Amit Majmudar was a sparrow in a past life. He has written tiny poems with a hummingbird quill and big novels with an ostrich plume, but those were all for grown-ups. This book is the first one he has written with a sparrow feather quill for kids like you. He makes his nest on the internet at www.amitmajmudar.com.
Everything in this book is absolutely true, including the things that happened, the things that didn't really happen and the things that would have happened if history had been more interested in telling an exciting tale!
Gandhi and his followers intend to set out on their long walk to Dandi to protest a salt tax, but little do they know of the dangers that stand in their way. They mustn't despair, for a group of fearless sparrows are ready for self-sacrifice and derring-do. They've made a resolution, you see, to protect Gandhi from any foe-bird, mutt or Britisher.
Open this book to join the ranks of the Mahatma's Guards-heroes six, with India's greatest poet in the mix-as their adventure takes wing!
This story was a wonderful way of explaining about the conditions during the British times and why the Dandi Salt March was planned. Who would want to read boring history lessons while the same information could be told using such an exciting story!
The book is a lovely way for children to understand what the mood and emotions in the country must have been like during the Freedom Struggle. The author doesn't make this book sound like a history lesson; instead, to avoid being preachy, he has used birds and animals to highlight key issues like why the British wanted to rule India, what did they gain out of it, and why the Indians wanted their country back from the British. There is camaraderie, romance, humour, and thrill all happening in the backdrop of the Salt March.
The 75th year of Indian Independence is probably the perfect time to introduce our children to these stellar stories.
