Gender sensitisation is the need of our times. And though the media is rife with outrage, sensitisation often happens quietly, away from the spotlight. With No. 9 on the Shade Card , a book for young adults, Bengaluru-based author and illustrator Kavitha Mandana tells the story of a girl who is passionate about sports, but, at the same time, has to contend with the misconception that sports is a male domain and her grandmother’s obsession with her granddaughter getting tanned, with “all that running around in the sun.”
Her recent book for early readers, A Pair of Twins, published by Karadi Tales, is a heart-warming story that also breaks gender stereotypes, for both girls and boys. It is about a little girl, Sundari, who dreams of becoming a mahout, and shares a deep bond with Lakshmi, a female elephant. But Sundari’s father would never agree to this. The book is set in Mysore during Dasara. The book has been listed in the US-based 2015 Amelia Bloomer top ten children’s books. Kavitha is the first Indian author to feature on the list.
The Amelia Project is run by the American Library Association. “Amelia Bloomer was an early American suffragist and newspaper editor,” says Kavitha. “Every 18 months, the Amelia Bloomer Project sends out a list of books for kids, from toddlers to teens, that have strong women characters, which is used by librarians across the US,” says Kavitha.
The book was nominated by Ann Bever an Amelia Bloomer Committee Member. “Karadi Tales have organised their market abroad, and that’s how the book went to the US. I got an email from Ann who told me she had read it.” The story in A Pair of Twins , says Kavitha, “is pitched on the story of a girl who happened to be my daughter’s age.” Kavitha says she wrote the book because she noticed there were not enough sassy, out-doorsy books for her daughters.
Setting the story during Dasara, was an added bonus. “Dasara in Mysore is not for tourists, but for Mysoreans themselves. I wrote it for the Mysore-Bangalore audience.”
Kavitha says gender sensitisation is needed for parents as much it is for children. “Young parents of children between three to eight years are much more aware of what their children should be reading. They are going beyond the usual stories being told.”
A Pair of Twins was launched at the Kala Ghoda Festival in Mumbai. “They have school visits too. I walked into a classroom of 40 to 50 students. There were only 15 girls. The kids listened intently to the story, the boys found themselves in the girl’s role. That felt reassuring. I had also read out from No. 9 on the Shade Card at NPS, Yelahanka and I had a lovely conversation with the students around the book.” Books are essential to initiate dialogue on issues. Kavitha agrees and says: “Books help you open up a conversation.”
Nayantara Surendranath’s stunning illustrations adds to the lovely story in A Pair of Twins . A graduate of Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, Nayantara says: “I follow Karadi Tales because their books focus primarily on Indian culture. I wrote to them and they got back to me. I loved Kavitha’s story. I could imagine the illustrations even before I began illustrating it. I related to the characters. The book is about breaking gender stereotypes and Kavitha does so gently,” says Nayantara who used mixed media, dry pastels, water colour pencils and paints.
Shobha Viswanath, co-founder of Karadi Tales, says: “The book is set in a town not many stories are set in, Mysore. It breaks gender stereotypes, but we didn’t publish it with that intent. The story is really good by itself!” Karadi Tales began distributing their books in the US in 2013. “We want our books to appeal to children around the world.”
