Bahuroopi, a publication that has brought out several Kannada books by renowned authors, is now collaborating with PARI and Karadi Tales to bring out five books for children over the age of nine. The translation of the books into Kannada is supported by Parag, an initiative of Tata Trusts.
The five books titled Marali Manege written by Priti David and translated by Rajaram Tallur, Gedde Bitte by Nivedha Ganesh and translated by Santosha Tamraparani, Ticket Illa Prayana Nillalla by Subhi Jiwani and translated by Abburu Prakash, Nandini Emba Jaane by Aparna Karthikeyan and translated by V Gayathri and Snehagramada Samsattu by Vishaka George and translated by Prasad Naik, are all based on true events, written in English and translated to Kannada.
Speaking to The Hindu, Sreeja. V.N, the founder of Bahuroopi said that the books are the publication’s first series of books for children in order to develop reading habits among children. “We have always had books for adults by various authors. However, over time, we realised we have not had any books for children and we felt were also contributing to the reduction of reading habits among children. We had a discussion with children and parents and learned that something in the content of existing books for children is stopping them from reading books.“
“When we were younger, books were the only form of education and entertainment. We grew up with books and always had a connection with them. There were no digital forms of distractions. Though we had television, it was not enough to fill all our voids. But now, children have mobile phones, tablets, computers, television, and all kinds of digital distractions,” Ms. Sreeja added.
Cover page of the book published by Bahuroopi Books. | Photo Credit: HANDOUT E MAIL
The five books are made specifically for children over the age of nine, as the publishing house feels that there are many books for children at their primary ages and books for adults, but very few for growing children in the middle group. “There are picture books for toddlers and for children up to the age of eight in all languages including Kannada and English, but for children over the age of nine, who are close to teenage, there is a complete void, especially in Kannada literature. Children at this age hardly read books, and even if they do they read traditional stories or foreign series. We felt that there was a need for contemporary Kannada literature for children, which is why these five books were made“
Stories from news
Interestingly, all the books are based on true stories and were found by and published by Parag and Karadi Tales. What is special about is that these books are not just ‘stories’, but actual news stories that were updated on the Pari website.
“Children have not just stopped reading books but have stopped reading news too. So, we thought this would be a great opportunity to bridge the gap,” Ms. Sreeja said.
The book Snehagramada Samsattu, which is called House of Uncommons in English, is the story of a special school that educates children who are HIV positive, and how a young boy who is looked down upon in the outside world, turns into the most popular child in the school. Another book in the series Gedde Bitte is about the life of a differently abled girl who is from a village in Tamil Nadu, who learns to swim in her village well, is identified by a sports personality, and ends up participating in the Paralympics. The other three stories are also inspirational and based on true events.
Cover page of the book published by Bahuroopi Books. | Photo Credit: HANDOUT E MAIL
“They were originally published in English and are now being translated into Indian languages. We plan to introduce these books as alternate textbooks across Karnataka soon,“ Ms. Sreeja said.
The books are available on the Bahuroopi website and across bookstores in Karnataka. Three books of the series are priced at ₹125, and two are priced at ₹150, while the entire series will cost ₹675.
