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Simply Gandhi
On 2nd October, International Day for Non-violence,
Tulika released
Picture Gandhi,
a
photo-biography, and
My Gandhi Scrapbook,
a unique, interactive, collector’s take on Bapu. Both these books
by award-winning writer Sandhya Rao, bring to children the Mahatma
shorn of mystique. They offer an affectionate yet dispassionate
look at this man of many parts, who continues to engage, continues
to matter.
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That very same day, the books were released in faraway
Johannesburg, South Africa. Sandhya's note for the
occasion captures the journey – hers and the book's..."Who
would have thought that a book on Gandhiji for children
that we at Tulika Publishers in Chennai, India, have been
dreaming of for over 10 years, would wing its way to the
place where, truly, his story begins?"...to a memorable
landing at a ceremony at Constitution Hill, in the prison
where Gandhi was once held!
Among the people gathered were Justice Albert Sachs and
Mr Prema Naidoo, anti-apartheid activists who had paid
their price for a free and equal society. Sachs lost an
arm and the sight of one eye in the '70s when a bomb
placed in his car exploded. He is now a judge of the
Constitution Court. And Mr Naidoo, whose grandfather was a
colleague of Gandhiji and a member of the Transvaal Indian
Congress, has served time in jail. He is now active in
South African politics.
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Picture Gandhi
has been published simultaneously in English, Hindi (translated by scientist-writer Arvind Gupta), Tamil (translated by
Asokamitran, well known Tamil writer), Malayalam (co-published with the Kerala State
Institute of Children's Literature) and Kannada. |
Digging up the past
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How does one get children excited about
the past? How does one weave history, geography, biology, the
environment, mathematics, the sciences and art to
make the study
of archaeology meaningful?
All these questions came up at
the launch
of The Shining Stones,
a book by
Dr Shanti Pappu, at The Children's Garden
School, Chennai. And she addressed them
all at a workshop for
teachers on how
to use the book to teach prehistory.
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Stone tools in quartzite from
various pre-historic sites to touch and feel time
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For starters, "More than 10,000
grandfather's ago... is a wonderful way to convey to children vast spans
of time, she says. And her work is all about unearthing treasures buried
in time. A professional archaeologist, Dr Shanti provided a fascinating
power point look at the behind-the-scenes and the on-site thrill of
archaeology, and offered many ideas to use inside and outside the
classroom...The more exciting among them?...
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Get children to make family trees to go back
in time, count tree rings to learn how to date them, collect objects for
a class museum, use art and craft to make models and pictures to
recreate the time.
For a feel of adventure, get
children out to excavation sites to make surveys, take
photographs of and document finds, analyse and interpret them with the
help of archaeologists – an ideal way to break down barriers between
scientists and children. |
As Secretary, Sharma Centre for Heritage Education in Sholinganallur, Chennai and Pune,
Dr. Shanti Pappu works passionately to encourage curiosity amongst kids in their own
environment. The Centre organises workshops on site and in schools.
Contact:www.sharmaheritage.com
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Just OUT!
When colours create
mood and lively fun, you have two playful picture books.
Jhakkad
is a story by Amra Alam, a prolific writer who lives in Karachi,
Pakistan. In this, her first children's book published in India,
she follows a mischievous wind through a stormy night, one that
illustrator Shailja Jain deftly captures in rich, deep hues.
With
Colour-Colour Kamini,
Radhika Chadha adds an excitable chameleon to the population of Tulika's most endearing bunch of animals, brought to life by
illustrator Priya Kuriyan's colour and detail. The third in a
series that's topping the bookstore charts, it's available in
English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati and
Bangla. |
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LOOK out
for Best Friends by Nina
Sabnani, a warm, sensitive story about friendship – betwen Tamanna,
a little girl, and Kuchi, a tree.
last month... |
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