Little girls with big dreams become women with vision. I cannot recall where I read this, but it has stayed with me. The story of little Bachni is true manifestation of how little girls like her grow up to become women like Bachendri Pal, who not only dare to dream but also climb mountains, and in her case, quite literally.
Written and illustrated by Lavanya Karthik, The Girl who Climbed Mountains: Bachendri Pal, a short biography, is part of the ‘Dreamers Series’, which includes The Boys who Created Malgudi: RK Narayan and RK Laxman, The Girl who Loved to Sing: Teejan Bai, The Girl who was a Forest: Janaki Ammal, The Boy who Played with Light: Satyajit Ray and The Boy who Loved Birds: Salim Ali.
October 2023, volume 47, No 10