Mahalaxmi Will Go to Mysore

I’ve been reading so many books that deal with RTE in one way or another! As a teacher trainer, I find that RTE is a conversation topic that some schools want to sweep under the carpet. Others test waters to find out where I stand. Still others are belligerent and self-righteous, even as they talk about how many challenges they face just because they follow the law. But stories are important. Stories pave the way for conversation.

Mahalaxmi Will Go to Mysore is one of those stories–a story that raises questions. The Right to Education requires schools to admit some children free of charge, but what does this imply when it comes to school trips? How can Mahalaxmi’s family afford to spend three thousand rupees on a class trip to Mysore?

Although I did find a character shift towards the end of the book rather too sudden (I don’t want to reveal more), I liked the sensitivity with which the idea of charity is approached. I also liked the way contrasting opinions of Mahalaxmi’s classmates were brought out, touching upon issues of skin colour, as well as the prejudice that an RTE student cannot possibly be clean. A conversation-starter that is well worth a read, I hope that Mahalaxmi Will Go to Mysore finds its way into school libraries, especially those that need to be reminded, yet again, of what privilege means.

A few more books that touch upon RTE:

• Gobi Goes Viral (ages 8+)
• The Misfits (ages 10+)
• Dear Mrs Naidu (ages 10+)
• Sisters at New Dawn (ages 10+)