#397 - Where I Belong - Meera’s Village by the Sea
by Nandita da Cunha and illustrated by Kripa
“Where I Belong - Meera’s Village by the Sea” by Nandita da Cunha and illustrated by Kripa. Published by Katha. A heartwarming story of little Meera and how she has to stand up to save her home when a monster building threatens its future.
Meera lives a happy life in a bustling Koliwada (a village next to the sea as well as the city). She gets to experience life in the city as well as the village. Her dream is to become a magician when she grows up. Some unexpected changes start happening in her surroundings. A large building is being constructed on the empty plot of land behind the Koliwada. As it starts growing enormously like a monster and looms over their homes, the fishermen of the village start facing difficulties. Their livelihood starts getting affected.
The fish began going away. The fishermen were finding it difficult to catch them and started spending more time at sea. The waste from the construction site was being dumped into the sea. Meera’s father could no longer afford to pay her school fees and she had no option but to drop out of school. She did not realise the enormity of their difficulties and took to her new life of working with her parents to run their home with enthusiasm. She watched people fussing and worrying, protesting and going on processions. But things came to a standstill when they were all asked to leave their homes and move out within a week. Walking along the beach, Meera felt a wave of belonging wash over her mind. The enormity of the situation finally became clear to her. How could she even think of moving out of her home? This was where she truly belonged and could not imagine her home anywhere else. Was it too late already? Read the thought provoking book to find out whether Meera can pull off her magic and save the Koliwada at all.
My almost nine year old and I loved reading the book and looking at the gorgeous illustrations. The plot made us wonder as to how Meera seemed so unaffected by the changes in her life especially when she had to stop going to school. The eureka moment when she realised that what was being expected of her and her community was not fair at all as she played on the beach was what we were waiting for. We just couldn’t guess what she would do next. The plot kept us hooked right till the end. We enjoyed the narrative as well as the beautiful artwork. The book gives a glimpse into the world of the Koli community. Some local words have been used in the narrative giving it an authentic touch. This was our second book featuring a Koliwada, the first one being “Lost and Found in a Mumbai Koliwada”. Like most of Nandita’s books, there is an important message in this book of a real life situation where uprooting of people from their homes is happening in the name of progress and prosperity. Most big cities and their surroundings have fallen prey to land sharks who have changed the landscape completely. The story portrays how a child feels when a change like this comes in her life and how she deals with it in her own unique way. The book is available in Hindi as well and aptly called “ जादूगर मीरा”.
My son was thrilled to be able to read the story in two languages. Like most books from Katha, this one also has facts and activities at the end along with some interesting pictures taken in real Koliwadas and other places. We discussed about how the place where we stay must have been so different a couple of decades ago. From what I have read in a book by Peter Colaco about the olden days of Bangalore, our area was filled with vineyards. Today it is a busy street and it is hard to believe that this bustling place used to have vineyards not so long ago. The villages on the fringes of cities tend to get swallowed when the city expands. We also discussed about street art and how it is a powerful medium to tell stories and draw attention of the people to issues.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 6/7 and above.
Reasons to Read
For the beautiful depiction of a sensitive issue from a child’s perspective replete with some stunning artwork.
The book gives a glimpse into the life in a Koliwada and creates awareness about the fishing community who live there.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Katha here. The Hindi version is available here.
Disclaimer - We received the books from the publisher, Katha, for review. Thank you to the author, Nandita da Cunha, for arranging to send across the books!