Sarojini Naidu, known as Bharat Kokila or the Nightingale of India, was a poet, freedom fighter, and the first woman governor of an Indian state. Her lyrical poems captured India’s everyday beauty and culture, and earned her lasting fame.

One of her most beautiful poems is ‘In the Bazaars of Hyderabad’, which captures the rich life and colours of India. Her speciality lay in writing so vividly that even today we can step into that long-ago bazaar in our minds and feel it come fully alive.   

In the Bazaars of Hyderabad

What do you sell, O ye merchants?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirrors with panels of amber,
Daggers with handles of jade.

What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron, lentil, and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens? 
Sandalwood, henna, and spice. 
What do you call, O ye pedlars? 
Chessmen and ivory dice.

What do you make, O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlet and anklet and ring, 
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons, 
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing, 
Girdles of gold for the dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the kings.

What do you cry, O ye fruit merchants? 
Citron, pomegranate, and plum. 
What do you play, O ye musicians? 
Sitar, sarangi, and drum. 
What do you chant, O ye magicians? 
Spells for the aeons to come.

What do you weave, O ye flower-girls?
With tassels of azure and red? 
Crowns for the brow of a bridegroom, 
Chaplets to garland his bed.
Sheets of white blossoms new-garnered
To perfume the sleep of the dead. 

The poem uses rich imagery to paint clear pictures of goods like crimson turbans, henna-tinted palms, saffron, and roses for temple crowns, making the market feel real and close. Even in silent reading, its rhythmic structure and repeated sounds, like vendor calls of “What do you sell?”, bring to mind the noises of bargaining, talking, and music. 

At a time when India was under British rule, which disregarded Indian vibrancy and saw it as a resource to exploit, this poem was a quiet dissent, as it showed local crafts, festivals, and daily life with pride, offering a positive, sensory portrait of India’s cultural depth. 

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Many Indians believe that the world of children’s literature is dominated by ideas and stories from the Western part of the globe. While that may have been true for a long time, the children’s literature scene in India has evolved greatly in the last few decades. Many of these books represent Indian culture through retellings of famous myths, legends and folktales, while some others talk about experiences that are relatable to Indians everywhere. Here are some of our favourite children’s books that do a beautiful job at representing Indian culture:

The Diwali Gift by Shweta Chopra, Shuchi Mehta and Anna Koan

The Diwali Gift is an adorably illustrated children’s book introducing readers to the grand Indian festival of Diwali. Three little monkeys named Suno, Dekho and Jaano get curious about a mysterious gift from Suno’s grandmother. The excited monkeys take guesses on what they think the box contains. The book presents many cultural practices surrounding Diwali through the gift, initiating interest regarding the festival and its celebration. The lively illustrations complement the riddles and rhymes written by the authors very well.

Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Emily Haynes and Sanjay Patel

This colourful retelling of the story of the elephant god Ganesha and how he started to write the Mahabharata will definitely introduce the littlest readers to one of India’s greatest stories. Kids will enjoy reading about the magical world of gods and celestial creatures. The beautiful illustrations and fun style of writing make this picture book an absolute winner. The story deviates slightly from the original legend to make it more interesting and funny for the younger audience while retaining the cultural significance of the myth.

Monsoon Afternoon by Kashmira Sheth and Yoshiko Jaeggi

Kashmira Sheth weaves a beautiful story about a grandpa and his grandson’s day spent outside during a monsoon. When a little boy notices that it is about to rain, he goes to each family member and asks them to join him to play in the rain. Everyone seems to be occupied until his grandfather finds him looking sad by the door. The boy and his grandfather have fun doing some mundane yet memorable activities such as floating paper boats in a tub until the rain stops. They take a long walk and notice that the ants are gone, the banyan tree’s leaves are shining, and the wild peacocks around the area are dancing, just as they did when the grandpa was just a child, showing how some things remain constant across generations, and how people connect through them.

Mama’s Saris by Pooja Makhijani and Elena Gomez

Imagine dressing up with glamour and having yourself be seen with happiness and wonder while watching the sari caressing the floor perfectly. The child clearly wanted the thrill of having such dazzling looks and what it feels like to be as gorgeous as her mother. When the child looks at her mother’s suitcase filled with cotton and embroidered saris, she decides that she too should wear a sari just like her mama in order to look as beautiful as she does. Mama’s Saris is a peek into the mind of every young girl who wishes to play dress up. This is a beautiful story between a mom and a child and how their bond deepens through their mutual fondness for saris.

