Ma Ganga and the Razai Box
by Geeta Dharmarajan and illustrated by Sonali Biswas
Today (June 5) is World Environment Day. What better book for this theme than “Ma Ganga and the Razai Box” by Geeta Dharmarajan and illustrated by Sonali Biswas. Published by Katha. A delightful story which combines mythology and contemporary environmental issues. A young girl called Yasho lives in a village in the hills where the Ganga flows.
Yasho was miffed to see Ma Ganga carrying off the soil from the mountains out to the sea. How would their trees grow without the soil? She called out to Ganga boldly and asked her how dare she do that. Ganga replied that she didn’t want their soil. She rebuked saying that she doesn’t want to look muddy and knows how important the top layer of soil is for the village. But if people no longer care about it, why should she bother. Long ago God Shiva spread his matted hair before her. She asked Yasho to find her Shiva’s hair so that she wouldn’t flood their homes. Till then she would go her way. Saying this, she jumped into Yasho’s Razai box and slept off.
The people of the village were furious with Yasho for having behaved badly with Ma Ganga. They pleaded with Ganga to return. She gave them a year’s time to find Shiva’s locks. If they didn’t find it, she would not return to their village. She was tired of being blamed always. Yasho promised Ma Ganga that she would fulfill her wish. What happens next? What do Yasho and the villagers do to find Shiva’s locks? Where do they go looking for it? What did Ma Ganga mean by Shiva’s locks? Will Ma Ganga return to the village? The story answers all of these questions.
The last couple of pages have the mythological story of how Ganga came down to the earth and facts about soil erosion. I bought this book for my son when he was 4 years old. He liked the book though he didn’t get the overall picture clearly. But his understanding got better once he was 5. Thanks to Aashti Mudnani of Lightroom bookstore for recommending this lovely book! Apt for children aged 5+.
Journey on the River Ganga | गंगा यात्रा |
We also bought an educational DIY kit from the rivers of India series on the journey of River Ganga by Potli. The kit has template cards to colour and then cut and fold to make pop ups. This served as an extension activity and helped him learn the course of the river from Gangotri in the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal through various important towns and cities.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Katha here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
