Connect with culture

A new addition to the library, it introduces children to Ghatotkacha, the son of Bheema from Mahabharata.
Connect with culture
Photo | Sri Loganathan Velmurugan
Updated on
3 min read

CHENNAI: When you were little, what books did you read? You probably started out with picture books, moved on to short stories, fables or comic books, and if the habit of reading stayed, you perhaps enjoyed novels and continue to seek solace in them.

Now, how many books in your childhood were in your mother tongue or other regional languages? In a country where English is the mode of communication and education in most cities — including Hyderabad — where do regional language books stand? Saptaparni, a renowned cultural hub in the city, decided to answer this question by stocking up its children’s library with Telugu and bilingual books, apart from promoting English-language books by Indian authors.

Walking into Saptaparni’s cosy reading nook, our eyes chance upon Aakesi Pappesi, a Telugu picture book written by Sindhura Gade, illustrated by Aditya Phani Shankar, and published by The Namaste Gang.

A new addition to the library, it introduces children to Ghatotkacha, the son of Bheema from Mahabharata. It is educational too, teaching kids Telugu numbers and showcasing dishes like Bobbatlu (Puran Poli), Bendakaya Curry (Okra curry), and Chikkudukaya Curry (Beans curry).

For a generation which is perhaps slowly losing touch with their mother tongue, The Namaste Gang’s Telugu Varnamala (Telugu alphabets) and Mana Maasaalu — a set of 26 flashcards showing the months and festivals in the Telugu calendar — are pathways to your linguistic roots.

There are also Telugu-English bilingual books like Malli Vasthondi, written by Jeeva Raghunath, illustrated by Nancy Raj, and published by Tulika Books. Malli, a girl with wheatish skin and long, braided hair, represents rural culture with her traditional blouse and long skirt.

She is quite the protagonist too, featuring in another brand new addition to the library, Malli Santaki Velthondi. This book is also available in Hindi-English as Malli Chali Bazaar.

Indeed, for children to have broader perspectives, they need to be exposed to cultures different from their own. Saptaparni feels this pulse, bringing to young readers Hindi-English picture books like Mann ke Laddu (Day-Dream), a Bangla folktale, O Harial Ped (O Flowering Tree), an Oriya folktale, and Pehla Ghar (The First House), a Santhali folktale, all published by Eklavya.

Even new English books at Saptaparni have been written by Indian authors — Shilpi Sarkar’s A Cat, a Tree and a Bird in a Book, Mini Shrinivasan’s Who’s Next?, and Meghaa Gupta’s The Monster at the Window, which is particularly an enjoyable read for little ones.

Saptaparni also has several handcrafted books, a standout being The Deep, written by Mayur Vayeda and Tushar Vayeda and published by Tara Books. When you flip the ocean blue pages of this book, you don’t just get to feel the rich texture of the paper but please your eyes with traditional tribal Warli art and meaningful words. Immediately, your horizon broadens.

Anuradha Reddy, the founder of Saptaparni, underscores the importance of introducing children to books written in regional languages and with Indian characters and environments.

She expresses, “When my children were growing up, there were plenty of English books but hardly any in regional languages. Schools have started introducing these now but parents should make it a point to expose their children to such books to expand their horizons.

There is so much our country has to offer that we do not recognise. We must not forget our roots. Above all, parents must inculcate the habit of reading in their little ones.”

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