Gobble You Up by Gita Wolf and Sunita

Gobble You Up! is a simple, traditional tale about a jackal who makes a fool out of his friend, a crane, by telling him that he is too lazy to hunt for food and proceeding to gobble the crane! The jackal ends up being a hunter and starts to kill and eat every animal that crosses his path; which in turn bursts his stomach open and all the animals he ate are set free. The beautiful style of art, known as Meena art, is a traditional style practised in Rajasthan. The message of the story, that greed always ends in bad consequences, is communicated quite effectively to its young readers.

We, at Amar Chitra Katha, cherish our heritage and always try to represent our culture in its most authentic form. Be it mythology, folktales or history – we have it covered! Check out our vast digital library on the ACK Comics App. 

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“Doing what you like is freedom, liking what you do is happiness.” – Sudha Murty

An engineering teacher by profession and a writer at heart, Sudha Murty is one of the foremost Indian writers of the 21st century. She has won a number of awards along with the title of Padma Shri for her notable work in Kannada, Marathi and English literature. As a versatile writer, Sudha Murty has written fictional and semi-autobiographical books that give us a broader idea about her views on hospitality, Indian culture and her never-ending love for her family.

Sudha Murty’s stories reflect her simplicity and kindness. Her books keep her readers engaged, making her one of India’s most loved writers. Here are some of our favourite stories by Sudha Murty.

How I Taught My Grandmother to Read

This book by Sudha Murty is semi-autobiographical and is a collection of 25 short stories. Each story inspires its readers to believe in themselves and to be courageous enough to live their dreams.

The title story is about a 12-year-old granddaughter (Murty herself), who taught her grandmother, Krishtakka, to read Kannada. Murty used to narrate a story called ‘Kashi Yatre’ from her favourite weekly magazine to her grandmother. Once, she couldn’t do so for a week. When she returned home, she saw her grandmother crying because she could not read a single word of the story. That’s when the young girl decided that she would teach her grandmother to read and challenged themselves by setting a deadline.

Krishtakka, being hardworking, learnt Kannada before the deadline. She then touched her granddaughter’s feet as a gesture of respect and gave her a gift. In return, she handed her grandmother a book. There is great virtue in seeing how Krishtakka respects her teacher, age and relation notwithstanding.

The Bird with Golden Wings

This collection of 21 stories by Sudha Murty is full of magic and wit. In some of these stories, she portrays the concept of bad karma. Most of these stories revolve around the belief of “What you sow, so shall you reap”.

‘The Bird with Golden Wings’ is the eighth story of the collection. It is a tale that tells us how greed is a wrong way of life, and about the importance of kindness.

The Upside-down King

This book narrates a few unusual and rare tales from the lives of Rama and Krishna, the most well-known of Vishnu’s avatars.

The title story talks about King Satyavarta, who wished to go against the rules of nature to ascend to heaven in his human form. Conflict ensues, and the king gets stuck between heaven and earth! Sudha Murty’s story delves into the state of King Satyavrata when stuck between the two worlds.

Sudha Murty’s symbolism and connections are what make her storytelling so impactful. The stories are told in such a way that even a modern and disconnected will be drawn to it, thus effectively bringing Indian readers back to their roots.

How the Sea Became Salty

This one takes us back to a time when people could drink seawater, as it was said to be sweet. Murty is adept at incorporating wit and magic to fashion a tale that teaches her young readers the importance of not being greedy.

The story is about two characters, Leela and her husband Keshav, who steal a magical fan that grants them whatever they want. The couple promptly wished for salt, but not knowing how to stop the magic, thousands of salt bags fell into the sea and made it salty!

Every story of Murty’s conveys a life lesson in the most convincing manner. These simple yet inspirational stories are enjoyable reads for young minds.

The Magic of the Lost Temple

‘The Magic of the Lost Temple’ is a book that beautifully caters to the imagination of children. It consists of everything they love – folktales, vacations as well as magic, friendship and amazing grandparents!

The story is about a young girl named Nooni, whose curiosity is aroused by the story of a step-well that was lost in the forest. Her journey of discovering this mysterious well is one filled with adventure and keeps the young reader engaged.

The book is a great way to encourage children to have a relationship with nature, and take care of the plants and animals around them.

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Joseph Rudyard Kipling was a poet, a journalist and a novelist. Born in India, the country’s influence can be seen in several of his works. Kipling gained fame due to his iconic work, The Jungle Book. However, his body of work goes far beyond the tales of Mowgli, and comprise some of the most notable pieces of modern literature, such as Kim, If-, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, The Elephant’s Child, and many more.

The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book is a collection of seven short stories written by Kipling at the end of the 19th century. Much of the book focuses on Mowgli, a boy who grows up in one of the India’s many jungles where he is raised by a wolf called Raksha.

