to blog about it a couple of months later!) She was fascinated by the interaction that the mother-daughter duo have about what the daughter wants to be when she grows up!! Round about the same time, my son was going through his own “what after-class-10” pangs and “What should I do - dilemma” dominated his thoughts and our thoughts too …and continues to this day as he finishes his class 10 Board exams! While he is clear on what he does not want (“Im done with science for life”! he screamed as he finished his science exam last week)… he is still not clear about he what he sees himself doing! While there are a couple of obvious choices .... he has been in "yet to decide" mode for quite sometime now. Unlike our generation who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, the Gen Z today are spoilt for choices and seem jaded with the endless possibilities that lie before them. While  there are many who have figured it all out and are already on their decided path, there are many others who are yet to decide on their future course of action. But having already scaled up the physiological needs and probably even psychological and self-esteem needs,  as per the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow’s “Pyramid of needs”,  most kids today are directly onto achieve “self-fulfilment”!   Ever notice that the question or doubt about the “scope” of a particular choice that was uppermost in our minds back in the 80’s or 90’s does not even cross their minds today!  Of course, it’s most desirable that they are probably making choices solely based on their interests, but can they sustain their interest in the choices that they’ve made … and as parents - it’s a fine balance between being control freaks and being too pliant! With too many choices creating too much confusion, I just hope the saying “When people have too many choices, they make bad choices” will not turn out to be true!

 

Anyway, having just finished his class 10 Board exams, and that too four days earlier than others who had opted for Hindi as second language, Abhay is not mood to think about his future as of now, and he is simply super thrilled about being in his own words “Done with school!” …and believe me there is no looking back there! As if to celebrate this milestone, we revisited Aadya’s once favourite along with her older brother (so as to nudge him into thinking about it) - “What can I be”  by Niyatee Parikh Sharma and illustrated by Vibha Suryanarayan, brought out by Tota books. It’s a wonderful conversation driven story wherein a little girl wonders what can she be when she grows up and her mother assures her that she can be anything she dreams of  - from an architect, just as they stand before an anthill who are the most amazing architects of nature, or a mountaineer  or marine biologist as they sit by the lake watching tadpoles, or an archaeologist as they excavate shells from the earth, and many such choices, as they juxtapose them with related creative and explorative activities around nature. A wonderful light hearted read that makes for an interesting parent-child activity about life and career choices that your little one may want to explore. Vibrantly illustrated, my little one could very well relate to the little girl’s dreams and aspirations and the narrative inspires kids to create their own path!  As we finished reading this book, Aadya confidently declared that “I want to be an artist”!  Wow….I only wish her brother is as clear minded as she is about what he wants be!  😊

10 years of Abhayhood!

It’s now officially a decade since Abhay came into this world and while he is at the cusp of tween or pre-teen years before heading into the dreaded (so as far as parents are concerned!) teen years, there are many angles and moments during which he still seems like a little boy! Though he looks every bit and probably as cheeky as any ten year old, there are some elements of his personality that continue to remind us of his toddler or pre-schooler days ….. like he still winces as the pressure cooker whistle goes off or still employs toddler lingo references to some everyday things. Though he may not like my bringing this up, but as parents we cannot be blamed for finding the same endearing as we try to hold on to some of the last traces of his early childhood. Somehow as he turned ten on September 11^th, it felt different as if he were going to be in a different league now…..and I could only think of the famous ABBA song….to paraphrase the same…. …..

Slipping through our fingers all the time…                                                                

As we try to capture every moment……  

Slipping through our fingers all the time    

Do we really see what’s in his mind               

Each time we think we’re close to knowing      

He keeps on growing                                                                                                                     Slipping through our fingers all the time…. 

As Abhay hit the first big ten, he was very clear that he wanted a birthday bash thrown at home, and presented us with  a big list of do’s and don’ts, with invitees being all his favourite people, including close cousins, schoolmates and neighbors. Though it was a particularly hectic week for both of us, we hurriedly managed to put together a decent show  - a birthday party with games, gifts and a quick-fix-easy-to-make piñata that the kids enjoyed breaking and smashing. Finally as the guests left and it was time to clean up, Abhay announced the party to be a grand success…..and Boy! Were we glad to live up to the expectations of our big little man!! :-) 

