I find that so may writers seem to have a compulsion to write long, complex, layered work. So many new books are thick paperbacks, full of things happening on every page. Oranges in No Man's Land is not like that. Not at all. Elizabeth Laird manages to write a beautiful, heart-warming story in the course of just about a hundred pages of large print. The setting and characters are just so powerful that the story becomes not a book, but a moment in time. It's an eternal, timeless moment, captured by language. I know nothing about the history of Lebanon. I know nothing about the 'Green Line' or what that meant, but I agree with the critic who says that Laird's Oranges in No Man's Land is 'A tribute to the human spirit'. Ten-year-old Ayesha lives in Beirut, ravaged by civil war. Between the two parts of the city is no man's land, and only military men dare go there. But Ayesha's … [Read more...]
Book-Reading at Crossword, Mulund!
Opening my Eyes
At our refectory, things are beautifully, thoughtfully organised. Little children eat in one hall; older children in another. There's no discrimination involved. The wash-basins attached to the hall for the little ones are lower, the trays are designed for children and everything is child-height. One day, a tiny girl was rummaging amongst the spoons of the 'big' zone. "What happened?" I asked. "What are you looking for?" There was no response. The little girl continued her search. "Can I help?" I asked. The little girl was standing on tiptoe, hunting. She looked up at me. "I want a spoon with a design." I couldn't help smiling. I found two for her and held them out. She chose the design she liked more. "Thank you." I took the other. It had such a pretty design. Now, I don't choose my spoon (I don't want to deprive anyone of a pretty spoon), but I do notice. … [Read more...]
The Table Family
Have you been introduced to the Table family? When I was in school, we were kept forcibly away from the family. The Table family was a strict no-no for us. Pronounce correctly. Stay away from the awful Table family. Trends are changing, though. Many children have found their comfort zone with this delightfully extended family. At lunch, they meet Veggie Table. When their handwriting is not so good, but not so bad, their teacher introduces them to Axe-ep Table. The mike stand has a secret name, I learned in school the other day. It is Adjus(t) Table. You are invited to join the family too! If you have something to give and give it freely, you are Charee Table. A child told me seriously about a naughty, uncontrolled child. "He is Ex-i Table." Maybe we should join the family. It sounds most Come-for Table. … [Read more...]
Essel World
When I was ten years old, I wrote a story that won me two tickets to Essel World, and 4 tickets to Nehru Planetarium. Going to Mumbai was impossible, so we passed the tickets on to friends in Mumbai. I have no recollection of being upset with it, or in any way deprived. I think the friends who used the tickets felt far worse than I did! When I won the same things again, a little later, my parents and our friends in Mumbai decided that somehow, this time, little Varsha had to go to Essel World. And so, we planned it. This was a time when I was obsessed with writing down everything to be sure I did not forget treasured experiences. I wrote down all kinds of details, including what we ate and where. At Nehru Planetarium, there were weighing machines that were fascinating. "On the moon, I'm 6 kgs," I wrote. I wrote all the details. What I weighed on earth, Jupiter, the sun... Figures and … [Read more...]
Hiding from Children
There are many things that you may successfully hide from adults, but simply cannot hide from children. Impoliteness is one of those things. As a child, my sister once turned to my parents. "When I said 'thank you', why did that uncle not say 'welcome'?" Today, a colleague of mine was trying to hide from her two-year-old son. Essentially, she knew that if her child saw her, he would demand her attention, become cranky, want to be carried... The works. Another colleague and I attempted to shield her while all the little children entered the refectory. Her son could not see her; we had hidden her completely. But one little girl ran around us, perhaps just to see what we were doing standing there. She peeked and then yelled, eyes shining, "Phil! Mommy!" And then, in case he had not heard, she called again, "Phil! Mummy! Mummy!" The game was up. … [Read more...]
Butterscotch’s Washing-Machine
Ought I to be embarrassed by this one? It was written two days after my tenth birthday, when I was eager to show off newly acquired vocabulary and paragraphing abilities. Butterscotch was a brownie. He lived in India. You may not believe it, but he was tinier than a wild daisy! Butterscotch was very kind. He had a wonderful washing-machine. He not only washed his clothes, he washed all the other brownies'clothes. He charged only Re.1. The washing-machine was as big as a real one, so he could not hide it anywhere. Now in a nearby village lived human beings, Sarah's mother, father, Sarah and brother had a small house in Cherry Town, the village. Now Sarah was very poor. She did not have any toys. Her mother found it difficult to wash, for they didn't have a washing-machine. They used solar things. Sarah's neighbours were very rich, but they were misers and refused to help Sarah. Sarah … [Read more...]
Lost and Found
Children leave all kinds of things behind at dance class. My teacher could set up a shop and make a fortune if she ever decided to sell the stuff children leave behind. The most common things children forget, of course, is their theory material. I think a part of them wants to forget so that they don't have to study it. Then, of course, are the hundreds of water bottles, umbrellas, jackets, raincoats and scarves. Somehow, there seem to be many things that belong to nobody. My teacher diligently takes things home and brings them for the next class, announcing repeatedly that someone left the following things behind. If she is lucky, children come and claim their things. Very often, though, there are things that no one claims. My teacher continues to bring them for class for a couple of weeks. No one asks about them; no one seems to want them. The most puzzling piece of lost property … [Read more...]
Chocobar
I teach at a boarding school, where the happy Enid Blyton tuck-box has cheerfully been changed into a tuck-shop. The shop is open for about an hour in the evening, and children can go get all the unhealthy, delicious things that the school cannot morally serve as often as children want. What makes me smile most of all is ice-cream, and the way children enjoy it, each child in a different way. Every year, when we went to Bangalore for the summer, our grandparents gave us the money to buy something we wanted once in two or three days. My cousins had the terrible problem of deciding between two treats – cold drinks or ice-cream. For me, it was simple – ice-cream all the way. It was a process. My sister and I used to run across and buy two chocobars. Then, we would come back and take out our beloved square blue plates. Then, we would open our chocobars and throw the plastic away. Then … [Read more...]
Reading Stories
I was asked to read and assess stories written by Grades III and IV. What a joy that was! Of course, I had students who wrote for me the story of The Life of Pi or other movies they've watched. In fact, I felt rather bad for one of the children who wrote about that movie - the movie evidently made no sense to him! He wrote about how a tiger and boy decided to run away from a zoo. I wonder, was that his attempt at imagination? My favourite story went something like this. I wish I could have copied it, mistakes and all, but I did not think of it. I particularly noted, though, how direct speech seemed to have no punctuation at all. I wonder why. Once upon a time there was a boy. His name was Bingo. Bingo was always thinking about chocolate Taj Mahal. One day, there was another boy. His name was Krishna. He lost his ball. He was crying. Bingo saw Krishna and asked "what's your name why are … [Read more...]
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