Magnolias
by Malati Shah and illustrated by Amrita Kanther
“Magnolias” by Malati Shah and illustrated by Amrita Kanther. Published by Tulika. A charming tale of a gardener from the hill town of Shimla giving a glimpse into the lives of the Pahari people.
Gulab is a gardener working in the gardens of the old house atop a hill in Shimla. He sets out for work at dawn. He is happy and content to toil in the garden under the old Magnolia tree. His wife Kusum has asked him to get her one of those flowers which look like the moon. He remembers to take some Magnolias for her as he leaves for home in the evening.
Gulab being the happy and kind-hearted Pahari (people who live in the hills of the Himalayan region in Nepal and Northern India) takes an enormous bunch of Magnolias from the garden. He meets various people along the way. They are from different walks of life and the people one might encounter in any town of Himalayan region. From a ghodawala (horseman) to school children to a Dhabawala to an artist to a girl grazing cattle to a Tibetan refugee. He gives each one of them a Magnolia. It is his way of showing them gratitude for their help or friendliness maybe is how we interpreted it.
Gulab’s generosity is not limited to humans alone. There are some exceptions like a raven and a grave of a dog who died in the nineteenth century. The places, the people and their brief stories have been portrayed beautifully like a series of paintings done in the Pahari miniature style of painting.
Will there be any Magnolias left for Kusum when Gulab reaches home? What will Gulab do? Will Kusum be happy? Read this quaint book to find out. The charming illustrations give life to the story. The Magnolia is present in almost every page and has been woven beautifully in the story. The Hindi name of this beautiful white flower which looks like the moon is “हिम चम्पा” (Him Champa) which is so lyrical.
My seven year old and me love reading this book. In fact we read it again just before I wrote the review. The name Gulab (which means Rose in Hindi) was so aptly chosen by the author for the passionate gardener. The brightly coloured Himalayan Monal, which is the former state bird of Himachal Pradesh, is also shown in the spread where Gulab is working in the garden. We felt like we did armchair travel to Shimla! The book is apt for children aged 5+.
I was reminded of the Pahari miniature painting postcards from the eighteenth century that I bought from the Kangra Museum in Dharamshala a few years ago. We went through them to appreciate the different styles of miniature paintings from the Chamba, Kullu, Guler and Kangra schools.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Tulika books here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.