#555 - A Sailor Called Wet Paint And Other Secret Stories From History
by Nandini Nayar and illustrated by Damini Gupta
“A Sailor Called Wet Paint And Other Secret Stories From History” by Nandini Nayar and illustrated by Damini Gupta. Published by Hachette. A thought provoking book which throws light on the miseries faced by Indian ayahs and sailors who travelled to England with their British employers.
Stories of royalty and freedom fighters are what we typically hear when it comes to Indian history from the times of the British. We are all reasonably acquainted with all the major events that happened. But we do not know how life was for the commoners such as Indian domestic help who worked for the British. Forgotten and buried in the sands of time are unusual perspectives and untold stories of people whose names are not known unfortunately. These nameless ghosts of the past suffered during the British rule. This book explores the stories of Indian sailors who were called lascars and the Indian ayahs who were employed by the British and not treated well. Most of the times they were taken to England and abandoned. They were made to work very hard during the long and arduous journey. They were left to fend for themselves afterwards and make their way back to their homes.
Picture Indian women in thin saris trying to survive in the cold winter of England. They had no means of getting food without resorting to begging on most occasions. Having left their own children and family behind, they took up the jobs of ayahs and maids in British families. Not all Britishers treated them with kindness. Most of them were employed for a petty salary and made to work hard. They were abandoned in an alien land whose language and culture was not known to them. They did not have clothing to bear the cold weather. Lascars were employed on ships bound to England as they were cheap labour. After surviving the inhuman conditions on ships and managing the difficult and long journey, they were hardly paid and left to fend for themselves in England without a means for finding proper food or clothes or shelter. With no access to a job or money, many fell ill and lost their lives. Read the book which has a bunch of these sorry tales which highlight the value of freedom, dignity and care that these people deserved.
Each of the stories in the book revealed a side of history that we had not come across before. The plight of the ayahs and lascars was quite upsetting and heart wrenching. I found the title of the book quite intriguing when I first came across it. Why would a sailor have a name like “Wet Paint”? The book proved to be an interesting and engrossing one. This is one of those books that make you think and reflect. It is a good conversation starter about empathy, kindness, dignity of labour and inclusion. My ten year old was shocked by the way these people were treated by the British. He wanted to read these stories and know more about them. We loved the way in which the author has woven stories related to the theme and interspersed facts between them. We loved the way the book ended with a streak of hope that there might have been some people who were kind enough to treat their help in a fair and humane manner. Tremendous research would surely have gone in writing this book and that comes through beautifully in the narrative. The illustrations and accompanying photographs bring the narration to life beautifully. This is a “MUST READ” book for everyone to appreciate the enormous challenges faced by these early travellers to England and the huge sacrifices that they ended up making.
PS - We had also loved another unusual book by the same author about the plight of animals during British rule called “Are There Bun Shops in the Jungles of India? And Other Secret Stories From History”.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for anyone aged 10 and above.