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Pratibha, a
Delhiite, likes to travel and most of the action in her stories
takes place at places—like the Sunderbans, the coastal areas
of Orissa, Bhimtal, etc.—which can be easily traced on map,
enabling the reader to live in the world he comes across.
While nature
plays havoc, her characters put up a heroic struggle for
existence. Hope springs eternal in their hearts. At times they
falter, but their tremendous courage, self-determination and
honest approach pays them in the end.
That is why
when a cyclone hits Orissa, Shankar, the young protagonist in
the Not Afraid Any More, runs downhill to save his uncle
who has fought with his father. And when the duo meet, all their
hatred gets subsided, ending the story on a happy note.
In The
Sandhu’s Secret, Anshu and Roshan go on an
adventure trip near the Saraur river in the Shivaliks and
discover an ancient ‘Shivling’ despite the difficult and
unfamiliar terrain.
The stories
show man’s unbound capacity to love, sacrifice and serve to
make the world a better place to live in—even in the worst of
the circumstances.
In The Girl
and an Elephant, Bhanu, a poor village girl helps her father
trap an elephant which meant a lot of money for them, something
they needed badly. However, the story takes a different turn
when Bhanu, unable to see the animal struggling for freedom,
sets him free, wherein lay her real happiness.
Written in a
simple and lively style, these stories entrench a value system
and can help restore lost moral values in society, if understood
in true spirit.
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Just Imagine
by Santhini Govindan. Madhuban Educational Books.
Pages 104. Rs 45
Just Imagine
is a collection of five stories and 12 poems for those who have
just stepped into their schools and live in a world of their
own.
A world where
there is no work but all play, no sorrows but only joy, no wars
but only peace. A word which is as vast as their imagination. It
is the enchanting world of make-believe.
Santhini
Govindan, an award-winning author of children’s fiction,
presents a slice of this world through her creations. Currently
working on her Senior Fellowship Project—Children’s
Literature in English in India—the author has both the
sensitivity and understanding of a child’s mind.
So here is a
centipede who goes out shopping for a 100 pair of shoes but is
disappointed to find none of his size, an octopus who wants to
be a poet but is unable to think of anything, a child who is
frustrated over the number of rules he has to follow a girl who
wonders where her guardian angel lives, a woodpecker who wants a
job, a mini ant who is unable to sleep because of her
innumerable works, and more. Seems interesting. Isn’t?
A remarkable thing about the
book is that it adds to the beauty of this magical world. After
reading it, one strongly feels to visit it again or even explore
it further. Go ahead then and let your imagination soar in this
fascinating world of fantasy.
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READING
these children’s stories reminds me of the childhood when we
lived in a distant village of Punjab. And in the midst of
green fields and mango groves was a small house wherein lived
a dadi, always ready with her pitara of
engrossing tales—tales of the sadhus, the fairies,
the beautiful princesses and princes and tales of the animal
world. Though very old, these stories— rooted in the past
with relevance for tomorrow—were very close to human nature.
Learning was, therefore, a wonderful experience.
