Preeta Chag

Pub by: Serene Publishers and Distributors

To me, this is a first.

Reading a children’s book is not something I usually do, but I was intrigued on hearing about this book.

It has been a surprising and happy experience. As the title suggests, the book is a collection of stories of historical women who were a part of India’s freedom struggle. Each personality has been carefully chosen, and stories weaved around them to create a simple, understandable and intriguing narrative.

Savitri is a sincere 11-year-old girl studying in Class 6 at Saraswati Vidya Mandir, a small school in her village.  Fond of sketching, she is a girl who is attentive in the class, quiet, but curious.

The crafting of each story is very unique and interesting. Savitri is drawing, and then suddenly she is transported into the past, walking around and watching the character play out in front of her. At the end of each story, she comes back to the present and writes a line or two about each brave woman.

Each tale concludes with a fact check, providing historical details about the character. And the most interesting part of the book is the small exercise pages given at the end: Which story did you love the most? What does freedom mean to you?  An interesting way to engage the reader and prompt them to think and ponder.

Shraddha Ahuja Ramani has selected a diverse range of historical personalities for the book. Some very famous, such as Rani Laxmibai, Savitribai Phule, Aruna Asaf Ali and so on. While, some lesser known characters are featured too, such as Kanaklata Barua and Durga Bhabhi.

I enjoyed the book for its unusual craft of using time travel and a sketchbook to bring to life such important women of history.

Not preachy, but teaching.

I recommend, that this book should be read by children and their parents for them to connect over and initiate a nice book discussion at home.