#484 - The Dog With Two Names : Stories that Celebrate Diversity
by Nandita da Cunha
“The Dog With Two Names : Stories that Celebrate Diversity” by Nandita da Cunha. Published by Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger. A collection of stories celebrating differences and multiple perspectives from the world around us.
The book has a dozen stories featuring diversity in various forms and how it can play out in the lives of people. From Kashmir to Landour, there are stories in which the protagonists are children. They play an important role by standing up to make our world a kinder place holding out hope and love. The stories are filled with a range of different emotions and values like tolerance, compassion and inclusiveness.
The first story is of three best friends from the gullies of Mumbai who have a falling out. When a torrent of rain threatens their survival, will they be able to get past their religious differences and get back together in the face of danger? In another story some outsiders start visiting Moin’s neighbourhood and complain about the smell. Moin is upset about this but he is enamoured by a new and beautiful smell that enters his world. What could it be? A girl in a boarding school in Landour dislikes the newcomer in school. Can music bring them together? A young Apple seller in Kashmir is astonished by the bossy nature of a city dwelling family when they visit his orchard. Can he outwit them? The title story features a little puppy with two names (Mogalina and Asha) who has stolen the hearts of the people of two villages on the two sides of a river. Can she resolve an unexpected quarrel that crops up between the people of the villages and unite them again? Read the book to savour these stories which celebrate all kinds of differences and presents various perspectives.
The book was a thought provoking read for us. The stories were engrossing and full of warmth. My nine year old said that he liked the story “Uniformity in Uniforms” the most. While some of the topics were quite relatable for him either by virtue of having come across or heard of such incidents, others were eye openers. The hard hitting truth of how some people are treated due to their economic position came out in a heart wrenching manner in two of the stories. Each of the stories ended with a ray of hope that we can overcome such situations and accept the differences around us. The characters are very close to real life ones, the situations are quite relatable and the solutions presented are doable with some courage and determination. The messages that reach us through these stories in a subtle manner talk about how we can co exist in peace and friendship by tolerance, acceptance, inclusiveness and tossing off the prejudices.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 9 and above.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Talking Cub, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Talking Cub, for sending across the book!