Yours Faithfully

Via a series of letters,Subramanian began to tell his young friend about his own childhood in the small village of Palakkad in Kerala in the 1940s in the background of India’s freedom struggle,the euphoria of Independence and the shock of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. These letters inspired Krishnan to write a story,which won the first prize under the same penpal programme,and was then developed into a book called Free Together,published in July by the City of Fremont Human Services Department,USA,and Tri-city Elder Coalition,under the Pathways to Positive Aging Initiative and the Senior Penpal Program. Though the programme has been on for the past 10 years,this was the first time that a book has been published. Unfortunately,it will not be available in Indian stores.

Free Together,illustrated by Marty Fraga using bright Indian images and colours,has Krishnan describing Subramanian’s simple life as a child in the 1940s. “We were in the village,far from the hubbub of the freedom movement in the rest of India,but also close and connected to the fact that we were now a free country. It was a cause of celebration,” says Subramanian.

Seventy seniors and 140 children were part of this programme,with each senior citizen corresponding with two children through letters only; no e-mails were allowed. The children then penned down these interactions in form of stories or books for children. For Subramanian,who has been part of the programme for the last two years,it has been an enriching experience,one that has given him new perspectives and a glimpse of a new world,through the eyes of children.

“Such programmes need to be developed in India too,to encourage creative activity,interaction between the young and old,sharing of spaces,ideas,emotions as well as reviving the dying art of letter writing,” says Subramanian,who is on a family visit to Chandigarh. “Amrith had the most amazing questions to ask,especially about India,which made me relive some special moments of my own childhood,” says Subramanian.

He and Krishnan corresponded for a year,writing to each other every month and meeting every six months. By the end,Krishnan,an Indian born in the US,had a better view of India’s freedom struggle and life in India. “Children these days know much more than we did in our times. They are inquisitive,eager to learn and I was amazed how Amrith transformed my letters and story,which to me seemed so basic,into a heart-warming little book,” says Subramanian.