“The book is educational and entertaining with comic illustrations that draw in the modern child since they use references that they will relate to, occasionally verging on modern Indian political affairs that everyone is familiar with.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
Subhadra Sen Gupta’s last book explores the time travelling worlds that she has delved into before, taking children on an exploration of history hooking them through an interesting phrase. However the world that she describes is that of ordinary people rather than the kings, queens and courtiers. Her stories cover weavers, ayurvedic physicians who refuse to take money for sharing their knowledge and scientists, poets and painters, musicians, with children as narrators in many cases. What is presented is a way of life with the relevant details to each performance form and profession so that children can pick up a lot of background information and add depth to their history learning – most history books deal with the hard facts that are necessary for exam paper answers without explaining the whys and wherefores of everyday life.
There are also interesting pieces of information like Aryabhatta’s minute calculations of the number of days in a year, down to seven points at a time when the decimal system was at its nascent stage.
The book is educational and entertaining with comic illustrations that draw in the modern child since they use references that they will relate to, occasionally verging on modern Indian political affairs that everyone is familiar with. Sadly, the author lost the battle to Covid which means that there will be no more of her illuminating books to guide cheerfully children through the alien world of history.
Reviewed by:
Anjana Basu
Added 8th October 2021
