No Title
Rekha Bhimani
AST-VYAST MAST by Richa Jha. Illustrated by Mithila Anant. Translated from the original English by Sushil Joshi Eklavya, 2021, 16 pp., 105.00
November 2021, volume 45, No 11

Truly, an offering for a world increasingly dominated by the digital media. A short little story for kids as young as 3 years to as old. For, let us face it, whether we like it or not a mobile phone has become a favourite ‘toy’ for the young and old alike.

To add to this bane of device obsession, we now have online classrooms! The die is cast. What began as a guilty diversion has now become a necessary evil.

Richa Jha in her delightful book Ast-Vyast Mast addresses this issue without making it preachy for the young reader. In fact, she turns the tables, depicting a scenario where the internet is down and it is the child that pulls her parents away from their respective devices to enjoy a fun-filled family time outdoors. After an exhilarating time in the park the family returns home where we have a twist in the tail. Our online student is frustrated at not being able to access her school results as internet is still down. A reality check!

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