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Books: The book of dreams that never die
Chef Vikas Khanna’s successful documentary film on a 96-year-old woman finally going to school has now been released as an illustrated children’s story
“So many times, society puts barriers on us and our creativity, forcing us to not think outside the norms. But, when someone rises against these norms and breaks those barriers and says that true happiness comes when you do what you love the most, then that story and the person become an inspiration for others. And, that’s why I decided to tell the story of 96-year-old Karthyayani Amma in the form of an illustrated book for children,” said award-winning Michelin star chef, celebrated filmmaker and author Vikas Khanna while releasing the book Barefoot Empress on Children’s Day—which also happened to be his 51st birthday.
Published by Bloomsbury, Barefoot Empress revolves around the remarkable journey of Karthyayani Amma, who, having never had access to education as a girl, finally gets her chance to study at the age of 96.
Hailing from Haripad in Alappuzha district, Kerala, Karthyayani Amma swept the streets outside the temples in her village to earn a living and raise her six children. But she kept her dream of going to school alive.
At 96, she was the oldest among the 43,330 candidates who appeared for the Aksharalaksham test, a fourth standard equivalent examination, and surprised the entire country by topping the literacy examination conducted by the Kerala government, scoring a stellar 98 out of 100. The state-run Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority certified her score as a record.
In 2019, Karthyayani Amma became a Commonwealth of Learning Goodwill Ambassador. She was also awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar by President Ram Nath Kovind on Women’s Day in March 2020. However, Amma doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. She plans to complete her Class 10 equivalent when she turns 100.
Honour thy grandparents
Barefoot Empress borrows its title from the documentary directed by Khanna on the inspiring life of Karthyayani Amma. The film has already won several critics’ choice awards and is in the race for an Academy Award. So, why was Khanna keen on releasing it as a children’s book?
“The idea of the book came nearly a year and a half ago when I narrated the story of Karthyayani Amma to my two nieces, Ojaswi and Saumya, introducing them to how she lived her life and how all she wanted was to get educated,” says Khanna.
While promoting the documentary in America and narrating the story to a larger audience, Khanna wondered what kids would think about it and what elders, who must have had dreams but couldn’t fulfill them, would think. Somewhere down the line, Khanna also thought about his own grandmother, who hadn’t had a chance to be educated.
“I also wanted to tell kids who get education as a privilege to honour that as an opportunity. With this thought, I reached out to Bloomsbury who immediately liked the idea. So this book is very important for me,” says Khanna.
Khanna’s first meeting with Amma was magical, he says. “I had read about her and she looked bigger in the image sent to me, but in real life she was much smaller. Despite that she looked beautiful and powerful. She spoke only Malayalam, though I could pick out a few words as I know a bit of Kannada. But, just being there felt like being in the presence of a goddess. In the poster, I have used her picture as the reflection of a goddess. Her simplicity, her determination and her humility... I was so much in awe of her,” he says.
The more he read about her, the more he toyed with the idea of making a film on Kartyayani Amma’s. “I knew it was a great and inspiring story, but what I found really special about Amma was her intelligence and her childlike innocence. Things like her lucky pencil, which she found in the temple, her confusion over mathematics... all this was so much like a kid. To have that will to get out of bed to learn something new, go to school every day, wake up at 3 am to revise every lesson and get 98 per cent in the exam—all this is so inspiring, especially at that age,” says Khanna.
Never too late
Khanna finally resolved to make a film about Karthyayani Amma when she told him, ‘Many times you live your life pleasing others, but society shames you. I didn’t want to do that anymore.’
“That realisation came to her at 96, and she told her teacher that she wanted to study if the teachers were ready to teach her. That itself is such a beautiful thing,” he says. “Sometimes, I think that is why God gave me this platform—to use it as a means to tell the world about people like Karthyayani Amma, to tell the whole world the story of resilience and determination.”
With the release of the book, Khanna hopes to inspire children and have them respect and understand their elders. “Children’s books leave such a strong impression on young minds. They almost immortalise the stories. That’s my main motive—to make Amma’s life accessible to kids, show them the value of elders, tell them to respect their elders and fulfill their wishes, because most of their time is spent in fulfilling our wishes,” he says.
He is happy and excited not only due to the release of the book, but also because the documentary, which has been doing well on the film circuit, has just been released on YouTube to cater to a larger audience.
“It took me four years to make this documentary and to learn and know about Amma, her passion and her mind. It’s produced by Oscar-nominated Doug Roland and now Dr Deepak Chopra has also come on board as the executive producer. So many people who watched the movie called me and said that they went back home and asked their grandmothers about their biggest wishes. One guy said that his grandmother had always talked about wanting to play the sitar but also said she couldn’t do it now at this age. So, he told her the story of Karthyayani Amma and told her it’s never too late to fulfill your dream,” Khanna smiles.
“When a reel inspires real life, truly that is the biggest mission of a filmmaker. The book is a love letter to never giving up on your dreams. It tells its readers that you are never too old to follow your passion,” he adds.
From HT Brunch, December 3, 2022
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