On the occasion of celebrating ten years of Abhayhood……..we went on a philosophical tour on life and living from our all time favourite author Ruskin Bond “What’s your dream?”, that we read as  a part of the compilation “The Room of Many Colours”, a thoughtful piece on dreams and life. Written in first person (as most of Ruskin Bond’s stories), the story involves a young boy’s encounter with an English speaking beggar, who stumps him with one question “What’s your dream…..something you wants most in his life?”. As the boy answers that his dream is to have a room of his own, the man begins to probe further leading to a intriguing conversation on the significance of dreams in one’s life, with the old man giving out pearls of wisdom drawn from his own experience on how it is important to work towards your dream and move towards it all the time, and most importantly, if you don’t expect too many things too quickly, you’ll find your dream. While children are natural dreamers, they end up losing their natural ability to dream as they grow up. With a layered narrative that likens dreams to freedom and growing up to losing that freedom, the story beautifully conveys that while it is important to follow your dream, it is also important not to take other people’s dreams. The story ends with the boy left to ponder over the old man’s words of wisdom….and is the reader. As this is the age for Abhay to dream and build castles in the air, we couldn’t have asked for a better story to celebrate his foray into pre-teenhood….So here’s wishing Abhay a very happy birthday….dream on…my boy as there is no life without dreams! :-)

Gita for children!

Taking a cue from my friend and fellow blogger on “intolerance and all that jazz” that she guest posted on Onestoryaday, I found a perfect book for everyone to fall back on in these chaotic times. When in doubt or confusion, it’s not uncommon for us to turn to God or religious scriptures - be it the Gita, the Bible or the Quran. As a practising Hindu brought up and now married into a traditional household, seeking solace in religious activities like Bhajan singing, or reciting religious texts have been integral part of my life.  Though Abhay is still young, we make sure he participates in some of our routine religious activities at home, in whatever way he can afford to. While I am not sure how religious or spiritual my son will be in the future, it is our duty as parents to introduce them to our roots so that they know where to find them if and when they go looking for the same!

So when I learnt about Roopa Pai’s “Gita for children”, I jumped and reserved my copy in advance. Though Bhagvad Gita is essentially known as the single most important Hindu scripture, Roopa Pai’s rendition has a universal appeal, irrespective of religion one follows. Rated as one of the top-five selling books of 2015 in the Children’s and Young adult category by Amazon, “The Gita for children” by Roopa Pai  brought out by Hachette India   promises to be a one-of- a kind retelling of the Bhagvad Gita and I must say that it sure lives up to this promise! It starts with the million dollar question like “What’s the big deal about the Bhagvad Gita?” that opens into a quiz on the Gita that might as well serve as a preface to the book. With a brief explanation of the background facts leading up to the most important conversation in Hindu mythology, like any other commentary on the Gita, this one too is divided into eighteen chapters or “yogas” in which Arjuna learns all there is to learn about the secret of good life from Krishna! Employing a rather contemporary narrative, using catchy phrases and titles, Gita for children takes the reader through each of the shlokas or verses and explains their true essence in an uncharacteristic way that the current generation is able to relate to. For instance….have you ever heard of Lord Krishna being described as a Dark Knight??!!! With each chapter featuring the progress of conversation between Arjuna and Krishna and followed by a child appropriate analysis of the life’s lessons embedded in them, the author also throws light on lesser known facts in the form of fun trivia. Not to forget, the reader is also given a glimpse into excerpts of other works from Harper Lee’s To Kill Mockingbird to Paul McCartney’s song “Ebony and Ivory” that echo the sentiments of Gita!  In all, “The Gita for children” beautifully presents the timeless epic without oversimplifying its concepts so as to serve as a wonderful guide book to children and adults alike! A must have for every library!!!

Amma, tell me about Diwali!

First published on Parent Edge blog 

No matter which part of India you are in, it’s hard to ignore the festive spirit this season brings in! Whether it’s bursting crackers, or attending numerous religious or cultural events lined up in the neighbourhood temples, or the shopping frenzy and lightening Diwali sales put by all retailers, off-line or online, or enjoying the extended Dusshera-Diwali vacations with the kids, holiday cheer is everywhere!

While it’s our second cracker-free Diwali, it’s the first Diwali experience for the little one at home, which for a five month old, it would mean more than anything else noise emanating from the crackers!!  While bursting fire crackers, gorging on sweets and treats is fun, there’s more to Diwali than just the merrymaking, how do we get our children to realize the importance of the same? Here’s a delightful series that does just that and what’s more …it’s presented in a format that combines the power of story-telling with rich imagery to engage and educate our kids on Indian tradition and values.  Here comes the “Amma, tell me” series by Bhakti Mathur and illustrations by Maulshree Somani brought out by Hong Kong based Anjana publications. Comprising of a series of picture books on Indian festivals and Indian mythology for children between the age group of 3 to 9 years, these books are a great way to enlighten the kids on the stories and sentiments behind the observance and celebrations of our festivals. Besides many titles on festivals such as “Amma, tell me about Holi” or  “Amma, tell me about Ganesha” or the series on Mythology such as “Amma, tell me about Ramayan”,  this vibrantly illustrated series also presents interesting tales from the Hindu epics in a trilogy format such as the trilogy series on Krishna and Hanuman. 

