A book of short stories for children compiled by Pakistani and Indian, Sindhi writers is a work appreciated by many. The book contains a total of eight short stories.
One of the Indian writers, Vimmi Sadarangani, in her short story ‘Sabajhi Rani’, narrates the plight of a girl (Rani), who wants to spend more time with her father who is a doctor. The story preaches the moral of caring for others more then one’s self.
The author, Vimmi, belongs to Adheepur, Gujrat of India and is the author of 11 books. The book—compiled by Mohammed Ali Majid, himself a poet—has been dedicated to late short story writer Akbar Jiskani, the author of four books for children. The Kacho publication holds credit for publishing eight books. Majid has taken it upon himself to motivate writers so that they may contribute creative writings for children.
The authors of this book include Vimmi Sadarangani, Akbar Jiskani, Parvanoo Sehwani, Adal Soomro, J.A Manghani, Aziz Kingrani, Imam Rashdi and Anwer Abro. The book also highlights other pertinent issues like the traditional attitude of teachers in the educational institutes, which tends to discourage poor children.
In the story “Mar Nahe Sanwar”, Anwer Abro depicts the unbecoming attitude of a teacher and father, whose neglect makes a school boy ill-disciplined. The story brings forth the message that it takes only friendship to brighten the life of a little boy.
With characters from everyday Sindhi society, the book covers the subjects of ill treatment meted out to children by teachers and parents, with themes and lessons like respect for elders and the dignity of work. It is a common understanding of critics that Sindhi language lacks literature for children.
They believe writers and government-run institutions are unaware of the significance of literature for children in Sindhi. Even the new syllabus and textbooks do not contain creative substance to inspire children. In this regard, Kachho Publication has taken a worthy step to publish creative literature which features both prose and poetry for children. —JK
