Under the neem tree
by P.Anuradha and illustrated by A.V.Ilango
“Under the neem tree” published by Tulika and illustrated by A.V.Ilango. This story was originally written in Telugu by P.Anuradha and translated to English by N.Manohar Reddy. The story is set in rural Telangana. Every day Kala looks forward to gathering with her friends under the neem tree after school. They patiently wait for old Nainamma to come and tell them stories.
Today Nainamma’s story is a folk tale about old Ookamma and Ookaiah. As usual she is sprinkling the stories with what her views are about the characters and their actions. Ookamma used to work in the village after finishing the work at home while Ookaiah used to do construction work. When Ookamma got home, she would make five rottis every day. Three for Ookaiah and two for herself. As she felt very hungry one day, she told the old man to eat only two instead of three so that she could eat an additional rotti. Enraged by this, the old man called her a thief and asked her how dare she eat more than a man despite being a woman. Ookamma was not flustered by his questioning. They started bickering on this topic and decided on placing a bet. Whoever talked first would lose the bet and eat two rottis forever. Whoever managed not to talk no matter what happened would be the winner and get to eat three rottis forever. What happened next? Who won the bet? Did Nainamma complete her story?
There are two interwoven worlds in the story. One is the world of the real village children and Nainamma and the second one of Nainamma’s story. The story portrays both the worlds beautifully. One common factor between both these worlds is the concern for work and food. The innocence of the village children stands out so well. The children plan a dolls wedding under the neem tree and the whole event has been portrayed so well in the book. When Nainamma’s story ends, the children are rolling with laughter. And so is Nainamma herself :) And yes, my six year old and me were also laughing as we finished reading! Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this book.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Tulika books here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