For this festive season, however, we picked out “Amma, tell me about Diwali!”  which believe me, will have you and your little one feeling festive on the first reading itself!  As most titles in the series, it starts off with the little boy named Klaka excitedly waking up to a typical Diwali morning characterized by new clothes and gifts followed by the lighting of Diyas, fire crackers in the evening, and the family offering prayers to God for good fortune, prosperity and health. As the children wonder about the story behind the celebrations, whom do they approach? Amma…of course, who at bedtime regales them with stories that explain the significance of the festival of lights. While elaborating on the meaning of Diwali, Amma in the story also delves into the multiple dimensions to festivities that includes remembering Lord Rama and his triumphant return to Ayodhya on Diwali day, while also encapsulating a brief account of Ramayana.  Of course, Diwali is not only all dazzle and fun, but the children are subtly reminded of the value of honesty, hard work and dedication through the story of Goddess Lakshmi and the poor seamstress. The beauty of this book not only lies in free-flowing narrative and engagingly rhyming text, but also in the simple message that the author attempts to convey to today’s kids brought up in a consumerist world that we live in.  The colouful illustrations are not only striking, but also present an authentic setting of Diwali celebrations in a typical Indian household, and not to forget the amiable images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, particularly when Klaka is shown seated beside Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth! As this series also caters to the Western audience, each story ends with a Glossary on Hindu names and symbols, which is quite educative to the Indian audience as well. Though a little pricy as compared to some of the Indian children’s publications, “Amma, tell me” series, is a wonderful “Mythology made simple and meaningful” that is sure to capture the imagination of young minds and will have them begging for ‘Amma, tell me more’!! Enjoy the festive season and happy Diwali everyone! 

The Blue Umbrella!

Whichever part of India you reside in, ….chances are that’s it’s either raining or going to rain or just about stopped raining! Unlike the previous years, this year's monsoon has been uneven and  erratic with either too little rain in some parts or too much rain in others. While the monsoon does bring cheer to one and all and is portrayed in a rather romantic perspective in  most Indian nature writings, as a parent of young children and very young children (to which category I have been recently re-inducted) ... one can't ignore its practical implications. So whether it's the difficulty in navigating through maddening traffic on a rainy evening with young kids in tow, or re-adjusting their tennis or any sports classes upsetting an already packed  weekly schedule or being stuck indoors with hyper-active kids when you'd rather take them to a park or playground  or the rise in viral infections ( some with names you've never heard of!)  which in turn means that it's not just your little one who's taking off or the fact that clothes (read nappies!) don't seem to dry at all... the rains are just not fun anymore!:-) 

So when I stumbled upon a friend's Facebook homepage that read "Rain, Tea and a Good book" (Courtesy Reading Corner) ... I couldn't help feeling jealous! That said, there's nothing stopping you from recreating the monsoon magic vicariously.. Right? What better way to do it than pick up a story by an iconic writer whose writings on nature have enthralled children and adults alike. When it comes to writing about the hills, the trees, the rains, no one does it better than Bond! Out of his many stories, we picked out “The Blue Umbrella”, one of his most popular children’s stories in recent times that has also been made into a feature film. “The Blue Umbrella” is available as an individual novel with illustrations by Archana Sreenivasan and is also published along with his other stories in “Ruskin Bond’s Children’s Omnibus” brought out by Rupa publications. 

Revolving around a young girl named Binya and her family comprising of her mother and her brother Bijju, the story makes for an excellent armchair travelogue of the Gharwal region located at the foothills of the Himalayas transporting the reader to its lush green splendor. While taking her cows for grazing, she chances upon her a beautiful blue umbrella that has her spellbound! As she moves closer to get a good look at the umbrella, she is spotted by a group of tourists apparently to whom the umbrella belongs. Just then a woman in the group seems fascinated by Binya’s  lucky leopard claw pendant and offers anything in exchange for the pendant. No prizes for guessing what Binya asks for in return! Having bartered her pendant for the blue umbrella, Binya cant stop parading it around the entire village to everyone’s envy, including the greedy shopkeeper Ram Bharosa! Ram Bharosa is notorious for picking on poor hapless children and forcing them into parting with their prized possession under the pretext of offering sweets on credit. Ram Bharosa cant take his eyes off Binya’s umbrella and finds it unfair that a poor girl like Binya should have such a beautiful and dainty looking umbrella! So he hatches a plan to acquire it but pays a heavy price for his greed! Though all of his own making, Binya feels sorry for Ram Bharosa’s misery and she does something selfless  that not only brings in a change of heart in Ram Bharosa but also rewards them in unexpected ways! Read on as story unfolds into a beautiful tale of childhood fascination, greed, empathy and redemption!

