Paati’s Rasam

by Janaki Sabesh & Dhwani Sabesh and illustrated by Pallavi Jain

“Paati’s Rasam” by Janaki Sabesh and Dhwani Sabesh. Illustrations by Pallavi Jain and storyboard by Vaijayanthi. Published by Karadi Tales. A gentle story of grief and loss to emphasise the everlasting legacy and love of our dear ones who have passed away but will always remain with us.

Malli was a little girl who eagerly waited for weekends. It was the time she visited her paati’s (grandmother) home and spent time with her. Paati’s head massages, her stories and the endless fun with her was something she looked forward to. Most of all, she loved the Rasam that paati made so lovingly and served with hot rice laced with a generous dollop of ghee. She felt that Paati’s Rasam was the best and she wanted to learn how to make it. Paati promised to teach her someday.

Good times don’t last forever unfortunately. Paati passed away and Malli felt like a rainbow without colours. How can one imagine this! Yes, grief is such a painful feeling. When asked to write an essay on their favourite thing and get it to school, Malli didn’t know what to do. She obviously loved Paati the most and how could she take her to school.

Malli’s Amma suggested her to take something that belonged to Paati like her sari. She could even take the things that they did together like the books they read or the puzzles they did. But Malli wasn’t satisfied. An idea struck her when she saw Paati’s eeyachombu which was a special tin vessel in which she made Rasam.

What did Malli decide to do? Can Paati’s rasam do the needful? Can they make it just like Paati? Does anyone know/have the recipe?  Will Malli ever find something of Paati to hold on to? Read this beautiful story by the master storyteller and her daughter. The charming illustrations lend life to the story.

I just read this new book with my 7.5 year old before writing this. We could resonate so well with what Malli was going through.  Sometimes the simplest recipes are the most deceptive and hardest to recreate. The humble Rasam in this case. I remembered my maternal grandma’s tomato Saaru (a variant of rasam) which tasted the best when she made it. Sometimes food can rekindle memories which have been preserved in our minds.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 6/7+.

Where to buy from?

The publishers Karadi Tales here.