Sunday, May 19, 2002		Books

Tales make a telling difference
Chanchal Narang

The Wise Monkey and Other Animal Stories
by Geeta Ramanujam (Illustrations by Ajanta Guhathakurta) Puffin by Penguin, New Delhi. Pages 112. Rs. 199

THERE are very few people who have the attitude, aptitude and acumen to suggest positive and productive changes in the matters that they choose to criticise. If equipped with the proper infrastructure and given an opportunity, then these "constructive and creative critics" can bring about wonderful amendments in the existing system and elevate it. One such person is Geeta.

Geetha, who feels that teaching in India at primary level has become dull, regimented and stagnant believes, "teachers teach straight from text books and students pass their exams relying on the age old rote-memorisation". The result of this is that not only students, but also teachers who find their school hours boring and repetitive, have lost interest in experimenting with new techniques of teaching. Instead of simply criticising or challenging the existing practices, Geeta is trying to develop mutually accommodating relations with schools in which story-telling supports existing subjects covered in school.

Since Geeta's approach can blend smoothly with the existing school structure, several schools have already adopted her techniques either by calling her personally or by getting the training offered by her group Kathalya (house of stories). Geeta and Kathalya activists have been telling stories in six schools in Bangalore and other parts of India.

The book being reviewed is a step in that direction. It is a collection of 12 stories which have become a part of Indian psyche owing to their "quirky, comical and wise" content. Though drawn from various established sources like Panchatantra, Jataka tales and even the oral tradition, the beauty of these stories lies in their emphasis on "story-telling" technique, which is enhanced by colourful and catchy illustrations. Almost all the stories are allegorical and this hinders neither the individual message inherent in the narrative nor the feasibility of strong cultural and value-based relationship between the human-world and animal-world, as explicated by these stories.

They not only enable the reader to live in the world he comes across in the tales, but also are successful in communicating the intended message in the form of aphorisms, adages, maxims and proverbs without overtly moralising. As is evident by the message "All the riches of the world cannot satisfy greed" enshrined in the story, The White Elephant. Almost all the tales present a number of animal characters that, in their actions, both admonish and exhort the reader to a life that can certainly lead to worldly success, true to the initial aim of Panchtantra and Jataka tales.

The writer uses words that help to enrich the vocabulary of the child. On the whole, these stories can inject a new life into Indian classrooms by renewing the art of story telling — a cultural tradition forgotten by modern education. These stories embody those cultural values of our country that can not only infuse creative thinking in young minds, but also add strength to the bond (which is still at initial stage) between the young children and the rich Indian cultural heritage.