“The Blue Umbrella” has now adapted into an Amar Chitra Katha format along with another one of his stories “Angry River”. Though it makes a great read for younger kids, nothing can compare to Ruskin Bond’s brilliant narrative in the novel, detailing every nuance of Binya’s fetish, Ram Bharosa’s envy, subtly hinting at the simple and contented life of villagers and vividly describing the rain in the mountains!  So much so that even Abhay couldn’t agree more…and after a long time, we've rediscovered the joy of reading together like never before...all thanks to Ruskin Bond's  "The Blue Umbrella" ! :-) 

Girls to the Rescue!

A part of this post was first published on Parent Edge blog. 

I have always wanted a daughter and have always been envious of my friends who’d dress up their little girls and show off their pictures! Of course I could have done the same but dressing up a boy is never the same as dressing a girl! I have made known my wish even on Onestoryaday every time I’ve come across a book especially for girls. So much so that the other day, my son observed that my dream seemed to have come true with the arrival of my second child – a little girl. When I quizzed him as to what dream was he talking about …..pat came his rather sarcastic remark  “Wasn’t it your dream to have a daughter ?” (Serves me right for coming out clean with him as to my preference the first time around!) Anyway, now that I have a daughter….I find myself confronting various issues that never seemed to bother me with my son! Of course…as of now….it’s more of minor issues like  “When is the right time to pierce her ears” or “What kind of accessories to pick up or are available to go with her frock?”, or  “OMG…I’ll have to ensure towards maintenance of her hair as well when managing my hair itself is such a chore”! But this made me realize that as she grows up, I am bound to encounter or worry about many such things that I wasn’t even concerned about when it came to my son…..and this indeed made me nervous! Well…raising a girl is a different ball game …isn’t it??

Anyway, whether I expect the road ahead to be easy or difficult or just plain different from the earlier one, I guess I will always have books to come my rescue! So when Tulika came up with “Girls to the rescue” by Sowmya Rajendran and illustrated by Ashok Rajagopalan . I had to pick it up. When it comes to reading to your girls…have you ever wondered  why are we still stuck with the age old fairy tales with princesses being boring and one-dimensional characters whose only role is to wait to be rescued by their Prince Charming? Given a choice, most moms would want to skip reading the fairy tales like “Sleeping beauty” or “Rapunzel”  as they perpetuate the primitive mindset wherein the ultimate destination for any girl is to find her Prince Charming!

So if you are such a parent, this is a book that offers a refreshing take on six fairy tale princesses …..who receive an “empowerment makeover”! J  Though the reading level is most suited for children aged 10 and above, the book presents excellent read aloud stories for younger children.  I will probably have to wait for over five years for me to read this to my daughter ….but who says you can’t have your boys read them too! Of course Abhay is so much a boy’s boy that he had no idea about the original princess stories. So we first read the age old fairy tales and then I had him read Tulika’s upgraded version!  I must say…he found the latter much more interesting!

The princesses in this book have a mind of their own, think for themselves and not only dare to dream big but also make their own destiny without waiting for someone else to step in. With the touch of realism, a pinch of quirkiness, a dash of satire and topped with humour, these stories make for a fresh and healthy palate as opposed to the stale diet of Disney princess stories. While the basic plot of each of the fairy tales remains the same, the difference lies in the narrative, factual and situational details and of course the ending which is way better than “happily-ever-after’! Who wouldn’t want to read about what happens to “Rapunzel” who imitates her astronaut mother and dares her barber-father into going against the “tradition” or find out about who the real wolf is,  in the complex and layered “Red Riding Hood” or further learn about the princess who willingly becomes a “Sleeping beauty” or get inspired by no-longer-kitchen bound “Cinderella” who takes charge of her own life and gets her sisters to ‘share’  the house work or laugh along with the rebellious princess when the frog meets its destiny after being kissed by her or empathise with “Snow White” whose mother worries that she may not find a suitable groom due to her (hold your breadth) her extra-ordinary fairness! Well..do all of them meet their respective Prince Charming….yes ..but don’t expect wedding bells …but simply enjoy the moment! So enjoy reading "Girls to the Rescue" with your little girls! 

Being Boys!!!!

First appeared on parentedge blog. 

Though as a generation, we have managed to challenge certain gender stereotypes, we have still not been able completely break free from the same. While as urban parents we have been a lot more encouraging towards our girls breaking into male bastions, have we been supportive of our boys in equal measure? Why! Haven't we ever poked fun at our boys as being girl-like for shedding a tear or two? Or haven't we ever goaded them into being "a man" and not a sissy? So as parents we do knowingly or unknowingly seek to perpetuate gender bias. In the same breadth, boys or men are often excused from violent or disorderly behaviour and certain sections of the society still seek to justify the archaic notion by seeking refuge under the age old saying that "Boys will be boys"! So what does it mean to be boys of this generation?

