#526 - Rickshaw Girl

by Mitali Perkins and illustrated by Jamie Hogan

“Rickshaw Girl” by Mitali Perkins and illustrated by Jamie Hogan. Published by Jyotsna Prakashan. An endearing story of a feisty young girl’s quest for pursuing her passion.

Naima lives in a village in Bangladesh with her parents and younger sister Rashida. She is passionate about making the traditional rice flour paste alpana designs that the women and girls in her country paint on the thresholds of their homes for special occasions and festivals. Her father drives a rickshaw for a living. Their family struggles to make ends meet. Naima could go to school only for three years and now her sister goes. She now helps her mother with household chores and dreads the changes in her life with her increasing age. Soon she will have to start wearing a saree which seems such an uncomfortable garment to her right now. She will no longer be able to talk or play with friends like Salim. Even now she has to meet him in secret to talk to him despite him being a childhood friend.

Naima desperately wishes to help her father in his work in the same manner as Salim does for his father. If only she would be allowed to drive his rickshaw. She cannot bear to see him struggling with his health while he rides the rickshaw the whole day in the unbearable heat. He had a loan to pay for the new rickshaw that he had bought. The desire to lend him a helping hand in earning money was very high on her mind. How she wished she had been born as a boy! She would then have had the freedom to go out and do work. Girls and women are not seen working outside their homes in her village. Read the compelling story to know what Naima manages to do and if she can break the shackles surrounding girls like her to pursue her dreams.

The book proved to be unputdownable. I and my almost ten year old son couldn’t help cheering for Naima who was determined to make use of her talent and break the conventions of her community. We also loved the gentleness with which her parents treated her and her sister though they felt compelled to conform to the way of life that had been set in their society. They empathised with Naima and did not deter her from following her heart. Their love and bonding did not break even when they were being tested to the brink by circumstances. They maintained hope and a sense of dignity throughout their difficulties and did not lament about it. Naima’s qualities of courage, feistiness, determination, perseverance, kindness, love for family, passion, friendship and smartness instantly made her a favourite as we progressed through the story.

This was our first book by the author of whom I have heard a lot. We loved the way she has woven a plot giving a glimpse into the conditions of girls and women in many rural communities even today. One of the conversations between Naima and Rashida at the beginning of the story about how hard it might be to grow up was quite compelling for us. Naima must have been around ten years or thereabouts is what we figured out. The settings of the story came alive through the narrative and the beautiful illustrations. The alpanas especially which are called as Rangoli or Kolam in South India. The concept of micro finance is also introduced through the story. Overall a MUST READ book for everyone. The book has made it to the New York Public Library’s “100 Best Children’s Books of the Past 100 Years” list. It has also won couple of awards and been made into a movie. Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this gem of a  book.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for anyone aged 8 and above.

Where to buy from?

The publishers Jyotsna Prakashan here.