The Boy Who Played With Light : Satyajit Ray

by Lavanya Karthik

“The Boy Who Played With Light : Satyajit Ray (Dreamers Series)” by Lavanya Karthik. Published by Duckbill. A delightfully illustrated short biography of the master storyteller and filmmaker who saw stories in the shadows as a little boy.

Satyajit Ray is well known for his films which changed the world of Indian cinema considerably. He also wrote quite a few books and created some immortal characters in the minds of his readers. This book is about his childhood and how he might have seen stories in the play of light.

Once upon a time Satyajit Ray was Manik, a quiet and curious boy, who had lot of imagination and loved light. He saw magic in light. The light would dance on the walls and floors of his Baba’s printing press. He saw it shine on the great printing machines that created books and magazines. He saw it play everywhere including the pages of his Baba’s notebooks which were filled with poems and drawings.

But then, Baba died and the light changed into shadows. He and his mother had to move away. However, the light and shadows followed him everywhere. Read the fascinating tale of the little boy who learnt the art of telling stories using various tricks of light and grew into a famous personality.

My eight year old and I have enjoyed reading this book for almost a year now. He appreciates true stories and found the book quite interesting. The illustrations are gorgeous. There are intricate details of Manik’s illustrious family which have been shown so beautifully. The book is part of the “Dreamers Series” from Duckbill. We have enjoyed reading some of the other books from this series such as the ones on Teejan Bai and the brothers R.K.Narayan & R.K.Laxman. Looking forward to reading more from this series and knowing about more such gems.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 6 and above.

Reasons to Read

For an inspirational story about Satyajit Ray who was an acclaimed filmmaker.

Where to buy from?

An independent bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.