We have been enjoying  reading this recently released book that seeks to break the stereotypes about boys and their so called man’s world! "Being Boys " edited by Deepa Nayar and Radhika Menon brought out Tulika publications is one compilation that promises to be off the beaten path with contributors from various walks of life from famous authors and journalists to professors and social workers.  Though supposed to be for children aged ten plus, some of the works in the compilation make ideal read-aloud stories for children aged six and above, and many others serve as a guide for pre-teens and teens during their stressful phase of adolescence. This is a collection of coming of age stories, autobiographical anecdotes, essays, inspirational non fiction write-ups, poems, diary jottings, speech excerpts, etc featuring mainly young boys as protagonists from different backgrounds, different time periods, and grappling with different issues in life- issues of identity, poverty, ambition,courage, passion,  perseverance,  peer pressure, being bullied and being the bully, an understanding of fair and unfair, and a realization of what truly matters in life. What's unique about this compilation is that all the works touch upon the sensitive side of boyhood and seek to confront issues that most often get pushed under the carpet as being unmanly. Whether it's how to ward off jokes about his long hair as a young Sikh boy in "Rinku's hair " by Amandeep Sandhu, or Swami's fear of darkness unexpectedly making him a hero in R K Narayan's "Hero", or choosing the so called girlie interests or fitting into womanly roles in Ranjit Lal's "General Apron Strings" and Samar Harlankar's "Focke-Wulfs and Fish Curry" or the hilarious account of the pimple ridden        truths of growing up in Niveditha Subramaniam and Sowmya Rajendran's "Destroy, Boy", or a real life story of how an ace footballer tackled bullying in N Sudarshan's "Man-up- It's Football" or delving into the mind of a bully in Jerry Pinto's "Kerrrrah-tuck" or the story of transformation of Chandashoka (Ashoka the fierce) into Ashoka, the Beloved of Gods in Devika Cariapa's "The ugly boy" or Vikram Seth's riveting speech on the occasion of "Founder's day" addressing the boys of Doon school and many such stories throw light on what it truly means to be boys and what actually happens when boy meets world! 

Stanley's Stick!

Life is full of surprises!!! Just as you believe your life to be moving in a known direction, an unexpected turn of events can leave you bewildered and unsettled until you come to terms with the change!  Owing to a sudden hectic turn of events on the personal front, I have been missing on the blogosphere and its now been more than a month since my last post on Onestoryaday !  But as the saying goes ….the only thing constant in life is change and you learn to adapt and move on….. so here I am...just in time for its anniversary month! Anyway, now that I got down to revisit my long lost sharing space afforded by blogger, let me straightaway get down to the business of books…..children’s books that I’ve been reading…not just for Abhay!:-)

 

 

 

Not very often you come across a book that speaks to not just the kids but also the parents reading to them. One such book that I happen to stumble upon at the British Library  is “Stanley’s Stick” by John Hegley and illustrated by Neal Layton. Described as capturing “the freewheeling expressiveness of childhood” and touted as “everything a picture book should be”, this is a story of a boy named Stanley who has a fetish for a stick that he always carries with him.  Stanley’s stick was once a part of a majestic tree that Stanley wistfully remembers finding it lying on the ground. Nevertheless Stanley is happy to have a part of something tall and grand and indulges in pretend play of all kinds with his stick! He pretends to use the stick as a whistle, or as match stick all set to light the torch of world games, or his stick becomes “stickosauraus”, a dinosaur not yet extinct!:-) Stanley also managed to rope his friend into joining and they both are seen pretend-fishing with a string attached to his stick…..with the best part being that no fish getting hurt with his stick-fishing! But Stanley had never been able to find an appropriate name for his favourite inanimate companion! For instance, Stirry sounded nice but much more appropriate for a spoon rather than a stick! Once Stanley goes on a beach vacation with his parents and there’s no better company than his stick to scrawl on sand in a languages understood by only Stanley and his stick. As he nears the shore, Stanley is seen in a pensive mood, looking out in the direction of the sea …. As his parents take stock of the situation of what is Stanley about to do, Stanley hurls his stick into the sea, surprised to what a tiny splosh it makes for something that was so big in his life, while his parents wonder if he is upset now that  Stanley is now stickless!!! The next morning, as the tide is out, Stanley decides to look for other sticks or twigs when he chances upon  a twisty stick that is different from the one he had before! Suddenly, Stanley’s bewitched ….and he soon discovers numerous ways of playing with his new twisty stick! Besides….it was easier than before to arrive at a name for his new found favourite – fantastick!!! Well….the book ends with a reflective tone…..Stanley’s fantastic, to which we add…so is his story…..isnt it??

