#518 - My Grandpa, My Bestie

by Ramendra Kumar and illustrated by Rupak Neogy

“My Grandpa, My Bestie” by Ramendra Kumar and illustrated by Rupak Neogy. Published by Readomania. An endearing story of the heartwarming bond between a girl and her grandpa who is battling cancer.

Isha was almost eleven years old and had an endearing friendship with her Tatiya (maternal grandfather). He was her best friend and they were partners in all the fun times they had with each other. He had been staying at her home for almost a year now after her grandmother’s death. Tatiya was full of life and seemed ageless to Isha. He would always be getting into trouble with her mother Renuka who would admonish him like a child :)

When Isha thought that everything was going perfectly well for them, an unexpected tragedy struck their lives. Tatiya had not been his normal self in the last few days. A visit to the doctor followed by a few tests and scans revealed the worst. Tatiya was diagnosed with cancer. Their world came crashing down. Tatiya had no habits like smoking or drinking alcohol. He wasn’t obese and went on his morning walks regularly. He didn’t have any other health issue. How could this have happened? How was the family going to deal with it? What about Isha and Tatiya themselves? Could they overcome the ordeal that had come in their lives? Can their bonding fight the big tumour with even bigger humour? Read this story of courage, empathy, endurance, kindness, hope and loads of humour to know how the endearing connect between ‘Gen-Ex’ and ‘Gen-Next’ works out to be.

The book struck a personal chord with our lives. I and my 9.5 year old son were drawn into the story right from the start. Having had a similar bonding with his grandpa, my son couldn’t help finding the story so relatable. He kept wishing that Tatiya would be able to beat the dreaded cancer. Lots of questions were asked as he kept making comparisons to the hurtful past in which we lost my father, the rock of our lives, to cancer three years ago. Here is what he felt about the book in his own words - “The way the granddaughter entertained her grandfather was nice. Well written book. Story could have been extended”. He felt that the story should have had more characters like Isha’s school friends maybe. He didn’t want the story to end :)

I read the book twice and couldn’t help feeling a sense of nostalgia about my father and respect for the author who has written this from his personal experiences giving it as authentic a touch as possible. The experience of a cancer patient and their caregivers as well as family is very painful, testing and harrowing most of the times. To have braved it with a sense of humour even in the toughest of situations and come out of it is no mean feat. Take a bow Ramendra Sir! Thank you for writing such a wonderful and inspirational book filled with masti and humour while giving a glimpse into the difficult world of a family battling with the dreaded cancer, which is unfortunately becoming quite a common scenario these days. The book is a good means of creating awareness in children about cancer making it a “MUST READ”.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 8 and above.

P.S - Some of the other books that we have read featuring cancer are “Aai and I” and “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes”.