Wake-up call

Paro Anand dives into issues that many parents fail to acknowledge, let alone discuss with their children.

April 02, 2012 11:31 am | Updated July 19, 2016 02:31 pm IST

Chennai: 13/01/2012: The Hindu: Literary Review: Book Review Column:
Title: Wild Child and other Stories, 'You may just find yourself here'_Harmony/
Au;thor: Paro Anand.

Chennai: 13/01/2012: The Hindu: Literary Review: Book Review Column: Title: Wild Child and other Stories, 'You may just find yourself here'_Harmony/ Au;thor: Paro Anand.

That childhood is a rose-tinted, candy-floss stage of development, sans cares and woes, is indeed a utopian vision that is in stark contrast to everyday realities.

In Wild Child , Paro Anand confronts the gruelling, and sometimes gruesome, truths that many children live with. Through 12 short stories, the author addresses themes as wide-ranging and heart-wrenching as sexual abuse, terrorism, communal hatred, failure and loneliness.

Sharp insights

In the title story, Anand deftly unearths the hidden traumas that underlie “bad behaviour” in school. Nobody wants to befriend Bela, an unpopular and unloved child. Written from a teacher's perspective, this story is a wake-up call for educators to try and understand difficult, demanding and defiant behaviour as a cry for help. When the teacher discovers the dark undercurrents behind the child's recalcitrance, the school realises that they simply cannot ask the child to go. As psychologist Steve Killick writes, “When the behaviour of a child leaves an adult feeling frustrated and hopeless, this may give that adult important information about how the child is feeling: that she too is experiencing frustration and hopelessness an the only way she can express it is through her behaviour.” The author's psychological insight is indeed razor sharp.

The most inspiring piece is based on the true story of an Olympic champion and underscores the immense impact a teacher can have on a student. Fathima, an orphaned misunderstood teenager, evokes only dismay and contempt in her peers and teachers. The life of this child is dramatically altered by her physical education teacher who sees promise where others see only problems. In another story, Anand portrays the hapless plight of orphans of militancy, both Hindu and Muslim, in Kashmir. Mutual animosity between youngsters melts as a simple friendship ensues.

Getting it right

While stories are written from adult and youngsters' perspectives, the author gets the teenage voice right as she is able to empathise with the “sturm und drang” that characterises adolescence. In ‘City Boy', the city-bred protagonist bemoans having to move to a semi-rural town only to discover his penchant for birds. In another story, Anand captures teenagers' affected apathy by writing an essay in the voice of a ninth-grader, using, of course, their self-styled lingo.

The book, written in unpretentious prose, dwells on deep, dark issues that many parents fail to acknowledge, let alone discuss with their children. As the author writes, “Family secrets must remain within the family.” A steadfast belief in family honour can often jeopardise young, innocent lives when children are expected to maintain a stoic silence about subjects that we would rather not think of.

This collection opens a Pandora's Box of issues that we, as a society, need to address. The sensitive and humane portrayal of death, divorce and devastation in this book provides an apt starting point. Even though the book deals primarily with weighty matters, a rainbow of hope arcs through its pages.

While these stories are likely to resonate with young adults, they must be read by educators and parents as they provide insight into troubled, teenaged minds. The blurb at the back, written for a teenaged audience, tends to undermine the gravitas of the book. The book may have also benefited from tighter editing of minor errors. Overall, a book that leaves one with much to mull about.

Email: arunasankara@gmail.com

Wild Child;Paro Anand, Pufin, Rs.150.

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