This book not only makes a delightful  read but also works on so many different levels, that leaves a feel-good effect each time one reads it! Beautifully worded, charmingly illustrated, “Stanley’s stick” is not only a tribute to children's imagination but also offers a philosophical perspective to life and conveys a subtle message that lends itself into different meanings at different phases of one’s growing up! So it goes without saying….Stanley’s Stick is definitely for keeps…..as you may want to revisit this book later…to see if you have moved on with the change just as Stanley has!!



Our Teacher....!

Today, being the birth anniversary of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, India’s former President and a celebrated academician and statesman, which is celebrated as Teacher’s day, it’s time to remember and thank all our teachers who’ve nurtured us through the years. I haven’t read too many books to Abhay on teachers and when I have, I haven’t forgotten to mention my school teacher who made a big difference to my life then and in some ways, even now. I have been a teacher’s daughter myself and I have seen how much admiration, goodwill and respect she enjoys from her students….which is reflected in their interaction with her …even though it’s been more than a year since her retirement. A teacher may be the principal motivation for many students behind attending school or college. Extending the same to others who’ve played the role of teachers and mentored us when we were directionless…. be it our parents, seniors, first boss or current associate….its time acknowledge their contribution too…!! So you may or may not support Prime Minister Narendra’s Modi’s Teacher’s day address today, or may or may not have been  able to listen in on his address but you cannot but deny the momentous role of a teacher in shaping the future of the individual and society!
 

 

On the occasion of Teacher’s day, I picked by “Our Teacher” by Sundara Ramasamy, a well known literary figure in Tamil, known as ‘su.raa” , which is an Ode to his favourite teacher in school, Elizabeth Ma’am….who reminds me of our own Elizabeth Ma’am in College….in fact I think everyone who has studied in a convent would have been taught by a teacher named Elizabeth! J Narrated in first person, the story set in pre-independence era, revolves around a new teacher in school named “Elizabeth Thomas” having been appointed to teach the students of Section A of Class VIII, who were considered not-so-bright students, as opposed to the students of section B of the same class who always win the Annual Sitalakhsmi prize for Excellence every year. But nothing could deter Elizabeth Ma’am from believing in her students’ potential to “march into Class 9 like smart young soldiers". She thus instantly won over her students who were motivated to work hard and realize their true potential. Elizabeth Ma’am’s efforts paid off when her students gradually aced the half yearly assessments, despite reservations expressed by their rival class teacher Ms. Padmavathi Ma’am. Such was their confidence that they even aspired to compete with section B for the Annual Sitalakhsmi prize for Excellence!  However during the run up to year end assessments, Elizabeth Ma’am’s academic integrity is questioned and she does what most shy away from doing – she owns up to her mistake and sets an example for her students that there should not be any compromise on honesty and integrity! A beautiful story that touches upon many aspects of student-teacher life –the excitement and eagerness of a new teacher, student and teacher rivalry, classroom and staff room politics, teacher-student rapport, and the life lessons learned inside and outside classrooms ….. in all make a great read on Teacher’s day!  It would be a travesty not to mention the brilliant pencil sketch illustrations by Neeta Gangopadhyay that provide a perfect setting to that time and age when there was no one like Elizabeth Ma’am! Happy Teachers day to all the teachers!!

Freedom Run!

 As our nation turns 68 today, like many Indians, we too watched the Independence day celebrations on television and keenly listened in on our Prime Minister’s maiden I-day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, New Delhi and also followed it up by attending the flag hoisting ceremony in our community neighbourhood. Over the years, Independence day celebrations have gone beyond the traditional flag-hoisting- patriotic-singing ceremonies and the emphasis is more now on celebrating India in all its pride, history and diversity. So from Tiranga halwa at I-day buffets to I-day discounts and offers and I-day children’s story-hours, its “Happy Independence day” all the way!

I so wish we could attend the Independence day special story time organized by friend and fellow blogger Cuddles and Reads, but due a prior engagement, we had to make do with a freedom story at home!:-) While Independence day is a time to reflect on the struggles and sacrifices our forefathers who fought for India’s freedom, it is also a time reflect in other freedoms we need to fight for today. I remember the centerpiece of  Independence day celebrations at our school was always be a map of India with  question “Is India free?” Going by the same issue, today we read a story that throws light on the plight of the forgotten children of ….Khamaria in Uttar Pradesh where the children are made to work all day at the carpet looms. “Freedom Run” by Subhadra Sen Gupta and Tapas Guha  is a level 4 reader in a comic book format brought out by Pratham publications. Meant for slightly older children, this is a moving story revolving around three children Kallan, Mansoor and Gokul who are made to work at the carpet loom to pay off their parents’ debt. All of them long to be free from the drudgery of knotting carpets for Mir Ali, the loom owner at whose hands they suffer physical and emotional abuse. It is only when they meet Munna Bhai, a social worker, that they realize that it’s illegal to make children work to pay off loans. Munna Bhai even offers to take them to Sewapuri where they can study and earn by weaving at the same time. But the question is how will they get to Sewapuri?? Meanwhile Gokul’s brother Rahul tries to rescue him from the evil clutches of Mir Ali and his associates…..?? Do the children manage to escape to freedom?? Will they be free like the rest of the children?? Read on as your young reader ponders over the harsh realities of life and goes on to understand the value of freedom…which we all take for granted!!! Lets hope this Independence day brings freedom to many such children who are victims of circumstances……!!!

