#371 - Taniya

by Arupa Patangia Kalita and illustrated by Attrayee Gogoi

“Taniya” by Arupa Patangia Kalita and illustrated by Attrayee Gogoi. Translated from the Assamese by Meenaxi Barkotoki. Published by Penguin. A timeless classic from Assam which is a heartfelt tribute to an adorable dog who brought joy and laughter to everyone around her.

The story is narrated in the voice of the author who likes to call herself a ‘ghonsirika’ or a house sparrow in Assamese as she was named by her schoolteachers. One realises why this is over the course of the book. She has a tendency to flit from one story to another like the ghonsirika you see :) The book starts off with the introduction of Jilmil and her family who lived in a little town in Assam at the bottom of the Bhutan hills, a little away from the border with Bhutan. Their love for dogs and the death of their lovable dog called Tom led Jilmil’s father Arnab to find another dog for her as she was feeling miserable. He travelled to the hilly area of Mandir just across the border in Bhutan and got a pair of adorable puppies having quite an adventure along the way.

The Tibetan Spaniel breed puppies were named Taniya and Jigma. While Jigma was the more sedate one, it was Tania who was extremely naughty and kept everyone around her on their toes. Her antics and adorable nature along with her love for people made her the apple of everyone’s eyes. She was adored quite a bit despite her mischievous ways. But eventually Jilmil and her family couldn’t look after both her and Jigma. So Taniya was given away to Arunabh dada and his family who took good care of her. Taniya was so pampered that she was fed Hilsa fish with rice almost every other day! She was quite a bundle of talent. She could unmistakably detect an original Marie biscuit from a lookalike one. She could sing in matching pitch when Arunabh played the mouth organ. Read the delightful book which celebrates the life of Taniya while showcasing the verdant landscape and the social as well as cultural environment of the beautiful region of Assam.

My 8.5 year old and I loved this book. We just couldn’t stop racing through the pages getting to know more about adorable Taniya and the endearing humans who looked after her. The characters are so well formed that they will stay in our minds for a long time to come for sure. The illustrations brought them to life. The narration is crisp and we didn’t mind the ghonsirika aspect at all as we were getting to know more about Taniya and her adventures despite the flitting in from one story to another within a chapter :) And the Assamese terms used throughout the book be it while introducing people and how they were related or names of flowers and trees and some commonly used terms gave the story such a wonderful regional touch.

Thanks to the masterful translation, we were able to lay our hands on this classic. It was heartening to know that Taniya was a real dog who brought joy to the author and her family. This is the Sahitya Akademi winning author’s only children’s novel to date and supposed to be one of her finest. Overall this is a “MUST READ” for everyone whether you have had a dog or not. There is something in it for all. There is a fair dose of humour, adventure, love, warmth, friendship, joy and community bonding in a beautiful setting. Delighted to have started the new year with a fabulous read like this!

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 8/9 and above.

Where to buy from?

An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.

Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India, for review. Thank you to Greeshma and Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!