Humanizing history: The power of storytelling in families

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Create bonus hours of your own as everyone comes together over a story or two. Photo: iStockphoto Summary Reductions of Living Experiences add a more intimate touch to the way children observe and understand history while grewing up was special. While the dusk was fixed, there was a short interim between the day’s tasks and dinner. I would sit on the terrace with my grandparents – they would discuss the events of the day about tea and then inevitably end. Often, a power failure would act like a bonus, as everyone in the family leaves everything that they have set aside and exchanges with us, mosquitoes and stories. The ink emptiness of the night would become a canvas for storytelling. Amma, my grandmother – a natural storyteller – would tell stories about the guard for Mahatma Gandhi’s gatherings as a teenager in Katra, Allahabad, and how the neighborhood would prepare for this threatening visit for days together. My grandfather would tell the struggle to get a training in a city in Uttar Pradesh during British rule. Sometimes the family discussed the wars that took place after independence—-my father, will remember the sirens and eclipse in Delhi during the 1965 war. And I would soak it just like a sponge, with all these anecdotes and stories growing greater than life in my imagination. Looking back, the stories of these experiences added another dimension to the way I observed and understood aspects of history. They added a human touch to the events we read in history books. Nothing can replace the joy of listening to countless stories of a grandparent. Not only do they entertain, but also serve as a perfect opportunity for transferring intergenerational wisdom. You can see the culture of a bygone era in a different light. To date, I cannot forget Amma’s stories of a woman owned by a Djinn in Allahabad that led to a deeply divided neighborhood – with some people who want to call an exorcist and others who want to take her to a local doctor. It was a time of deep struggling between science and superstition. However, not everyone can have daily interaction with grandparents today, especially if they live in different parts of the country and the world. But through books, one can enter someone else’s familial history and expand one’s own universe of stories. Through sharing fiction and non-fiction stories, writers provide a more intimate dimension to events of a bygone era. They add a human perspective to experiences of cupboards, culture, turmoil and resilience – while also forming a bridge between the past and the present. One such book is secret of the pickled dream (Simon & Schuster India). The author Yesha Gambhir Mirza writes: “For the children who grew up in a digital world – you can find joy in the treasures of tradition. For those who cherish the past – the simplicity and warmth can always stay with you. Some stories are meant to live, remember and pass on.” The book deepens the life of Young Amani, whose definition of ‘cool’ is defined by vlogs and influencers. Around this time, her grandmother, Bebe Shanti, reaches out to her and carries a lot of saying through the simple process of spicy formation. While learning about the best ingredients and Martabane (containers) to buy, Amani also realizes that true joy stems from the part and does not show off. Then there are books that parents and children can experience history that can be dramatically different from those they are familiar with. In a time when omissions and erasers dominate history books, it may be good to read such diverse perspectives on the sociocultural structure of the country. One book that stands out in this regard is that the country is my school: Dadaji Khobragade, The Rice Man of India (Pratham Books). The story was written by Yogesh Maitreya and illustrated by Bhargavi Rudraraju, and look at the life of Dadaji Khabragade when he was a young boy who grew up in a Mahar family in the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra in the 1940s. Life was difficult in town because of a big casteism, but one day he heard BabaSaheb Ambedkar’s call for action. “The country became Dadaji’s school and taught him patience, compassion and love. But above all, he inspires to innovate and dream big, ‘says the book. The country is my school is a story of resilience that rises above social obstacles, while Dadaji listens to Earth and the ecology of experimenting with different rice varieties on its small agricultural land. Like a scientist, he eventually created a new variety he called HMT Rice after the wristwatch that was popular in towns at the time. Look at the full image of ‘The Land is My School: Dadaji Khobragade, The Rice Man of India’ (Pratham Books). Written by Yogesh Maitreya and illustrated by Bhargavi Rudraraju, who if you could enter a time machine to see how the growth in your favorite historical figure is? The Teenage Diaries series (Talking Cub) offers the opportunity. By weaving the weaving of fact and fiction, this series is intended for young adults, the adolescent years of some of the most famous queens and princesses of Indian history in their own voices. Take the Teenage Diary of Abbakka, the fighter queen from South India, written by Kavitha Mandana. The entries, from March 8, 1606, look at the many influences on the young princess. Especially impact are the meetings her mother, Rani Tirumala Devi, held with her advisers, allowing Abbakka to learn more about family history. Get to know the reader about Abbakka’s grandmother, who defeated a large Portuguese fleet that sailed from his base in Goa to attack Ullal. Some recent non-fiction titles extend beyond a dry version of dates and facts to make history more accessible and fascinating for a generation that has a limited attention span and would rather choose the screen above a book. The people of India: A remarkable history in 9 chapters (Talking Cub), edited by Anwesha Sengupta and Debarati Bagchi, is such a title. The book was translated by Arunava Sinha from the popular Itihase Haatskhori series in Bengali, and the books highlight the people behind big moments in the country’s timeline, covering topics such as 1947 party and language politics. One chapter that caught my interest was the flow of rivers by Debarati Bagchi, who looked at stories of the multiple rivers crossing the subcontinent, from the Saraswati and Ichamati to the Jalangi, Mathabhanga and the churni. A story in this chapter looks at the new tax problems that turned into the Bengal chairmanship in the early 19th century, when the Gandaki changed and that it changed in the early 19th century new islands from his water. This brings forth the enterprising nature of Bidyanand Roy, a Zamindar, who understands the ways of the river and his temperament to cover his losses. Another book in a similar way is a new history of India for children (Aleph) by Ruddrangshu Mukherjee, Shobita Punja and Toby Sinclair. The title, complete with maps and photos, offers a journey of discovery through the prehistory and the Mauryan Empire to the Mughal regime, colonization by the British and post-independence developments. I find myself time and time again to these books to answer questions from my curious teenage daughter and friends about small-in incidents related to Indian history. And the fact that I can add a story of two that the Internet does not readily generate has added my ‘coolness quotient’. For those who would like to delve deeper into a specific aspect of India’s story, there are two books of importance. One is India in triangles: the incredible story of how India is mapped and the Himalayas measured (Puffin). This one was written by Shruti Rao and Meera Iyer and combines adventure, daring and science as readers, of 11 years and older, follows surveyors across the country to map its landscape using triangle in the great trigonometric recording. Between the pages you meet personalities like William Lambton, who started the recording in 1800-1802. The other book, which quickly becomes the most gift title among the teenagers I know, is Meghaa Gupta’s uncoded: A Technological History of Independent India (Penguin). It explores the thinking process of scientists and innovators who have brought about changes in the Indian way of living independence. From agricultural land to space programs, classrooms and contemporary apps, these stories of technological transformations are packed with illustrations, trivia and anecdotes. Why do you rely on power cuts today for that time of storytelling? Instead, create bonus hours of your own when everyone comes together about a story or two – some have penetrated by generations of your own family and some nicely caught up in books by other raconors. Raising parents is a monthly column on arts and cultural ideas to inspire children and adults. Catch all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #Features Read Next Story