AHA! ...once again!

The Aha! International  theatre for children festival is back at Rangashankara between the 10^th and 20^th of July! Like last year…the festival boasts of an impressive line-up of children’s plays by theatre groups from India and all over the world, including a plays for toddlers and a film show for older kids. Like last year…....we checked the festival schedule and had our tickets booked as soon as the bookings opened. Like last year, we’re taking turns to accompany Abhay for five of the eight plays being staged this year. So if Abhay’s daddy took him for “The Little Blue Planet” yesterday, it was my turn to take him for “Heroes Weroes” today…. And his grandparents have chipped in to take him for the Yakshagana performance tomorrow….and so on! Unlike last year though…this year  Abhay’s school too has come forward has planned a class field trip for one of the plays during the coming week……thus saving us from readjusting our schedule for one weekday at least! Phew!! J

 

Today’s performance is “Heroes Werose” by Theateact, Mumbai. This is a hilarious physical comedy that seeks to question the idea of a super hero solving all our problems. Abhay was completely taken in by the super hero histrionics, lighting effects and couldn’t stop laughing at the supposed dialogues…a mix of English and Gibberish! If ever happen get a chance…don’t miss the play Heroes Werose!

 

 

As a follow-up to the play, we read “Eric! ..the hero?” by Chris Wormwell. This is the story of Eric who seemed to be no good at anything and was called many names  like Twit, Dummy, Dunce and Dope! Eric thus felt miserable and he ran away. As he grew tired, he began wandering in the forest… when he heard a shout from a woodcutter who came rushing out of the woods screaming that a huge monster has come down from the mountains and suddenly hordes of people  were seen fleeing across the fields towards the king’s castle. As Eric turned and ran with them, they felt enormous footsteps of the Monster approach when he heard someone shouting – “Where’s a hero when you need one”…to which someone else shouted back that any hero would need to be a twit to fight someone as huge as the said monster and others added in that he’d have to be a Nitwit or a dummy or a dunce or a dope! This made Eric think since he was considered to be all of that….he may as well be a hero and wondered if that’s what he’s good at??!!! Does Eric become a hero, after all? Read on as everyone in the castle, including his mother watch as Eric takes on the monster who in turn happens to be wallowing in self-doubt himself! We all are our own heroes….isn’t it??

ಮಾತೃಭಾಷೆಯ ಮಹತ್ವ!

ಮಾತೃಭಾಷೆ ಮುಖ್ಯವೇ? ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಸಣ್ಣದರಲ್ಲೇ ಕಲಿಸಬೇಕೇ? ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ಮುಂದೆ ಬರುವ ಅವಕಾಶಗಳಿಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ತಯಾರಾಗಿರಲಿ ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿ ನಾವು ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಶ್, ಹಿಂದಿ, ಸ್ಪ್ಯಾನಿಶ್, ಫ್ರೆಂಚ್ ಈ ಎಲ್ಲ ಭಾಷೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಕಲಿಯಲಿ ಅಂತ ಬಯಸುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಆದರೆ ಮಾತೃಭಾಷೆ ಕಲಿಯಲಿ ಎಂದು ಅದೇ ತೀವ್ರತೆಯಿಂದ ಯೋಚಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆಯೇ? ನಾವು ಅಭಯನಿಗೆ ಎರಡನೇ ಭಾಷೆಯಾಗಿ ಕನ್ನಡ ಕೊಡಿಸಿದೆವು. ಬಹಳ ಜನ ಹಿಂದಿ ಯಾಕೆ ಕೊಡಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ಕೇಳಿದರು. ನನ್ನ ಮತ್ತು ನನ್ನ ಗಂಡನ ಪ್ರಕಾರ, ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಲಿಯುವುದು ಬಹಳ ಮುಖ್ಯ. ನಾವು ಪ್ರಪಂಚದ ಎಲ್ಲ ವಿಷಯಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಂಡಿರಬಹುದು. ಆದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನಮಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿರದಿದ್ದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಜ್ಞಾನ ಅಪೂರ್ಣ. ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲೇನಿದೆ ಅಂತ ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳದೆ ಬೇರೆಲ್ಲ ಕಡೆ ಏನಿದೆ ಅಂತ ಪೂರ್ತಿಯಾಗಿ ಅರಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಆಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಎಲ್ಲದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ, ನಮ್ಮತನ ವ್ಯಕ್ತವಾಗುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಭಾಷೆ ಬೇಕೇ ಬೇಕಲ್ಲವೇ?

