A new set of books by Geeta Dharamrajan, founder of Katha, is trying to engender change among the young ones, says Mansi Bhansali
Tobakachi was an evil asura. He wanted to rule the world. If children aren’t educated, they can’t tell right from wrong. And then, I can be the King of the World. According to the plan, Tobakachi went to a village dressed as a woman. Girls must learn to cook and keep house. They are good for nothing else.
Next year, Tobakachi went as an old woman and poisoned their minds. Get your daughters married young. Don’t send them to school.
The Bal Sena asked Dr Mira Devi, who was on their side, to speak to the villagers. When a girl is more than eighteen years old, there are lesser chances of her baby dying during childbirth. The evil asura Tobakachi is tricking you, beware! Send your girls to school!
It is with animated stories like lachmi’s War that the founder of Katha, Geeta Dharamrajan, is trying to promote gender equality through the medium of education. Katha has collaborated with New Zealand High Commission for the set of five books which carries the message of equality of sexes. The idea is to eliminate gender stereotypes and challenge fundamental social and conditioned constructs.
The books were released in the presence of Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi. The idea behind these stories is to enable children to develop the ability to question the wrong-doings so that society can become more equitable. “We are looking at the children who can’t read comfortably and confidently. The stories are narrated keeping in mind the impressionable minds of children, especially those in class V and VI, who can understand the meaning of the stories. The language is very simple so that even younger children can follow,” said the woman behind the project.
The first story revolves around gender and related stereotypes while the other clears it and depicts how a woman, despite having a great potential, is not recognised because ultimately she will get married. Then in another story it is shown how women can live an empowered life and stand up for themselves, if given the right education. Another story questions the gender inequality and portrays how the birth of a girl or a boy makes no difference. The last book is about the prevalent social issues of dowry and why boys are seen capable of inheriting property and not girls.
The chapters are filled with colourful fictional characters to make it more interactive and interesting for the children. Dharamrajan added, “Most of our stories are fictional stories. We believe in fantasy because it gives children the ability to create their own scenarios and be innovative. But we’ve other books in which we are planning to include true stories.”
Katha has also collaborated with the New Zealand High Commission in setting up 30 libraries. These books will be available in all of them for children to learn and discuss gender equality. She spelt out the irony of the advancement in technology. “Agreed, we need to have different forms of reading which should not be restricted to only print. But if you are looking at children with limited means, then you can’t expect them to have access to internet,” she says. Moreover, since the download cost is high, they are also coming up with Katha digital lab, which will explore digital options for dissemination. The books are already available on Amazon to ensure wider reach.
Dharamrajan believes that as soon as children are born, they should be inculcated with gender equality but the most important thing is that their mothers need to see themselves as strong as men. Her views on the country’s education system echoed its distressing state. She said, “Schools nowadays are just following the examination culture. We are not valourising knowledge enough. Children carry a lot of knowledge within themselves but it often gets restricted which demoralises them. This is followed by them not going to school. We’ve been given five schools by the government and we run it according to the Katha methodology or story-based learning. When we allow children to question the teachers, they will surely come to school and teachers will also be regular.”
With the current verdicts on privacy and triple talaq, it is clear that the Supreme Court clearly understands the need of the hour. But it is only when people accept and follow it that change in the true sense will take place. She added, “Here, comes the role of the education as it allows people to come out of stereotypes. In our country, it is only politicians and actors who are granted the space to talk and not normal ordinary people. The notion that we all need to be at a certain level to speak up is not true.”
She believes that a digital society is not possible without basic literacy level. “People need to skill themselves but the government is not taking any steps to increase the skill development among children. With the categories of GST, children’s books are being affected. Most countries have left books out of GST because they are a part of a knowledge system and not a commercial system,” she said.