Monica Khanna
Dr. Monica Khanna completed her high school from International School Bangkok. After moving to India, she completed her B.A, M.A, M.Phil and Ph.D. in English Literature.
She is currently working as Visiting Faculty in several management and engineering colleges in Navi Mumbai. She has work experience of around twenty years in the field of academics as well as in journalism and business. She is a panel member and resource person for Encyclopedia Britannica for conducting workshops for school teachers across India.
She has conducted Faculty Development Programmes, and has also been invited by several institutes to conduct sessions for their students on a variety of topics. She has presented and published research papers at the national and international level for various journals, conferences and seminars.
Her passion for books, love for kids, and the desire to revive and rekindle an interest in the dying art of reading amongst children have been instrumental in her decision to take up writing fiction. She has published four books. Her first book entitled ‘Deconstructing Motherhood’ (2010) deals with the ideology of motherhood in Indian culture. Her second book, ‘Peek a Boo Manya’ (2016) is a collection of short stories for children which revolves around the sweet and sour life of an eight-year-old girl Manya. It attempts to create a familiar world that Indian children can identify with and relate to. Her third book ‘Wickety Whack’ (2017) is full of whacky humour, mischief, fun and learning in the classroom. Her latest book ‘Re-Visioning Mythology in Indian Literature’ (2017) deals with the reinterpretation and subversion of Hindu myths in contemporary Indian literature.
She is currently working as Visiting Faculty in several management and engineering colleges in Navi Mumbai. She has work experience of around twenty years in the field of academics as well as in journalism and business. She is a panel member and resource person for Encyclopedia Britannica for conducting workshops for school teachers across India.
She has conducted Faculty Development Programmes, and has also been invited by several institutes to conduct sessions for their students on a variety of topics. She has presented and published research papers at the national and international level for various journals, conferences and seminars.
Her passion for books, love for kids, and the desire to revive and rekindle an interest in the dying art of reading amongst children have been instrumental in her decision to take up writing fiction. She has published four books. Her first book entitled ‘Deconstructing Motherhood’ (2010) deals with the ideology of motherhood in Indian culture. Her second book, ‘Peek a Boo Manya’ (2016) is a collection of short stories for children which revolves around the sweet and sour life of an eight-year-old girl Manya. It attempts to create a familiar world that Indian children can identify with and relate to. Her third book ‘Wickety Whack’ (2017) is full of whacky humour, mischief, fun and learning in the classroom. Her latest book ‘Re-Visioning Mythology in Indian Literature’ (2017) deals with the reinterpretation and subversion of Hindu myths in contemporary Indian literature.
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With lack of interesting reading material from India, Indian children turned to foreign authors like Enid Blyton for creating a fairy tale world of magic and fascinating boarding schools. The Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Sherlock Holmes series quenched the thirst for mystery and adventure. The books transported children to a world very different from their own – one that they could enjoy but never identify with, because such books presented them with a culture that was a stark contrast to their own.
The last few decades, however, have witnessed an experimentation with numerous contemporary themes, and an advent of publishers exclusively focusing on children’s books. It is ironic, because this is an age of digitization, and ostensibly that of decline in the reading habits of children which are gradually being replaced by gadgets like phones and tablets. Despite the threat from technology, there is a conscious movement to inculcate reading among children, creating for them a world that is fantastic, and yet often close to reality.
