HARI PATANG PE HARA PATANGA
By Varun Grover. Illustrated by Allen Shaw
Ektara Trust, 2024, pp. 84, ₹ 150.00
ATA KA PATA
By Virendra Dubey. Illustrated by Kanak Shashi
Ektara Trust, 2025, pp. 32, ₹ 80.00
SA RE GA MA PA-KSHI
By Rishi Sahany
Ektara Trust, 2025, pp. 52, ₹ 110.00
THE SONG OF LIFE
By Kavita Singh Kale
Ektara Trust, 2025, pp. 24, ₹ 65.00
MUSEUM OF GOA
By Kunal Ray. Illustrated by Subodh Kerkar
Ektara Trust, 2025, pp. 64, ₹ 215.00
I-Card, authored by Paro Anand, is a collection of short stories that paints an immersive picture of innocence being reshaped with the gritty reality of identityhood, contentious notions of belonging, and personal narratives that shape our interactions with the world. ’Dadagiri’ brings to us a young narrator, who is the fourth among his siblings, all elder sisters, peculiar in their own ways. The angsty youth, pampered by an overindulgent family, and ill equipped for the school bullies, is reminiscent of JD Salinger’s Holden. Without relying on overtly political commentaries, the stories bring to life the devastating reality of the undercurrent of violence in our society, spilling over into the lives of children and reshaping their sense of self.
Anand takes the ordinary–the site of a school bus, the milkman who is a regular in the colony—and infuses it with violence, provoking the young reader to confront the reality of the contemporary times, through the hazy lens of a child trying to make sense of the senseless violence surrounding them. There are other poignant stories that deal with loyalty, change, adaptation, and new found self-worth, among other themes that resonate with the turbulence of adolescence. Proiti Roy’s graphics weave together the stories beautifully and provide a luminous canvas of imagination for the young audience. Stories like ‘Suvira’ and ‘Fatima’ bring to light the themes of competition, belonging and compassion. In the former, young readers are taught to empathize with the challenges of moving places and leaving behind familiar settings, and the opportunities of growth that are brought to the forefront, along with themes of sporting spirit and its role in self-confidence. The latter is a form of bio-fiction, derived from the life of Fatima Whitbread, and her adoption by her Games teacher, who saw her potential and humanity–laying bare a transformative story that teaches us resilience and hope. Together they blend fiction with a nuanced, humanizing force often missing in children’s literature.
Family Tree, the brilliant picture book by Proiti Roy, is a sensitive illustrative tale of emotional bonding, the notion of familial bonds beyond blood. The story follows a little girl who shares whatever little food she has with the animals that reach out to her and follow her around. We see her surrounded by cats, dogs, goats, squirrels and cows at the end of story’s arc; they form a wordless bond with the girl who shared even when her means were scarce. Through an endearing end, the author-illustrator pictures the girl soundly asleep as her newfound friends keep watch outside her window.
Jeh Ki Panch Anoothi Udaney (Jeh’s Five Fantastic Flights) by Nandita da Cunha is a beautifully written children’s book with dazzling illustrations that bring to life the inspiring story of Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (JRD Tata), one of India’s most visionary industrialists, and the country’s first licensed pilot. Kavita Singh Kale’s brilliant sketches create an aspirational character who follows his dream, and his ‘five’ milestones are phased out to show the many achievements of JRD Tata’s life. There are references to historically important characters like Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Isma’ili Shias, who offered a hefty prize to encourage efforts in Indian aviation; and his friend Nevill Vintcent’s idea for using airplanes not merely for passenger flights but to transport mail across countries. Young readers are acquainted with important achievements such as these–in 1932, in India’s first airmail flight, Tata flew from Karachi to Bombay. The book traces a pioneer’s journey, from his early fascination with the mechanics of flying, to building his own airline and carving a space for himself in the project of nation-building through his monumental empire, all the while retaining the humility that he started out with.
Mendak Bola by Rakesh Ranjan is a poetry booklet with an endearing theme that is well-hidden but playfully obvious: the strangeness of others. The constant ‘tar-tar-tar’ sound evokes harsh words from the teacher in the classroom, but the children are fond of its incoherent, playful presence. Rajiv Eipe’s pictures help set the mood, context, and humour— making the poem not just a reading exercise but a more immersive, joyous experience. The illustrations expertly carry the narrative; the little creature holds everyone’s attention, but then classes disperse, and the children let him go back to his natural habitat.
Hari Patang Pe Hara Patanga by Varun Grover is an eighty-four-page children’s poem that runs on a whimsical, exploratory, symbolic rhythm. Illustrated by Allen Shaw, the pictures lend a dream-like, mythical quality to the poem, uplifting and sobering at the same time as it evokes the weight of dreams, the inner longing to flourish and the hard-earned wins that accompany us on the way. The imagery is dense but tightly bound through an imaginative world-building that ranges from animal, insect, myth, to human life, and all the journeys that we undertake to turn into who we want to be.
Ata ka Pata by Virendra Dubey is a deeply metaphorical picture story book illustrated by Kanak Shashi, which subtly but beautifully curates together themes of migration, metaphorical meditations around belonging and displacement through atmospheric details through its innovative picturizations. It blends a dream-like quality with mundane, everyday observations through fresh humour and spectacular detail.
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa-kshi, authored by Rishi Sahany, is a wordless but vivid picture book which brings together the beauty of music and a little girl’s personal growth under her mentor. The narrative follows a young bird, symbolizing the child’s voice, which initially struggles to take flight. Through patience and practice, the bird takes flight eventually, embodying the arc of self-expression. Besides being a visual treat, the work also serves as a reminder of failure paving the way towards success. The radiant bird, perched on the little girl’s hand on the final page, demonstrates the value of perseverance, which ultimately leads to genuine self-actualization.
The Song of Life by Kavita Singh Kale is a short picture book that derives inspiration from Ladakhi folklore, and analogizes weaving with the unfolding of earthly creation, with all its splendor and beauty. It evokes in the young readers, a sense of interconnectedness, and a recognition of the delicate and ingenious ways in which nature operates. The pictures bring together this profound relation between humanity and the environment; taking us through mountains, hills, meadows and starry nights to remind us of the fact that we are part of nature and don’t lie outside of it.
Museum of Goa, by Kunal Ray with illustrations from Subodh Kerkar, is an engagement with experimental, scientific, material art installations and the awe-inspiring nature of museums and art in general. He focuses on the illustrator’s love for Goa, his creative contributions, and his conversion of art space into a café. Through Kerkar’s knowledge of local history, ecology and Konkan identity, Ray extracts the essence of paintings, installations, sculpture and other displays to showcase his deep-rooted, attentive rendering of the State’s geography and community. The book promotes a love for immersive art, and explores the artist’s own evolving practice.