The covers of Bhimrao Ambedkar: The Boy Who Asked Why; We, the Children of India; and Amazing India: A State by State Guide. Photo source: Source: amazon.in
The Constitution of India came into effect on this day in 1950. To mark Republic Day, we pick three picture books for you to look back at the history of our nation building. Aimed at a younger audience, the books are a great read for grown-ups, too, and though you might finish reading them all in a few hours, they will make you think much longer!
We, the Children of India by Leila Seth; published by Penguin
Leila Seth, the first woman chief justice of a state in India, decodes the Preamble to the Constitution in a language that’s easy and engaging for both young and old, aided by Bindia Thapar’s beautiful illustrations. The title of the book is a tweak on the opening sentence of the Preamble -- We, the people of India. Seth explains, among other things, the difference between ‘right’ and ‘duty’, and the meanings of the words ‘sovereign, secular, socialist, democratic republic’. In the foreword, Seth mentions that she wrote this book with the help of her two small grandchildren, and she believed that to be good citizens “we should understand the Preamble, so that its spirit becomes a part of us”.
Bhimrao Ambedkar: The Boy Who Asked Why by Sowmya Rajendran; published by Tulika
This picture book zooms into the mind of a little boy, Bhim, who questions why certain things are the way they are. For instance, why is he made to sit separately in the classroom, or why won’t his teacher touch his books? Bhim’s experience of untouchability shaped his lifelong struggle against caste prejudice and fight for equality. He grew up to be India’s first law minister and, in that capacity, drafted the Constitution of India. With illustrations by Satwik Gade, this is a perfect read to salute Babasaheb Ambedkar, recognised as the father of the Indian Constitution, on Republic Day. The book is available in around eight regional languages, including Bengali.
Amazing India: A State by State Guide by Anita and Amit Vachharajani; published by Scholastic
This one is like a virtual tour of India that one would gladly sit down with, given the limitations of travel in the pandemic. The book will take you around the 28 states and 7 union territories (as it was at the time of the publication of the book) and introduce you to their unique art and crafts, history and culture, landscape and flora and fauna. Designed with colourful illustrations by Amit Vachharajani, Amazing India is packed with information and less-known trivia about each place. It also has a worksheet at the end for the young reader to jot down and paint their experience of India after finishing the book.