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Children's Literature in India
From the Panchatantra and the Jataka Tales to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, India is a land of oral traditions. Grandparents handed down stories to their grandchildren and they retold many of those to their children. In fact, most of the Indian books that you see in the market today are retold versions of these stories.
However, since independence, India has transformed through a series of changes in outlook, achievement and ideals, which have been reflected in literature—even children’s literature. Books for children have changed from simple stories that are rich in morals and traditions to those that reflect the new changing society. It was in the late 1950s that children’s literature in India saw a significant growth, with K. Shankar Pillai and the Children’s Book Trust. He published reasonably priced books with new concepts and styles that came to be widely accepted. Then came the Nehru Balpustakalaya, the children’s publication division set up by the government-owned National Book Trust. Books in other genres were published and many were translated into regional languages as well. What began thus has now diversified into a much larger market with many other publishers entering into the realm of children’s literature—from Vikas Publishing House and India Book House to Puffin India, Harper Collins, Rupa and the newer publishing houses specializing exclusively in children’s literature. But considering the large number of publishers in India, only about 50 of them publish children’s books and a still smaller number specialize in publishing children’s books— a sad truth for a country with over 125 million children and an ever increasing demand for books of good quality. Today the market is full of books on general knowledge or books by Western publishers, a reflection of the new-age child shall we say, or of buying habits? Poor quality, a lack of illustrations and unreasonable pricing are just some of the reasons that consumers do not buy or read an Indian book. Breaking this mindset is not the only challenge Indian publishers face today. They need to meet the demands of an information hungry generation exposed to electronics and gaming. It takes subject matter based on reality to feed this hunger. Indian literature has been catering to the changing reading habits. Tara Publishing, Tulika Publishers, DC Books, Children’s Book Trust and Katha have successfully combined Indian talent with the demand for good Indian literature. They deal with themes that appeal to children all over the world, and their products range from picture books to young adult novels. Many of them even focus on the changing relationship between children and adults. Sandhya Rao’s My Friend, The Sea is based on the life of a young boy who faces the terror of a tsunami, while The Mysterious Neighbour and Other Stories by Sigrun Srivastava deals with problems faced by the children of today. But how many of these stories reach their audience? Distribution is a major challenge. Leading publishers find it hard to reach readers in smaller towns and cities. Further, with small print runs and the increasing costs of good artwork, the publishers face higher costs of production and thus the need to increase the pricing of their books. Children’s literature from India is not yet recognized around the world, but it is certainly spreading its wings. With the opening up of the markets to Western publishers, Indian publishers have to face up to the challenge of keeping up, taking this journey forward and not getting lost in the race to get to the reader. As Radhika Menon of Tulika Publishers says, “…we must produce books, both traditional and contemporary, that reflect Indian reality in content, style, visuals and production. This is the voice that must speak to young readers everywhere because this is our voice, our language.”
Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in November, 2009. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
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