This paper focuses on some of the lesser known books in Indian English writing for children, and explores new and contemporary themes that convey important lessons, but yet in a subtle and indirect manner. In some cases, the characters are children, but in other books, they are animals. Human qualities are projected on to animals, which ensures that the message is understated and restrained. Why are you Afraid to Hold my Hand by Sheila Dhir, published by Tulika books, deals with attitudes of people to children with disabilities, and the emotions of a disabled child who just wants to be accepted and not treated with sympathy. The Mouse with Seven Tails by Bapsi Sidhwa published by Pratham Books talks about peer pressure and the need for acceptance by one’s peers which often leads an individual to change his or her own personality in order to conform. Samaira’s Awful Lunch by Bharati Jagannathan, published again by Pratham Books, centres on the need to value, appreciate and respect the food we have been given. Vishv Books’ My Nose is Ugly by Bina Kapoor stresses the unique features of each individual, which make him or her distinct from others. It also deals with the concept of self-image and self-confidence. Another book by the same publication, Ma, Can I Help by Girija Rani Asthana, breaks gender stereotypes by projecting gender role equality within a family, where each member, regardless of sex, helps with the household chores. Fun Ok Please’s book Brown Like Dosas, Samosas and Sticky Chikky by Rebecca Manari, is a beautifully told story which challenges the Indian obsession with fair complexion, and defies the notion that fair is beautiful. The paper finally examines a short story entitled ‘The Missing Suitcase’ from my book Peek A Boo Manya, published by Omji Publication House. The story deals with valuing relationships over materialistic objects.
Through an analysis of various books, the paper provides a comprehensive understanding of Indian children’s literature in English today. While publishers, authors and illustrators are working together to create meaningful books for children, the genre of children’s literature is still sadly not accorded the importance it deserves. Considering the fact that children’s literature lays the foundation for the thought process of an entire generation, the miniscule media coverage and critical thinking on children’s literature is indeed deplorable. More experts in the field need to come together to revolutionize the movement and spread awareness of the importance, need and variety of Indian children’s literature in the market today.
With lack of interesting reading material from India, Indian children turned to foreign authors like Enid Blyton for creating a fairy tale world of magic and fascinating boarding schools. The Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Sherlock Holmes series quenched the thirst for mystery and adventure. The books transported children to a world very different from their own – one that they could enjoy but never identify with, because such books presented them with a culture that was a stark contrast to their own.
The last few decades, however, have witnessed an experimentation with numerous contemporary themes, and an advent of publishers exclusively focusing on children’s books. It is ironic, because this is an age of digitization, and ostensibly that of decline in the reading habits of children which are gradually being replaced by gadgets like phones and tablets. Despite the threat from technology, there is a conscious movement to inculcate reading among children, creating for them a world that is fantastic, and yet often close to reality.
This paper focuses on some of the lesser known books in Indian English writing for children, and explores new and contemporary themes that convey important lessons, but yet in a subtle and indirect manner. In some cases, the characters are children, but in other books, they are animals. Human qualities are projected on to animals, which ensures that the message is understated and restrained. Why are you Afraid to Hold my Hand by Sheila Dhir, published by Tulika books, deals with attitudes of people to children with disabilities, and the emotions of a disabled child who just wants to be accepted and not treated with sympathy. The Mouse with Seven Tails by Bapsi Sidhwa published by Pratham Books talks about peer pressure and the need for acceptance by one’s peers which often leads an individual to change his or her own personality in order to conform. Samaira’s Awful Lunch by Bharati Jagannathan, published again by Pratham Books, centres on the need to value, appreciate and respect the food we have been given. Vishv Books’ My Nose is Ugly by Bina Kapoor stresses the unique features of each individual, which make him or her distinct from others. It also deals with the concept of self-image and self-confidence. Another book by the same publication, Ma, Can I Help by Girija Rani Asthana, breaks gender stereotypes by projecting gender role equality within a family, where each member, regardless of sex, helps with the household chores. Fun Ok Please’s book Brown Like Dosas, Samosas and Sticky Chikky by Rebecca Manari, is a beautifully told story which challenges the Indian obsession with fair complexion, and defies the notion that fair is beautiful. The paper finally examines a short story entitled ‘The Missing Suitcase’ from my book Peek A Boo Manya, published by Omji Publication House. The story deals with valuing relationships over materialistic objects.
Through an analysis of various books, the paper provides a comprehensive understanding of Indian children’s literature in English today. While publishers, authors and illustrators are working together to create meaningful books for children, the genre of children’s literature is still sadly not accorded the importance it deserves. Considering the fact that children’s literature lays the foundation for the thought process of an entire generation, the miniscule media coverage and critical thinking on children’s literature is indeed deplorable. More experts in the field need to come together to revolutionize the movement and spread awareness of the importance, need and variety of Indian children’s literature in the market today.