 

 

 

ಇವತ್ತಿನ ಬ್ಲಾಗಿನ ವಿಷಯ "ರೀಡಿಂಗ್ ಇನ್ ನೇಟಿವ್ ಲ್ಯಾಂಗ್ವೇಜ್". ನಮ್ಮ ನೇಟಿವ್ ಲ್ಯಾಂಗ್ವೇಜ್ ಕನ್ನಡ. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ನಾನು ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲೇ ಇಂದಿನ ಬ್ಲಾಗನ್ನು ಬರೆಯೋಣ ಅಂತ ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡಿದೆ. ನಾನು ಮೆಂಬರಾಗಿ ಇರುವ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಗುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳೆಲ್ಲಾ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುತ್ತವೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ನೆನ್ನೆ ಸಪ್ನ ಬುಕ್ ಹೌಸಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಬುಕ್ ಏಜೆನ್ಸಿ ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಿರುವ "ನೀತಿ ಕಥಾ ಮಾಲೆ" ಎಂಬ ಸರಣಿ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳನ್ನ ಕೊಂಡು ತಂದೆ. ಕನ್ನಡದ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಕಥೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ನೀತಿ ಇರಲೇ ಬೇಕು. ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾದ ಆದರೆ ಸುಂದರವಾದ ಕಥೆಗಳು ಇವೆ. ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವು ನಾನು ಚಿಕ್ಕವಳಾಗಿದ್ದಾಗ ಕೇಳಿದ್ದೆ. ಒಂದು ಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ನಾಯಿ ಕುದುರೆಗಳ ಲಾಯಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಅವುಗಳ ಮೇವು ತುಂಬಿಸುವ ಬಾನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಲಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಕುದುರೆಗಳು ದಿನದ ಕೆಲಸ ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಬಂದಾಗ ಅವುಗಳಿಗೆ ತಿನ್ನಲು ಬಿಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಕುದುರೆಗಳು ಯಾಕೆ ಹೀಗೆ ಸಣ್ಣ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ತೋರಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವೆ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದರೂ ತನ್ನ ಹಠ ಬಿಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಕಡೆಗೆ ಯಜಮಾನ ಬಂದು ದೊಣ್ಣೆಯಿಂದ ನಾಯಿಗೆ ಬಾರಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆವಾಗ ಅದು ನಾನು ಮೊದಲೇ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ನಡೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಿತ್ತು ಅಂತ ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊಲಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ಒಂದು ಸಭೆ ಮಾಡಿ, "ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ನಮಗೆ ತೊಂದರೆ ಕೊಡುತ್ತಾರೆ, ಕೊಲ್ಲುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ನಾವೆಲ್ಲರೂ ನದಿಗೆ ಹಾರಿ ಪ್ರಾಣ ಬಿಡೋಣ" ಎಂದು ತೀರ್ಮಾನ ಮಾಡುತ್ತವೆ. ಹಾಗೆ ನದಿಯ ದಡಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದಾಗ ಬಿಸಿಲು ಕಾಯಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಕಪ್ಪೆಗಳು ಗಾಬರಿಯಾಗಿ ನದಿಗೆ ಜಿಗಿದು ಅವಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತವೆ. ಆಗ ಒಂದು ವಯಸ್ಸಾದ ಮೊಲ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಕೂಗಿ ಹೇಳುತ್ತದೆ - "ತಡೆಯಿರಿ. ಸಾಯುವ ಯೋಚನೆ ಬಿಡಿ. ನಮಗೆ ಹೆದರುವ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಗಳೂ ಇವೆಯೆಂದಾಯಿತು. ಅವುಗಳೇ ಆತ್ಮಹತ್ಯೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳದಿದ್ದ ಮೇಲೆ ನಾವೇಕೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು"?

 

ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮಾತೃಭಾಷೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಆಗಿರಲಿ, ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಕಲಿಸಿ. ಅದು ಖಂಡಿತ ಅವರ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವವನ್ನು ರೂಪಿಸುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಪಾತ್ರ ವಹಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ನಾನು ಕನ್ನಡದವಳಾಗಿ ಉಳಿದ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೆ ಹೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ - "ಎಲ್ಲಾದರೂ ಇರು ಎಂತಾದರು ಇರು ಎಂದೆಂದಿಗೂ ನೀ ಕನ್ನಡವಾಗಿರು"