Indrani and the Enchanted Jungle by Tara Ali Baig

 

Each New Year brings with it wishes and resolutions to make the coming year more magical and worthwhile.

This year I decided that the best way to make it super magical was by re-reading one of my most favourite children’s book of all times. Published by Thomson Press in 1979, when I was just 3, this book found its way into my brilliant mothers hands and was instantly bought for my sister and me, first as a read-aloud and then as a book I aspired to conquer my dyslexia to read.

A prized book that I have preserved and will cherish forever, Indrani and the Enchanted Jungle is written by the prolific Tara Ali Baig and illustrated exquisitely and marvelously by Manjula Padmanabhan.

With un-bounding humor popping out from every page, this book always has the ability to make me laugh and most importantly relax completely.

Key culprit in always making you laugh in the book is Boka the crow, who keeps having the fascinating habit of standing upside down.

Along with the wondrous story and illustrations what captivated me (as anyone who knows me will agree with) is the great way food is introduced in the book with eye-catching delicious images to make you more hungry and happy.

Chains made of Jalebi’s

Rain made of lemon drops and peppermints in the Mintsoon season. 

And a war where guns shoot balloons filled with rasgullas, laddoos and all kinds of different sweets.

 

While the book always fascinated me from the food angle, it is the messages that it brought out that have stayed with me over the years.

The first is voiced in the book by the cute deer Tapata, who is praising the good things about herself and in response to Indrani asking her why she doesn’t let anyone else say them to her, responds: “Other people never remember to say nice things.”

“That’s true too” says Indrani vowing to always try and say nice things to people.

Second, looks are deceptive, sometimes the most ferocious people you come across, can have hearts of gold.

The third was perhaps the most important lesson (and one my mother definitely bought us the book for) that any girl child in any country on earth needs to read and know inside out. That we are Equal. Our decisions matter and we can make our own choices in everything we do, even in marriage.

Oh and also to marry someone who cares and makes you laugh upside-down.

Pretty amazing life lessons from a book that starts with a princess crying.

My ardent wish as a kid was that If I was stuck in the enchanted jungle (which by the way grants opposite wishes) I would definitely not wish to own a gorgeous ghagra like Indrani.

And my wish now would be that this book had not gone out of print so I could share it with many more readers.