Veena and the Cupboard of Curiosities
by Sneha Uplekar
“Veena and the Cupboard of Curiosities” by Sneha Uplekar. Published by Jyotsna Prakashan. A delightful story of a little girl named Veena and her Aji (grandmother).
Veena has a school holiday and is with her Aji at home. The parents have gone out and Aji has asked her to have lunch following which she has to finish her homework. Well she prefers going out to play rather than these mundane things as expected! But rain is playing spoilsport making it a dreadfully boring day. Veena has a mouse named Rasayani for a pet! What a name for a mouse 😀!! Aji is someone who doesn’t talk much, doesn’t like any mess and is serious in Veena’s opinion.
Veena hopes to finish lunch and homework so that she can play later. Do things go as per plan? Veena spots a rare opportunity as she goes past Aji’s room. Aji’s cupboard which has always been a mysterious place for Veena is open which is quite surprising. She has wondered what might be there inside and why Aji kept it closed always. Definitely the temptation is irresistible and Veena decides to satiate her curiosity with Rasayani at the helm.
What does she find? Does it change her opinion about Aji? Does she get into trouble with Aji for having checked out the things inside the cupboard? This forms the crux of the story.
The book brought back such pleasant memories of my childhood. I used to love rummaging through the belongings of both my grandmothers. The joy of finding old forgotten stuff from their younger days was so delightful. Stuff like greeting cards, faded photographs, postal stamps and old books of course were all hoarded by me! The perks of being the eldest grandchild on both sides of the family. When Vidya recommended this book in one of Funky Rainbow’s buzzaars, I knew that this one would be a treasure by itself. And the book lived up to my expectations. My (then) six year old loved it too.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Jyotsna Prakashan here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.