A Clown For Tenali Rama
by Subhadra Sen Gupta
“A Clown For Tenali Rama” by Subhadra Sen Gupta. Published by Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger. A gripping tale of an extraordinary adventure of two children from present day Hampi who find themselves transported magically to the glorious Vijayanagara being ruled by Krishna Deva Raya 500 years ago.
Basava and Sivakka are from a farmer’s family growing up in Hampi. Basava always wishes that there was someone who could teach him how to carve large sculptures like the ones found all around Hampi. Sadly the art has been forgotten after the heart wrenching destruction of the glorious city of Vijayanagara almost 500 years ago. Sivakka loves watching dancers perform and wishes to learn from them. One day, the children stumble upon an old rickety leather bag containing a pair of sculpting hammer and chisel buried near the pillars of a pavilion.
All excited, Basava starts making a carving of a dancing Ganesha with the tools. During the course of his carving, the two of them find themselves magically taken back through time to the Hampi of the sixteenth century when it was at its height of glory. They get to be a part of its magnificent history and get to witness some significant events. They make friends within no time and are plunged into a different world of dancers trying to outwit each other, artists with amazing talent and the powerful royal family who live in palaces of unmatched beauty.
Basava and Sivakka get a chance to learn what they have always yearned to. Basava gets a chance to sculpt at the site of the upcoming Vitthala Temple no less. Sivakka gets to learn dancing from Padmalaya, the temple dancer for whom dance is not just an art but a way of offering a prayer to her God. The legendary poet and jester of Krishna Deva Raya’s court, Tenali Rama, asks Basava to make a carving of something that can make him laugh. Read the delightful book to know what Basava makes for Tenali Rama and whether the children will be able to return to their Hampi.
My eight year old and I enjoyed reading the book. We just couldn’t put it down. And the best part is that we read it while in Hampi. So it was that much more relatable. The plot and pace of storyline were excellent.
A couple of things which I felt should have been done differently. Firstly, the name Kartikeyan for the master sculptor of Vijaya Vittala temple, one of the principal characters in the book, is out of context. The name is not used in this region at all. What was surprising is all the other characters have been named aptly. So why use “Karthikeyan”?
Secondly, the matter of fact way in which the destruction of Hampi has been sort of justified as to having come about only because the armies of Bijapur and Golconda were taking out their bitterness of two centuries of defeat. This is not a correct representation and in my opinion an overt simplification and tempering down of the enormity of the barbaric destruction that was unleashed. One visit to any of the ruins and even the youngest child can clearly see how bad the destruction and mutilation was. My 8 year old too could not get himself to understand or accept why someone would do such. Other than these, the book is just excellent.
Whenever I think of time travel, the first place thats on my list is Hampi. How glorious it would have been in its heydays! It is a such a monumental tragedy and travesty that it was destroyed so barbarically and reduced to its current state of ruin. A walk around the ruins leaves one awestruck and sad at the same time. Awestruck at what had been achieved by such talented artisans way back then which cannot be done even today with so much technology and resources at our disposal. And sad as to how someone could destroy such beautiful sculptures of not just gods and goddesses but even animals. And if they could do this to stone sculptures, cannot even imagine what they must have done to the people there :(
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 10+ for self reading. However, it can be read aloud to a slightly younger child say 7/8 and above like we did.
Reasons to Read
The book gives a glimpse into how the city of Vijayanagara might have been in its heydays.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Speaking Tiger here.
An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.