by Dr. Dhooleka Sarhadi Raj, PhD This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of Pakistan and India, an occasion to celebrate how far they have come from their Independence from British Rule. Annually, on August 14/15 both countries fête the heroism of Freedom Fighters and founders who fought the British and won. Press … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Memories of Partition in Children’s Literature
#INDIAKIDLIT – Many Languages, Many Voices
by Radhika Menon When Tulika Publishers was set up in 1996 the key questions that confronted us was, how do we create books that reflect a contemporary Indian sensibility, rooted in the Indian multilingual, multicultural context? When the languages children hear all around them are kept out of the books they read, how representative or … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Many Languages, Many Voices
#INDIAKIDLIT – The Stories We Tell
by Samina Mishra Equality is – when Mummy gives my sister and I the same amount of money Inequality is – when Mummy takes my brother out visiting but not me Equality is – when my friend and I get the same marks Inequality is – when Sir does not give girls a chance to … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – The Stories We Tell
#INDIAKIDLIT – Inviting Children into the World of Books
by Gita Varadarajan “To be literate is not to be free, it is to be present and active in the struggle for reclaiming one’s voice, history, and future.” (Friere and Macedo, 1987) In the year 2011-12, I had the privilege of working with 5th graders at P.S.11 in Chelsea NYC. I walked past this mural … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Inviting Children into the World of Books
#INDIAKIDLIT – The Invisible Visibles – Sikh Representation in Children’s Literature
by Rasil Kaur Ahuja Sikhs are ostensibly the most visible minority in the world, yet we remain near invisible in the books children read. Famous Sikh Gurus (Guru Nanak, Guru Arjan, Guru Har Gobind, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Gobind Singh) - Amar Chitra Katha comics - edited by Anant Pai Growing up in the India … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – The Invisible Visibles – Sikh Representation in Children’s Literature
#INDIAKIDLIT – Strong, little known Indian women in history brought alive in contemporary literature
by Deepa Agarwal “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air.” - Thomas Gray, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" (1751) The poet’s words are telling—they can apply to many women achievers in Indian history whose outstanding deeds have remained buried in the sands of time. … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Strong, little known Indian women in history brought alive in contemporary literature
#INDIAKIDLIT – Stories as a Brilliant Disguise
by Devashish Makhija When Ali Became Bajrangbali - by Devashish Makhija, illustrated. by Priya Kuriyan (Tulika Books, 2011) - available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, and Gujarati In ‘When Ali Became Bajrangbali’, a monkey is portrayed as being a god on the one hand while on the other hand, a monkey … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Stories as a Brilliant Disguise
#INDIAKIDLIT – Does India need its own Literary Canon?
by Maya Thiagarajan Here’s a question for you: What percentage of recent American college graduates have read the following American classics? To Kill A Mockingbird The Great Gatsby To be honest, I don’t have an accurate answer for you, but I’m willing to guess that the percentage would be quite high. These are books that … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Does India need its own Literary Canon?
#INDIAKIDLIT – Why why? And other questions for Indian children’s books
by Shalini Srinivasan Unlike a lot of my own readers, my reading journey was – and continues to be – fairly uneven. I read Are You My Mother? at the recommended age (4ish, if you’re wondering) and met Enid Blyton and then Moby Dick (much abridged and with false editorializing from my father) and proceeded … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Why why? And other questions for Indian children’s books
#INDIAKIDLIT – Why I retell old Indian stories for the young
by Roopa Pai The Vedas and Upanishads for Children - by Roopa Pai (2019) / The Gita for Children - by Roopa Pai (2015) Some stories stand the test of time. The core themes of Shakespeare’s plays, for instance, are recognizable tropes in modern film and theatre across the world, and his words have passed … Continue reading #INDIAKIDLIT – Why I retell old Indian stories for the young
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 