Mowgli becomes a member of the Seeonee Wolf Pack, much to the chagrin of Sher Khan, a cruel tiger who hates man. He plots against the boy,  eventually forcing Mowgli to go back to civilization when he grows up.

Mowgli briefly returns to the domain of man, but leaves after he learns that Sher Khan has been plotting against Akela. He defeats the tiger after a fierce battle, but realizes that the jungle will never truly be his home.

Captain Courageous

The story talks about Harvey Cheyne Jr, the spoilt 15 year old son of a millionaire railroad tycoon, who tumbles overboard from an ocean liner bound for Europe and is rescued by a group of a fisherman off the coast of  Newfoundland. He tries to buy his way out by promising that his father would pay for his trip back, but is forced to work with the crew after he accuses the captain of stealing his money.

Thus begins the boy’s journey of transformation; under the supervision of a sturdy crew of fishermen, and with the assistance of Dan, the captain’s son, Harvey understands the true value of hard work. He learns to respect each and everyone and changes his outlook towards life. After his return, he goes to Stanford to complete his education and readies himself to take over his father’s business.

Kim

Kim is a 13-year-old orphan, the son of an Irish soldier and his homemaker wife who died in penury. Kim earns his living by begging and running small errands for Mahbub Ali, a horse trader and a local spy for the British on the streets of Lahore.

Due to his upbringing in India, he is so immersed in the local culture that few notice that he is a white kid. He carries with him a packet of documents from his father entrusted to him by an Indian woman who cared for him. Along the way,  Kim befriends an aged Tibetan Lama, a monk who has embarked on a journey to free himself from the Wheel of Things by finding the legendary ‘River of the Arrow.’ An unconventional friendship develops between them, which continues even when Kim is sent away to a boarding school in Lucknow. Soon, Kim is recruited to be a spy by Mahbub Ali, while training to be a surveyor during his vacations. However, after schooling, he also sets out on his friend’s quest to find the fabled river.

How the Leopard got his Spots

Leopard used to live on the High Veldt, sand-coloured just like his surroundings. This made him very difficult to spot, which was really bad news for his prey, Giraffe and Zebra. The Ethiopian who lived there was also of a similar colour, and would hunt alongside the leopards.

One day, the weaker animals left the High Veldt to live in a forest and grew blotches, stripes, and other forms of camouflage and adapted to their surroundings. The Ethiopian and Leopard were hungry as their prey went away. Their search leads them to a wise babboon who directs them to the forest, but there, they are unable to spot Giraffe and Zebra, although they can smell them. The rest of the story sees them employing different ways to to track down their targets, eventually accepting that they would have to adapt to their new surroundings to survive.

The Elephant’s Child

This cute little story reimagine how the elephant got its trunk. The elephant originally had a short nose, flexible but useless for grasping things. One little elephant was insatiably inquisitive and curious, asking endless questions. One such question was what the Crocodile eats for dinner.

After running around the jungle and asking everyone he met the same question and not receiving any satisfactory answers, he finally comes face to face with a crocodile himself. When the little elephant repeats his question, he unfortunately finds himself to be the answer to the question! Don’t worry though, the little elephant does escape, albeit with a much longer olfactory organ than before. Featuring delightful characters, this book showcases Kipling’s amazing sense of whimsy.

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Here are the top three reasons why Malgudi Days is a must-read for kids

• THE WRITING STYLE: R.K. Narayan is known for his graceful and elegant writing style. His ability to juxtapose fiction with reality was truly commendable. He doesn’t indulge in unnecessary prose, and is able to paint vivid pictures with his words. The language he uses is simple and staright-forward, making it very accessible for kids.

• THE PLOTLINES The set up of every story is so simple yet poignant that kids easily connect with it. Be it the story of the fake astrologer who manages to loot people by his wit, or the story of the blind man and his dog where money turns the blind man greedy, every story in the book has layers of moral and values hidden in it.
  

• THE ILLUSTRATIONS: The book is solely illustrated by the legendary cartoonist, R.K Laxman, who also happens to be R.K. Narayan’s younger brother. The illustrations not only compliment the stories but also excites kids and keeps them engaged with the book for hours.

Published in 1943, Malgudi Days was first mentioned in R.K. Narayan’s Swami and Friends. The popularity of the book can be estimated from the fact that the book was adapted into a series by actor and director, Shankar Nag in 1986, and then a movie by his co-director Kavitha Lankesh in 2004.

R.K. Narayan was awarded the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan for the indelible mark he left on Indian literature through his works.

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