Be it Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, Roald Dahl’s Matilda or Dr Seuss’ impish Cat, our favourite children’s books have sought to prop up fantastical heroes conjured from faraway lands, dishing out moral lessons from situations far removed from our own. The kids are getting bored of playing with Julian, Dick, Anne, Georgina and their dog Timmy from The Famous Five. They want to see faces they recognise.
There is frenetic activity happening around children’s literature in India with two major imprints launched last year—Speaking Tiger’s Talking Cub and HarperCollins Children’s Books. Tulika, Tara, Katha... the list of homegrown independent children’s publishers is a long one. Every big city in India today has an annual children’s literature festival slotted in its calendar; there was one in Varanasi in November. Says Kavita Gupta Sabharwal, cofounder of Neev Literature Festival for Children, Bengaluru, “As a parent and educator, I will stay optimistic, and assume this is a questioning generation of kids, who are either looking for new superheroes that meet their individual definitions or critically questioning the need for them.”
So why are we not offering more Indian authors to our kids? THE WEEK asks eight authors to suggest local heroes and legends who can inspire the next generation of pre-teens to be more aware of their own surroundings and struggles. Since adults are failing us, hopefully these new desi heroes, superheroes and antiheroes can grow up to make a better world.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM KIP
Kip is an ordinary 12-year-old-boy, who is sent away to a boarding school in the mountains. Lost and alone, he feels abandoned in the strange, unwelcoming halls and classrooms of Paramount Academy, where the students are treated like prisoners and must obey unjust rules and harsh discipline. On his first day at school, Kip makes friends with a boy named Scruggs and two girls, Juniper and Meghna. Quickly, he learns that they are different from the other students. After sharing their secret with Kip, they ask him to help them escape. Running away from school is never easy, but here in the mountains, with steep cliffs on all sides, high fences and guarded gates, the only escape route leads over the clouds. In the process of helping his friends, Kip discovers that he is much braver than he ever thought he was.
—Stephen Alter, Author of The Cloudfarers (Duckbill)
MUTTHASI, THE SUPERCOOL GRANDMA
Most children’s books that feature grandparents portray them as sweet and loving and genial, but not much else. So I started with a story that captures the uncluttered grandparent-grandchild relationship with a lot of wit and humour, rather than with sweet sentimentality. One thing led to another and lo, I had Mutthasi doing a romp in my head! An unconventional grandmother who rides the bicycle faster than her granddaughter; who breaks into a sudden sprint towards the verandah each time she sees birds hovering over the chillis that she had laid out to dry; who climbs ladders with great ease and is quick on her feet. Essentially, a senior who is a strong, smart, fun-loving person behind all the wrinkles. And when the super cool Mutthasi and her feisty granddaughter get on the case to find Mutthasi’s lost dentures, mad mad things happen; things that I hope will make young readers laugh, snort, roll their eyes and, maybe, show them that grandmas (and grandpas) can be just as bonkers, playful and fun as them.
—Mamta Nainy, Author of Mutthasi’s Missing Teeth (Tota Books)
CHANDRASHEKHAR AND HIS INNER GANDHI
The hero I think is an ideal role model for young readers today is Chandrashekhar from my book Being Gandhi. He starts out as a typical teenage brat—irritating, irritable and obsessed with his own problems. He also thinks that events in his city and country have little to do with him. But then, events unfold; events that shake him up and change him to the core. And he finds a little bit of his inner Gandhi that changes his life forever. It is alright to be complacent, but when the world outside needs you, you need to step up. And that is just what Chandrashekhar does.
