By Glenn C. Kharkongor
This story book is a tale of delight, narrating a little girl’s experiences of Meghalaya from the time her father received the news of his transfer to the Border Security Force in Shillong. Coming from the plains of mainland India, Meghalaya seemed a wonderland of new sights, sounds and smells.
The young author, nicknamed Nabby in the book, takes the reader along with her in a conversational tone. The happenings in her life and her feelings spring from the page. So much better than a passive narrative. Anticipation, suspense, wonder, and occasional regret animate the story and conveys her excitement about life, seen in the many exclamation marks!
All her senses are alive to her surroundings. I chuckled at the many smells she described, the fragrance of the hilly air, the freshness of pine, and the mouthwatering fragrance of sweet pineapples. None of these, as she says, are available in a video. Her metaphors are pleasing and amusing: ‘thunderstorm in her belly’, ‘sniffing like a hungry doggy’, ‘tornadoed into her new house’.
During the stay of a few years in Shillong, the family made trips to many interesting places. They would first read about the place on the internet, plan the journey with Google maps, and made sure to sample the highlights of each place. Some of the day visits included Mawphlang, Kongthong, Mawlynnong, Sohra and more. The descriptions of each place are unerringly authentic, remarkable for a young child.
Her impressions of the people and the culture are so insightful for a child, some gained through her Jaintia friend. She even gets matriliny and matriarchy right. From the window of her book, she rebreathes the air, relooks at the events of her day and describes Meghalaya from the enchantment of her magic carpet. The book is a diary, a travelogue, and an introspect, but most of all it’s the story of a lively little girl, told charmingly well.
The Sunday Magazine of The Hindu a week ago had two articles on the paucity of ‘local storytelling’ for children, bemoaning the lack of Indian content that ‘are both entertaining and spark conversation’.
So buy this book for your child, or better still, read it along with him or her.