The Kabuliwala still bears gifts...

It is a good idea to introduce Tagore to kids, especially since there are many kid-friendly versions of the Nobel laureate’s works available now.

Clouds and Waves

My first introduction to Rabindranath Tagore’s work (apart from the national anthem!) was in school when we studied his short story Kabuliwala in English. I was moved and disturbed by this story about the friendship between a little girl and an Afghan seller of dry fruits and nuts, and the longing for the Kabuliwala for his land and for his own daughter. The ending is hopeful but open, and it was perhaps one of my first encounters with an open ending. I agonised for days over it.

A further intro to Tagore’s work came to me in the form of Rabindra Sangeet which I learned for a short time during my teens. I wasn’t into poetry, nor did I understand Bangla. But when our teacher described the meaning of those songs, I was intrigued and impressed. Enough to pick up a pretty edition of his Gitanjali in English a few years later.

Perhaps I read it at a receptive phase of my life, or perhaps it was the charm of this collection of poems, but it was Gitanjali that made me open up my mind and heart and accept poetry, first as a reader, and now as a tentative writer of poetry and lyrical books.

All this to say that it could be a good idea to introduce Tagore to kids. Kids born with a Bengali background are more likely to be introduced to Tagore early on. However, other Indian kids, though they hear his name often, him being the composer of our national anthem, and the only Nobel laureate in literature from India, don’t often get to experience his work.

The good thing is that many Indian publishers have brought out kid-friendly versions of Tagore’s works.

Katha Books have published A Champa Flower, with art by Jaikar, Clouds and Waves, illustrated by Sunaina Coelho, The Little Big Man, with art by Rajiv Eipe and The Astronomer, illustrated by Harshvardhan Kadam. Since they’re illustrated books, they could be a good entry point for younger children. From Talking Cub books, there is Last Night I Saw a Dream, illustrated by Adrija Ghosh, and The Crescent Moon: Poems and Stories which includes Kabuliwala. The latter is for older kids and is a good collection to start with. For an intro on Tagore’s life itself, there is an Amar Chitra Katha issue on Tagore, as well as Rabindranath Tagore: The Renaissance Man, by Monideepa Sahu, a part of the Puffin Lives series.

Teens who like poetry can definitely give the Gitanjali a try, but as with all classics, there’s no hurry to read it. And of course, there is no substitute for reading any literature in the language it was originally written in!

The author has written 14 books for children and can be reached at www.shruthi-rao.com

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