Page 201 - Education World Dec 2021

different types of death Familiar story
— natural death, hunting THE SACKCLOTMAN
deaths, death by chok- Jayasree Kalathil;
ing on a bone, deaths of O BE HONEST, I Illustrated by Rakhi
children — form the theme judged this book by Peswani
of The Tale of Juro, the Tits cover — in fact, I EKLAVYA
Headhunter. was totally intrigued by it. Rs.150 Pages 44
Several stories are les- The illustrations by Rakhi
sons in environment sus- Peswani are striking.
tainability. They advocate The story evokes famil-
conservation of indigenous iar imagery from Rabin- alcoholic and Anu, isolated
knowledge and the advan- dranath Tagore’s famous in her own lonely world. The latest (November)
tages of shared living in tale Kabuliwala. There Anu is wise and empa- issue of The Book
clans. This reminds one is a young girl, and an thetic beyond her years. Review (www.
of the 2004 tsunami that ‘outsider’, a social outcast; The loss of her sister, her thebookreview.org)
transformed the geo-topo- and a similar attachment best friend, has created features reviews of
graphical structure of the forms between the two of a deep void in her little stories for children.
islands. On the occasion, it them. It even has the same world. It is then that she Two selections
was older members of the gut-wrenching scene of strikes up an unusual
tribes who identified trees the outsider being expelled friendship with the village
that saved many lives, from society after estab- ‘madman’ who has a sad with their loss are heart-
advised shelter on higher lishing a tender bond with past of his own. She waits rending.
ground to beat high waves the little girl. The big dif- for her friend Chakku- Although I liked the
K
and used their cognitive ference between the abu- pranthan, every day. With book, I don’t have the
skills and racial memory liw ala and The S ack cloth - him, she feels heard, in heart to recommend it for
to survive the force of the man is that Tagore’s story a world that is quick to young children.
tsunami. was narrated from the snub a child’s emotions or MADHURIMA KAHALI (The
Even Present-day father’s point of view while questions. Book R eview )
Great Andamanese the latter is recounted by When he is taken away
(PGA) which became an the girl child. experiences her second big Purposeful
from the village, Anu
endangered language The narrative is pro-
in the early years of the foundly sad. The young loss, whereupon the par-
21st century has become protagonist, Anu, and her ents realise that they need narrative
extinct. What remains are family are grief-stricken to pull themselves together
stories and songs rescued due to the sudden demise to save their daughter ulab, the daughter
from oblivion because of of her elder sister. The lov- from falling apart. The of a manual scav-
the trust built between ing family has fallen apart, novelette is deeply touch- Genger, is mocked by
Abbi and natives, urging with Anu’s mother in ing. Anu’s raw emotions her classmates as ‘Stinky
them to remember and depression, father turned and her family grappling Gulab’, not because she is
share. The outcome is this filthy but because her fa-
amazing collection that ther’s profession involves
counters the British myth cleaning of clogged
that the Andamanese were sewer drains and gutters.
savages. So, on science day
The loss of their native at school, Gulab takes
culture and languages her first bold step of
began with European showcasing a machine to
colonialism, persisted clean up drains without
with official apathy in involving degrading
independent India and human labour. She names
society’s indifference it ‘Gulab’ (rose) which she
towards conservation believes will remove dirt
and environmental and spread fragrance.
degradation. The story revolves
JAYATI GUPTA around the pernicious

DECEMBER 2021 EDUCATIONWORLD 201