Tell Me the Story of a Moustache

Tell Me the Story of a Moustache

Madhuri Purandare is rarely among children. The writer and illustrator has a "long distance" relationship with her readers. "It's not as if I keep this distance deliberately," says the 64-year-old. And it has not made any difference in your work. Purandare is one of the most successful writers for children in Marathi literature, and has translated her works into English, Urdu, Kannada, Assamese, Telugu and Hindi. In addition to notable works such as Babachya Mishya, Radhach Ghar and Chitravachan, the Pune writer also conceived and edited Vaachu Anande, an anthology for children that juxtaposes the classics of Marathi literature with iconic illustrations from all over India. For his contributions to children's literature, he won the Bal Sahitya Puraskar by Sahitya Akademi in 2014 and, more recently, the first Big Little Book Award instituted by Parag, an initiative of the Tata Trusts.

As is evident from their stories, Purandare views children as they really are: individuals with strong likes and dislikes, who do not like being talked about and not universally adorable. "Their stories have a sense of rhythm and flow, they are very visual as well, which makes it even easier for readers who are struggling to understand," says Shubhada Joshi, founder of Pune Khelghar-based alternative school using Purandare's books In their reading programs. Joshi says, "Each story takes you to the world of a child, shows you how you perceive the world." Your writing creates opportunities for children to ask questions and think independently. Imagination of a child ".

For example, in her basic outline, Babachya Mishya (Dad's Mo) is the story of the young Anu and her fascination with her father's mustache. Purandare's narration and illustrations (which include a series of delightful drawings by Anu) make a simple story a celebration of a child's imagination.

"A special thing about her is that she is a writer and illustrator," says Amrita Patwardhan, director of education at Tata Trusts. "That is common in children's literature abroad, but here it is rarer. It is also able to combine the traditional and the modern in their stories, without lecturing," he says. Purandare does this subtly. In Daddy Mo, she shows the father in a more active role of parenthood than most traditional Indian parents, while in her later books, Pachvi Galli (The Fifth Lane) and Sakhye Shejari (Real Neighbors), she describes Parents as separate.

For someone with such a natural gift to transform the simple details of everyday life into attractive storytelling material, Purandare came to her metier after many fascinating detours. Her father was a writer and stage personality and her mother a social activist. As a child, she was inclined towards various forms of art. "I liked painting, music, literature, theater and cinema, but only to the extent that someone else was creating art and all I had to do was applaud," he says. After school, Purandare went through a period of confusion, not knowing which way to go. He graduated in Fine Arts from the School of Art of JJ and then spent a year in France learning engraving.

When he started writing, it was more by accident. She edited a bimonthly magazine that her mother instituted as a means to train local women to teach in rural Balwadis, which formed an educational bridge between first-generation students and the school system. The editor's job was to provide training content, as well as poems and children's stories, that could be used by teachers to keep their students engaged. After being unsuccessful in getting writers to contribute, Purandare began composing most of the material herself. One thing was always clear: she would not preach. Or write stories that begin with "Once upon a time" and end with "... and lived happily ever after".

Purandare's stories began to appear as books in 1998, with the publication of three titles - Superbaba, Jadugar and Shamyachi Gammat. Due to her unconventional narration, she had difficulty finding an editor. She recalls that her series Radhache Ghar (family of Radha), was already ready in 1985, but was published only in 2003. "She continued being rejected because it did not fit in any traditional formula: it was simply a girl called Radha and each of the Members of your family.

If a "moral-of-the-story" is ever to be included in any of your books, it would probably be one about following your heart. "I lived with all of this - singing, theater, film and writing - and they still do it, which is perhaps why people say that my writing illustrates, my illustrations have drama and my singing has it all. That which I feel pleasure in. And that is my limited ambition.

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