Assam writer pens children book to address discrimination; gets lauded in India and abroad
Puhor and Niyor’s Mural of Family Stories has already sold nearly 9,000 copies in India and abroad and a second edition is underway
Not all families are the same but they all can be happy units that contribute to a child’s well-being and growth. That’s the message a new children book tries to put across.
Written by Pritisha Borthakur, Puhor and Niyor’s Mural of Family Stories portrays diverse families as seen by the eyes of the author’s twin sons Puhor and Niyor. It speaks of families with two mothers, two dads, multiracial families, single parents, family with adopted children and more.
“Usually, we are told or shown about families as being units with grandparents, a father and mother and their children. But there are other kinds of families too and each of them is beautiful and unique in their own way,” said Borthakur, a former journalist who’s also an entrepreneur.
Born and brought up in Assam, Borthakur, who’s based in Delhi these days, earlier penned a collection of poems. She wants her children and others to be compassionate towards each other and also know about unconventional families and other overlooked aspects of society.
“We sometimes see children from unconventional families getting bullied. I wanted to portray these families so that children and parents understand that all kinds of families can be happy units and there should be no discrimination,” she said at the official launch of the book in Guwahati recently.
The book has small stories like that of Demetria and her brother Isaac -children of a transgender couple, Ms Baruah who lives with her cats and consider them her family, Saheil-an Israeli child adopted by Chinese parents, Elvis-who’s mom is white and father is brown and a couple with Down Syndrome.
“This anthology of stories illustrated through beautiful graphic is an inimitable effort at showcasing the diversity that exists in a modern society and implanting the idea of cohesion in young minds,” wrote Kuladhar Saikia, president of Asom Sahitya Sabha, Assam’s premier literary body, in the foreword to the book.
“The one striking feature of the illustrative book is the simplicity of style. No attempt has been made to complicate the issues by useless elaboration. The intricate questions are left to be answered at a later date when they mature,” he adds.
Eminent Assamese author and Sahitya Academy Award recipient Rita Chowdhury said the book will help children understand how families can be of different compositions and all of them can be accepted.
“Some families try to hide issues like children who are autistic or adopted. This is a great step as this book talks about those children and their families. I would encourage Pritisha to publish this book in Assamese and other languages so that this conversation reaches all,” said child rights activist Miguel Das Queah.
The book available online since September has already sold nearly 9,000 of the first edition of 10,000 copies in India and abroad. Nearly 4,000 copies have been sold in UK, UAE, Germany and Australia.
Several schools in India have purchased copies for their libraries and the publisher Author’s Channel is in talks with schools in Delhi, Dubai and Bangalore to include it in their curriculum. A second edition is underway and Asom Sahitya Sabha is interested in translating it into Assamese soon.