I Will Save My Land
by Rinchin and illustrated by Sagar Kolwankar
“I Will Save My Land” by Rinchin and illustrated by Sagar Kolwankar. Published by Tulika. A story of an issue of lands being bought to be converted into coal mines that is ravaging tribal Chhattisgarh where development comes at a cost.
Little Maati loved spending time in their two fields behind her house after coming back from school. Her father and grandmother grew potatoes in the fields. Maati would help them in the harvesting process. She didn’t mind carrying baskets full of potatoes. Her father would tell her that the earth was their gold.
Maati was determined to have her own piece of land. When her father joked that girls couldn’t have their own fields, her grandmother would have none of it. She had to fight to retain her land after her parents death. Despite being the only child, she was refused the land and everyone told her that it belonged to the village. She had fought against the entire village and won a court case to get her land back. How then could Maati be denied a land of her own?!
Maati got her small little patch of land and started to work on it. She began learning to look after her land from her grandmother. And then came a shocking development. A company wanted lands from their village to make a coal mine like it had done in the neighbouring villages. Some big farmers were already willing to sell their land in return for a lot of money.
Maati visited another village where coal mines had already sprung up. What did she learn from the villagers there? Was giving up their land a good thing? Was it worth the money they would get? What could they do without land? What did she decide? Read the book about the two feisty protagonists to know what happened. Maati’s determination and anxiety about her land are heart wrenching to say the least. The illustrations take us straight into the rustic setting.
My 7.5 year old has liked reading the book since he was six. This was his first book set in Chhattisgarh. The usage of the local dialect words in between give the story a nice authentic touch. Maati’s character is full of enthusiasm, curiosity, determination and passion. Her joy on getting her own piece of land has been portrayed so well. Issues like caste and gender discrimination and fighting for rightful inheritance in addition to the threat to lands have been highlighted as well in the story. Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this lovely book!
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 6+.
Reasons to Read
Our children who grow up in cities do not really understand and appreciate what it takes to be a farmer and grow food. The book gives a view into the lives of a farmer’s family living in a small village and their attachment to their land.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Tulika books here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.