Both in their unique way represent the strength of a collective and power of reasoning. These three books offer a sense of joyous learning and young readers can also make some small notes from it for their long journeys ahead.
Conversations with children are like vibgyor, each colour mingling into the other. Similarly Laltu se Gupshup is a melange of themes that surround young minds as they carefully observe and absorb from their surroundings. The conversations between Laltu Senior (the author) and Laltu Junior range from emotions to dreams to understanding routine realities. Laltu Junior finds a patient friend in Laltu Senior who gives him time and indulges in conversations with the child. This underlines two essential traits when interacting with children, patience and empathy. The author delves into sensitive themes like penning down emotions and allowing alphabets to speak with the readers. The cyclical process in this universe of construction, destruction and then reconstruction are talked about in the story ‘toda tabhi toh joda’. How a child observes the role played by his parents when he confidently claims that the spider on the wall is grown up because he is not with his mother. Laltu Junior worries as to how he will play with his friends if he becomes the Prime Minister as then he will be surrounded by security personnel throughout the day.
Laltu Senior sketches out the imaginary world of children with the chapters on aliens, zombie and dreams. The story of ‘Pyara Bachha’ draws attention towards the economically weaker sections of society and how a school with care and sensitivity assimilates these differences making every child feel special.
The set of stories presented in Laltu Se Gupshup cover an array of interactions between children and adults; seems like more stories shall be added in the days ahead as now Laltu Junior will cover the canvas from the capital city. The sketches by Proiti Roy speak for themselves, the switch board on page number 17, the dream sequence on page number 35 and the birthday party on page number 29 in strokes of black shall draw a gupshup in the minds of the little readers.
Tuntuni is the story is of an energetic winged little creature which stirs up a whirlwind forcing the not so kind humans, the overworked members from the animal kingdom, a wooden cue, the sea and an army of mosquitoes to go into action. The story with its repetition patterns builds a sequence where the young readers would be curious to travel with the protagonist Tuntuni till she gets relief. The author has carefully etched out the difference between human beings and being humane. When Tuntuni travels to her friends and colleagues each one of them greets her with warmth which is starkly different from the rude and dismissive responses from human beings. The succession of characters which emerge as the story progresses brings with it an enveloped message with every new interaction of Tuntuni. The cow seated in the middle of the road, the overworked wooden cue (danda) not because of thieves working overtime but for other reasons, fire being a common emotion to denote rising tempers and conflicts therein.
The message of climate change and global warming has been superbly woven into the story making young readers aware about the glacial melt leading to swelling of the rivers and subsequent floods. The conclusion of the story is empowering for little kids as it gives the message that size does not matter, wit and willingness is important. The domino effect triggered by the smallest and the tiniest in the line of characters who play a role in Tuntuni’s trauma trail, the mosquitoes, show strength in numbers and bring the King to his knees who then orders relief for the little bird from the hurting boil on her left foot.
The sketches in black and white can be taken as an effort by the artist to keep the story line serious and not to dilute pertinent matters like global warming, violence or efforts to silence voices into triviality. Kudos to both, the author and artist duo for weaving together a simple yet power packed story. Every character carries a social message for the young readers to think, observe and absorb.
The Uprising is the story of a collective which is trying to build young minds to reason, to debate and to win their rights. The author being involved with people’s movement puts together a canvas where education is shown as a two way process between the teacher and the taught. The story is based in Central India, and locked in a small hamlet which is untouched by the gadgets that are engulfing young minds. The children are carefree, getting permission to sit atop a tree making it their temporary classroom or splashing water during the afternoon swim. These joys are connected to our roots of traditional methods of learning but can only be imagined by city-bred children who have no choice but to study in ‘global’ schools standing at the end of the streets where their high rise apartments are located.
The illustrations by Lokesh Khodke are brilliant; the overcrowded jeep, the expressions of each student in the mathematics class, the dabri, the bund and children finishing their early morning chores around the hand pump; the collective, its teachings, children rising up against their own families to get their efforts and contributions acknowledged. By portraying the teacher as a silent participant in the latter half of the story the author quietly shows the compulsions of adult lives caught between duty and at times allegiance to the system that employs you. In sharp contrast the children in their teens in this case fight fearlessly with their own family members, clearly express their discontent with the position taken by the teacher, and continue the struggle and achieve their rights through debate and negotiations. Uprising in a nutshell is a dialogue between the two worlds, that of children and adults. The lesson one takes away is that communication and its training is pertinent to steer through logjams, especially in today’s world where patience is winding up its chapters from all avenues.
LALTU SE GUPSHUP AND OTHERS
Shubhra Seth
LALTU SE GUPSHUP AND OTHERS by Eklavya Foundation, Bhopal, 2023, 23 pp., INR 55.00
TUNTUNI by Eklavya Foundation, Bhopal, 2023, 22 pp., INR 55.00
THE UPRISINGby Muskan, Madhya Pradesh, , 31 pp., INR 200.00