An awesome compilation for children
Nausheen Rahman loses herself, again, in innocence
FABLES? Extracts from a memoir? Short stories? What is How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and other Stories comprised of? We could say, in a way, all of the afore-mentioned. The writer has dedicated this book to "the citizens of tomorrow who will bring changes in our (her) country." Sudha Murty, a computer science teacher, social worker and best-selling writer from South India, has put together an awesome compilation for children but which readers of all ages will relish. There are 24 tales, all of which give us something to think about, or to cherish in our memories, or something worth learning. They are all based on the writer's experiences and which, in their own ways, enriched her life (as she says in her foreword). The writer's keen interest in listening to stories as a child probably gave rise to a passion for storytelling, a passion that has been honed into a remarkable skill. Her love of books and her desire to provide reading facilities and material to others led to her company's (INFOSYS FOUNDATION) donating books to thousands of libraries. It could have been a similar wish that caused her to write such refreshing stories. Murty is not moralistic, but successfully passes on some values of life to her readers, values that she had, herself, imbibed. The simplicity of the language, the directness of the style, the wise and catchy sayings, give us the incentive to go on turning the pages, as one fascinating story gives way to another. We find wonderful portrayals of very different characters, and as we read on, we come face-to-face with a striking fact that life has so much to give us, often in the form of ordinary, everyday happenings. We just need to be a little observant and perceptive. The first story, How I Taught My Grandmother to Read, is a true account of how the writer's grandmother was adamant about learning to read and how she (Murty) taught her. This story reassures us that there is no age-bar to learning and that teachers deserve a lot of respect. At Least One Library brings out an admirable trait of Murty's grandfather (who was a teacher). We also read how he instilled the love of spreading knowledge in her. The Red Rice Granary has words (spoken by Murty's grandmother) which will reach out to people of all ages and religions: "Child, whenever you want to give something to somebody, give the best in you, never the second best. That is what I have learned from life. God is not there in the temple, mosque, or church. He is with the people. If you serve them with whatever you have, you have served God". The story is about how Murty's grandparents actually practiced what they preached, and about the pleasure they derived from giving alms. Hassan's Attendance Problem is about one of the writer's students who was very irregular. A piece of advice she gives him confirms what we all know, but tend to overlook: "Please remember when elders say something, they do so because they want you to lead a better life than them. Excellence does not come by accident but by practice." Simple, unassuming people, even children, can sometimes teach us valuable lessons. In Amma, What is Your Duty? we are shown how something the writer's daughter tells her makes her look at things in a new way. The Real Jewels, while telling us about an experience the writer had as a guest in a house in South Canara, also gives us information about the importance given to education in that region where people believe that "If one man studies, only one person is educated, whereas if one lady studies, the entire family is educated." Heart of Gold is a story which the writer had heard about an incident in New York. It ends with the moral "Help people without expecting anything in return". A Wedding in Russia tells us about a lesson the writer wishes Indians could learn from the Russians. The Story of Two Doctors: a tear-jerker, is an epitome of the nobility of sacrifice, a story everyone will enjoy. A Journey Through Desert: shows us the power stories have to change people or to inspire them to do great things. Deadman's Riddle: is a story about the division of a man's property among his sons. It illustrates how "Life is an eternal teacher, provided you have an open mind". I Will Do It: is about someone who lives by the motto "Powered by intellect and driven by values". Doing What You Like is Freedom: deals with over-protective parents and with letting go of children when they are "ready to fly". Gowramma's Letter: tells us about a teacher who had influenced Murty to love stories and about the gratitude she feels when Murty publicly acknowledges her contribution to her success as a storyteller. We also read about the teacher's life. Murty ends this story thus: "Tears welled up in my eyes and fell on the letter mingling with the ink. I was unable to read further". We can't help but feel very emotional, too. The other stories all have something or the other to offer. We can use How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories as a reference book to come up with appropriate quotes for different occasions. More importantly, this book is a great source of short stories to read out to children (our own kids/and/or our students).
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