The Many Chapters of India’s Kid-Lit:
From academic circles to middle-class households, children’s literature has always been a subject of many discussions. The popularity of magazines like Chandamama, Shuktara, and Champak compelled academics to discuss their influence in shaping young minds. A new book, Children’s Books: An Indian Story (Eklavya Foundation), edited by Sandhya Rao and Shailaja Menon, can be a valuable addition to the discourse as it tries to focus on the evolution of the subject in the last three to four decades after globalisation, to be precise.
“Our book focuses on a more recent, post-liberalisation period because several interesting changes happened that continue to the present moment that we felt was worth capturing,” says Menon. Along with capturing the emerging trends in children’s literature, it looks into the evolution of the genres from the colonial era to the early years after independence, the class influence, and the gender biases that such literature has catered to so far. Organised into four sections, the book begins with the country's rich history of oral storytelling, progresses through the impact of library movements, and explores the development of children's publishing. Furthermore, it critically examines the portrayal of children in literature, questioning the diversity of their representation across socio-economic and cultural landscapes.
The three big influences
The book focuses on little-known facts such as the School Book Societies established by the British aimed at creating local literature with colonial morality across the presidencies. “A wide variety of literature was produced for the consumption of children -- stories, descriptions, scientific information, biographies, poems, riddles and so on. Indian writers (such as Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury) also contributed by starting children’s magazines like Sandesh during this time. However, it can be assumed that the audience for this literature was focused on the miniscule proportion of the population who could read,” says Menon.
A notable shift occurred in the early years following independence, with children's literature being repurposed for nation and identity-building. The establishment of the National Book Agency (NBA) and the circulation and access to Soviet and Chinese literature influenced young readers who had access to libraries or could purchase books. Globalisation, which reshaped India's socio-economic landscape, put its own stamp on child-lit.
“As the Indian economy opened up, the economy of publishing for children also expanded at an unprecedented rate. Independent publishing houses were established, such as Tulika, Katha, Tara and Karadi Tales, which started producing a new kind of literature – one that reflected contemporary Indian children’s realities, but in beautifully designed and produced ways. The focus on design, illustrations, and production are noteworthy in the current period. The range of genres expanded tremendously, and genres like picture books, literary non-fiction, and Young Adult literature came into existence. A variety of NGO-led efforts also entered the scenario with attempts being made to cater to children who had to rely on school libraries in remote parts of the country – children with little buying power or access to books in their preferred languages (beyond English and Hindi),” she adds.
Class and gender
Two interesting aspects have also influenced the growth of children’s literature—class disparity that has historically targeted the middle class as the preferred readers and gender bias. Addressing the former, Rao says: “Much of the literate population and those who come from the more privileged sections of society are usually the writers of such books. This is not consciously done but they naturally tend to mirror the patterns of India’s societal structures they are familiar with.” Menon notes that it is “only of late that voices like that of Mohammed Khadeer Babu, Jacinta Kerketta, and Bhajju Shyam have begun to emerge in the world of children’s writing”.
Patriarchal norms and values have also shaped India's social structure, and their influence extends to the realm of literature. Children’s literature has not escaped it. “Gender bias influences every aspect of our lives, children’s literature included. Male characters tend to be depicted as more active, agentic, and adventurous, while female ones tend to be depicted, if at all, in supportive roles. [In Chandamama stories, Nagesh’s wife is shown as a fantastic cook. Nagesh goes to work outside, and his wife takes care of the household]. While this is true of the bulk of children’s literature, it may not be as true of the small sub-section of experimental/innovative literature that our book examines – which tends to be more politically aware and proactive about gender bias,” Menon says.
However, in the last few years, serious attempts have been made to keep gender bias out of children’s literature, believes Rao. “In recent years, there’s been a concerted effort on the part of some writers to be gender-aware, gender-sensitive, and their stories reflect their concerns and efforts. Often, the message is overt. But the hope is that even messages that are subtly communicated will reach the children at different levels of understanding,” she says.