The book is about Leela, a twelve-year-old Mysore girl growing up in pre-Independent India, 1932.
The story explores growing up in Mysore, a progressive town under the Maharaja’s rule rather than being directly under British empire, and Mysore’s interaction with the freedom struggle. The fictional story is a part of Duckbill’s ‘Songs of Freedom’ series and is written by the vivacious writer, Shruthi Rao.
Leela stays with her ajji, her grand-mother, and the family of her father’s cousin. Her father works in Bangalore, so he visits over festivals and holidays. Her mother passed away soon after her birth. But, as the saying goes, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’—she is raised by and in a community of neighbours, passionate teachers, and youthful friends.
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