—Paro Anand, Author of Being Gandhi (HarperCollins)
SUPERZERO, THE BUMBLE BOY
SuperZero is the reason why every child is a hero. This whiny, bumbling little boy goes to superhero school but cannot find his superpowers. He walks smack into walls, gets bullied and gets trapped in a zoo cage. Finally, with the help of his friends, the awesome Anna Conda and Vamp Iyer, his dog BigaByte and his funny old grandpa, he discovers how super he is. SuperZero flew his way into so many kids’ imaginations that a series was demanded. In book two, SuperZero meets some grumpy ghosts who cannot find their way back, and in book three, he meets his own wicked clone. Imagine the chaos. Imagine the fun! The hilarious SuperZero is a character who shows that starting out average can propel you to amazing heights. (Unless of course, you slip on your super cape. Oops!)
—Jane de Souza, Author of SuperZero And The Clone Crisis (Duckbill)
AMRITA, THE ART HERO
Born in 1913 to a pair of adventurous, brave parents, Amrita Sher-Gil is an Art Superhero. She was the first Indian student at L’Ecole Des Beaux Arts in Paris. She excelled as a student and had fun as well. Amrita was drawn back to India in 1934 in search of a new style of painting for herself. She was inspired by India’s ancient sculptures, mural paintings and villages. She also gave talks on art and wrote articles to educate her fellow countrymen about art. She disliked art that seemed to imitate western styles. Why is Amrita an Art Superhero? From the age of 18 or 19 up to her death at 28, Amrita produced about 175 paintings, besides writing about art, travel and learning music. Amrita’s paintings were declared national art treasures by the Indian government. Amrita is considered India’s first professional modern woman painter.
—Anita Vachharajani, Author of Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush (HarperCollins)
NIMMI, THE GIRL IN THE MIDDLE
Most of my books feature spunky girls. Some of them have special powers. But when it comes to a “hero” for the new generation, I would choose Nimmi. She is a girl in the middle. She is neither clever nor not-clever. She is neither pretty nor plain. What makes her special, however, is her cheerful willingness to take chances. She agrees to pose for the ‘Clean Your Streets’ campaign, and is horrified by the poster. She attempts to solve the mystery of the burst beanbags in school, with surprising results. She takes part in the school MasterChef competition, even though she can barely wash a tomato without disaster. Things are not always perfect, but Nimmi bounces back. And though this schoolgirl has her share of fears and prejudices, she is always willing to look beyond them. More than superpowers, these are the qualities we need in our heroes today.
—Shabnam Minwalla, Author of Nimmi’s Spectabulous Schooldays, Nimmi’s Dreadtastic Detective Days, Nimmi’s Bizuper Birthday (Speaking Tiger)
DIDDA, THE QUEEN OF ICE
Today’s superheroes for children are not necessarily derived from the realm of fantasy. They are realistic figures who are a testament to the human spirit. Increasingly, children’s authors are foregrounding women as inspiring protagonists. My work of historical fiction focuses on one such remarkable woman figure who has been made virtually invisible in historical narratives—Didda, who ruled Kashmir in the 10th century CE and did not let physical disability come in the way of her ambitions, and her desire to provide Kashmir with a stable and prosperous government. Superheroes are all around us, in our collective past and in our contemporary context. And the more realistic they are, the more relatable they become.
—Devika Rangachari, Author of Queen of Ice (Duckbill)
RITU, THE SPACE SCIENTIST
Do aliens exist?
Is there life on Mars?
Why do stars twinkle?
Why does the moon change its size and shape every night?
A little girl from Lucknow, Ritu, pondered over these questions every night. She gazed at the sky in wonder and wanted to know its secrets. She turned to science to understand space. Ritu wanted to be a space scientist. She applied to ISRO to become one. Ritu Karidhal went on to play a key role in spearheading Mangalyaan and Chandrayaan, India’s space missions to Mars and the moon. Asking questions like Ritu did is important, because the more you know of the world, the more you become a part of it. Stories of women like Ritu have raised aspirations among young girls of India to become space scientists. You can be a boy, a girl, a transgender, from a big city or from a remote village, and yet ask the questions that Ritu did.
—Reema Gupta, Co-author of The Dot that went for a walk...