With Independence Day approaching, my mind was filled with thoughts of the freedom struggle and the people who fought for our independence. I knew only what I was taught in school … yes, monsters also go to school. But we have no access to a public library or anything of that sort. You can well imagine the riot we will cause if we do try and enter a library. So, enterprising monsters like me sneak into houses at night and read.
I chose to visit Anushka because I saw a bunch of books being delivered to her place this morning. I knew there would be something interesting there. I spotted the books as soon as I got into the room. It was a series titled Songs of Freedom and there were six books: A Conspiracy in Calcutta, The Train to Tanjore, Once Upon a Time in Manikoil, The Chowpatty Cooking Club, Postcard from the Lushai Brigade, and Letter to Lahore.
I took out The Train to Tanjore by Devika Rangachari. The story, set in 1942, was about a boy called Thambi. Like me, he too wanted to know more about the Quit India movement. Unlike me, he could visit the local library and read the newspapers. But he was surprised to find that there was more about the war in Europe than about what was happening in India.
Thambi knew about Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India Movement and was impressed by the fact that Gandhiji refuses to obey the British. But, he was surprised to find that his father did not want to be involved in this fight for freedom. He wanted to play safe.
Thambi gathered together his friends and held a secret meeting because he did not want his father to hear about this. So, now he has two lives: one, the ideal student working towards a scholarship and another, an aspiring freedom fighter.
By this time, I was all caught up with Thambi and the freedom movement. I wished I could travel back in time. I was so engrossed in the book that I did not notice when Anushka came into the room. It was only when the bed creaked above me that I knew that the room had an occupant. This is a slim book and I wanted to finish this and get started on another one before the sun came up, so I didn’t waste any time holding my breath or trying to keep quiet. I just continued reading.
Thambi comes across the Quit India Press, a leaflet that gives him so much information but one that could land him in serious trouble. Thambi not only reads every word written on this leaflet but also distributes it.
Now, I can’t wait to find out if Thambi will get into trouble for this. What I found amazing was that this story is based on the memories of the author’s father of his boyhood in Tanjore. This is history but also fiction.
