Our Incredible Cow
by Mahasweta Devi and illustrated by Ruchi Shah
“Our Incredible Cow” by Mahasweta Devi and illustrated by Ruchi Shah. Published by Tulika. The story was originally written in Bengali. Nyadosh is the incredible cow in the story and one cannot stop reading about her.
This true story is narrated by the author herself and takes place when she is a child. Nyadosh was an extraordinary cow. She looked clumsy and ugly and did nothing conventional. She had a fierce gleam in her eyes and a furious appetite for unusual things. She liked chomping textbooks, feasting on frocks and devouring anything which was blue in colour. Once she tasted Ilish fish, there was no stopping her from tasting and relishing all kinds of meat! Whoever heard of a cow that loved fish of all things!
Nyadosh’s adventures or rather misadventures are hilarious and a treat to read about. A total laugh riot! The author and her family must have had quite an experience with this outlandish cow. The illustrations are mind boggling to say the least. Nyadosh is portrayed as what she eats. This is a story that every child must read. My cousin Anjali had gifted this book to my six year old a couple of years back. I had kept the book for future use as it was meant for 6+ year olds and my little one didn’t have the attention span for the length of the text. I never bothered reading the book myself. When Vidya Mani recommended it during one of Funky Rainbow’s buzzaars, I remembered the book and went looking for it. And it became an instant hit with my son. To think that this gem of a book was lying in a corner thanks to my ignorance!
Where to buy from?
The publishers Tulika books here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
