Paati vs UNCLE
by Meera Ganapathi and illustrated by Parmita Mukherjee
“Paati vs UNCLE (Underground Nightly Cooperative League of Elders)” by Meera Ganapathi and illustrated by Parmita Mukherjee. Published by Penguin. A delightful tale of an amateur group of detectives who have decided to solve the string of robberies that have been happening in a boring retirement colony of all places!
Eight year old Inju (short form for Injeshwaran) is visiting his paati (grandmother) who lives in the dull and boring Parijat Retirement Colony in Mumbai for his summer holidays. He wants a boring and quiet holiday as always. It is better than being with squabbling parents at home or being bullied at school. Paati’s house provides the perfect refuge from all his problems.
But things are not turning up as planned. All of a sudden Paati has found something to be in the thick of action. A robber has been on the prowl in the colony stealing things from people which they love. Stuff like papads, a pet parrot, sarees, shower radio and so on. The police have not been of much use and said that it looks like an insider job. So UNCLE (Underground Nightly Cooperative League of Elders) is being formed by the residents and paati wants to be a part of it! Much against Inju’s wish of course :)
When paati is rejected by the building secretary who is quite a bully, Inju decides to take action. He suggests forming PAATI (People’s Association Against Thieves International) and doing their own investigation. After all, Paati wants to feel useful and do some work. Two more people, Miss Masa Lapapad whose papads were stolen and Prabhu, the building watchman join PAATI. Can this unconventional group crack the case? Will the thief be nabbed? Can they get the stolen things back? Will the uncles of UNCLE learn a lesson or two from PAATI? Will Inju’s holidays be boring after all? Is he going to love these holidays? Will things ever be the same in his life? Read the fun filled book to find out.
My eight year old loved reading the book with me. The character of Inju was quite appealing for him. He was at a loss to figure how Inju could miss a trip to Paris. This is something he will never want to do! :) He guessed who could be behind the robberies as we zoomed towards the end. What we loved was the attitude of Paati towards the bully. It was so refreshing to read a book where a different perspective of a bully and why they might be behaving like that is discussed. Also loved the fact that Paati doesn’t want to stick to a conventional role as expected by the society. Her role model aunt was a doctor and a freedom fighter who became a captain in the army fighting for the country in Burma helping prisoners of war escape. She always told paati to be useful and kind in order to make a difference. And that’s what drives Paati to action! The subtle bonding between Inju and Paati has been showcased so well. All in all this is an engrossing and delightful read.
Recommended Age
The book is apt for children aged 7/8+.
Reasons to Read
For a story that has multiple facets and goes into several topics like how to handle bullying, why are bullies bullies, gender/age bias, teamwork, grandmother and grandson bonding and problem solving. All this with a generous dose of humour!
Where to buy from?
An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India, for review. Thank you to Greeshma and Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!