CHILDREN’S BOOK PUBLISHING IN INDIA: A TRADE REPORT
By Manasi Subramaniam
Part VII
Multi-Cultural Representation in Indian Children’s Literature – for India and for the World
The most basic definition of cultural authenticity within literature requires that it should accurately portray the history, customs, values, and language of the country. The beauty of literature is that it has to practise, not preach. A book does not have to stress the uniqueness of a culture for it to be beneficial. It can simply set its stories in certain contexts that children can identify with. It has to be accurate, sensitive, and avoid negative, stereotypical, and condescending depictions of Indian culture. Ultimately, the books need to be about everyday events in which characters un-self-consciously represent the world around the child. This even makes the book more fun to read.
Children’s literature can broadly be divided into two categories – the selective tradition, which represents the dominant worldview, and the oppositional tradition, which provides a counter-hegemonic perspective of the world . The dominant worldview tends to be the worldview of the perceived majority. For a child to be exposed only to selective writing – which, in most cases around the world, happens to be Caucasian, Anglo-Saxon writing – can be a very dangerous thing indeed. The oppositional tradition – usually postcolonial writing about coloured characters – is incredibly important for both the perceived majority and the several minorities.
So a book about Indian culture is as important for a non-Indian child as it is for an Indian child. In the former case, it spreads awareness about the existence of other cultures, and in the latter case it contributes to a sense of nationality, ethnicity and self. Several Indian publishers now have their books available across the world as part of this global movement.
In terms of rights and licenses, children’s and young adults books have only recently been active in the international market. Publishers like Mapin and Tara are pioneers in making illustrated books from India available in the international market. Tara has remained active in the global market, with over 100 rights to the publisher’s 85 titles sold all over the world. In total, 30 per cent of Tara’s turnover comes from the sale of rights, and an additional 25 per cent from direct sales into other English-speaking markets. This is extraordinary for a country in which the largest numbers of children’s books sold are imports and licenses.
Karadi Tales has been active at international book fairs since 2004, although the early forays were fairly naive. In the last 3 years alone, though, 13 rights have been sold to markets ranging from Europe and the Americas to the Far East. There certainly seems to be potential for picture books from India in the world, especially considering the importance given to multicultural literature within international education.
The challenge in India is to simultaneously communicate the rich legacy of the past with folklore and mythology and the reality of the present with contemporary and original stories. Everything about the story unconsciously communicates something to the child. What we need to make is a series of choices – where is the story set, when is the story set, what is the artwork that complements the story? And what is the India that is communicated to the child through the choices that we have made?
Human beings, as social and cultural creatures, are not uni-dimensional. As a multi-dimensional history and a multicultural society, books need to be reflective of history and society. Books that supercede reality are dangerous, especially when children are exposed to descriptions of a world that does not exist. (I don’t include fantasy, when I speak of superceding reality. What I mean is the Utopian and homogeneous world that is found in mono-cultural literature.)
The best books break down borders. They don’t make children feel self-conscious or underrepresented. They offer a mirror and a window – a mirror that reflects the child’s own world and a window that leads to the world outside.
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