History lessons in school can be pretty boring for 10-year-olds, with their rigmarole of dates, names of battles and rulers to contend with. They can be quite confusing and meaningless as well, for history happened a long time ago! Even something like India’s freedom movement can become a part of the very hazy past. The same events seen in the form of a story become so much more memorable and interesting for young readers.
In The Train to Tanjore by Devika Rangachari, the Quit India movement spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 comes alive through the eyes of 10-year-old Thambi who lives in Tanjore (Thanjavur today) with his parents and little sister. Life is uneventful, with its highpoints revolving around his hanging about the New Madras Hotel with its wonderful aromas, or the public library. Tempestuous visits every other week by his pesky uncle from Mannargudi shake up the small household and break the monotony of life.