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Journalism of Courage
THIS CONTEMPORARY RETELLING of stories from Vishnu Sharma8217;s Pan-chatantra is set within the framework of another story8212;that of three unhappy chil-dren and a pet monkey. It has long been a con-vention of children8217;s literature that unhappy children, especially if they are accompanied by an intelligent animal, must have an adven-ture together. In this case, Makhmal Khan, the talking monkey, takes Aman, Lily and Vicky to the forest home of Hanumanta, the story-telling langoor. Hanumanta begins to tell them of Nyagrodha, the ancient banyan tree that shakes down stories from its branches. The first story that takes shape among the criss-crossing shadows of the forest is that of Simha, the Lion and Jeev, the Bull.
Kalpish Ratna is the pseudonym used by longtime collaborators Kalpana Swami-nathan and Ishrat Syed. According to the book jacket, it is a near anagram of their names and means, in Persian and Sanskrit, 8220;the pleasures of the imagination8221;. The nice thing about this collaborative enterprise is that the storytelling is bright, lively and play-ful, but never tweet. For example, the story of Goolar, the crow, and his wife Gulab begins with a dry comment on the townsfolk: 8220;Goolar foraged at temples and Gulab at mosques. This way, they had the best of both worlds, for though the townsfolk were di-vided in the way they looked at the sky, the way they looked at their bellies was the same. Feed yourself first, and then feed the hungry.8221;
Nobody to talk to but tanks and tanks of fish!8221; There is happiness here, and friendship; but also deceit and betrayal, and the tragedy of age and loss. There is an epic confrontation between two great life forces, one that brings tears to the eyes. And, of course, the only way to find healing is for someone else to launch into another story.
In this fashion, stories lead into more sto-ries, forming an intricate chain of fables that illuminate the ways of animals, humans and all of Nature. Nyagrodha will brighten every child8217;s bookshelf. It8217;s the kind of book one might take along on a nature holiday; it8217;s also just the thing to give urban children a glimpse of the sheer diversity of the planet. It will take children on a journey through our story-telling heritage as well as through a wealth of forests, animals and birds. And it will teach them to care for their world.
