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Positioning Children’s Literature in World Literary Canon: A Case Study of Ms. Madhu Sharma Research Scholar, Department of English University of Jammu (J&K) India

Abstract:

India is considered to be the birth place of children’s literature as it is the cradle of famous classical tales like The Tales, The , The Hitopadesha, , Ramayana, Mahabharata etc. that have gained popularity among children of all the ages throughout the world. Still, children’s literature has a long way to go to gain popularity and recognition as a distinct branch of literature in world literary canon. In India, in particular, due to the small profit margins on the publication and illustration of children’s books, children’s literature written or translated in English has never really reached to the top position. It is a much neglected area both in terms of publication and in the academic discourse.

The contact of Indian literature with the European countries and especially with England and English language paved the way for the development and growth of children’s literature in Indian English studies as a separate genre and thus led to the development of modern globalized children’s literature in India. In my paper, I attempt to trace the genesis and evolution of children’s literature in English in India and contextualise it in terms of the western literary canon.

Key words:

Children’s Literature; Panchatantra; Oral literature; Western literary canon; Fantasy; Realism; Edification; Amusement; CBT; NBT.

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Children’s literature has not yet attained the rightful place in

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our society. Even though it is not neglected, to some extent it

has been ignored. The character formation is very important

aspect as far as children are concerned, and children’s literature

has to play a very important role in this aspect (Venugopal 231).

Children’s Literature has been a much neglected area and has struggled a lot to gain its popularity and footings in world literary canon. But, in the recent past, it has made its appearance as a well received and encouraging field of literary aspiration. Basically, children’s literature involves books that have been written, illustrated, published, marketed and purchased harmoniously and regularly by adults necessary for the amusement and education of our younger generation but now children’s literature has been turned over a new leaf as didactic literature which instructs the particular reading audience i.e. our children and making them an epitome of virtuous and good values and develops a sense of good character in them. Children’s literature, thus, becomes avant-garde and most compelling branch of literature which escapes and travels well beyond the bounds of the long- established portrayal and performances expected from it. In the contemporary literary set up children’s literature enjoys encyclopaedic and all embracing fame and aggrandizement due to bizarre and extraordinary production and sales of children’s books which consecutively has produced a remarkable level of enthusiasm and attraction towards the field.

India is considered to be the birth place of children’s literature as it is the cradle of famous classical tales like The Panchatantra Tales, The Jataka Tales, The Hitopadesha, Kathasaritsagara, etc. that have gained popularity among children of all the ages not only in India but throughout the world. Many of the stories of The Panchatantra Tales before came to be written in by for the education and edification for three young princes, had already been translated, adopted and adapted by west Asian and European countries. Aesop and other writers too were inspired by these tales and had incorporated them in their own work. Most of the tales of Uncle Remus in America are also influenced and based on our ancient Panchatantra Tales. As it is reflected in a chapter entitled ‘A Historical Survey in the book Children’s Literature in India that:

Every publisher looking for material to publish draws upon this

unquestioned resource material so that the Indian epics, ancient

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lore, classical tales, folktales, the Panchatantra form the bulk of

children’s literature today. These stories are full of timeless worldly

wisdom and play a recurring role in stimulating the imagination

(Menon and Nair 24).

Still, In India, Indian English Children’s literature, has a long way to gain popularity and recognition as a distinct branch of literature to study in Indian as well as in world literary canon and this is due to the small profit margins on the publication and illustration of children’s books and due to the pre- eminence of English language and western children’s literature on it. In India, children’s literature written or translated in English has never really reached to the top position. It is a much neglected area both in terms of publication and in the academic discourse. But at the same time, the contact of Indian literature with the European countries and especially with England and English language paved the way for the development and growth of children’s literature in Indian English studies as a separate genre and thus led to the development of modern globalized children’s literature in India. In India children’s literature has involved three phases of development and these are: Firstly, the tales and stories that are belonging to rich oral and traditional literature are particularly written and published for children only in order to enhance the popularity of children’s texts, and, secondly, the texts selected from adult literature are translated, compressed and summarised for children for their easy comprehension by them and the third phase of development of children’s literature is that it is only in the last century when the modern, original fantastical and creative literature for children has been developed.

The focus of my paper is to trace the genesis and evolution of children’s literature in English in India and contextualise it in terms of the western literary canon. This is basically due to the fact that English language is a lingua franca and a major connecting language between India and west countries. The considerable portion of books produced in India is in this language and have catered the needs of that portion of society who have ability to buy and read books in English because it is estimated that 40% of our Indian population are deprived of literacy and well established financial status.

Due to the hegemonic power dynamics of the west, literature and cultural dimensions of India are influenced and regulated by the west. The English language, in its initial stage in India, was passed on by the British missionaries and was used as a vehicle for transmitting power, and

KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP  9ROXPH,,,VVXH;)HEUXDU\,661 now, as an efficient means of communication between India and West. As it is rightly stated by Prema Srinivasan in her book Children’s Fiction in India- Trends and Motifs : “In the Indian, multilingual, multicultural, multi-religious context, the English language has provided the vital link in unifying heterogeneous elements” (25).

British missionaries came to India with a mission to convert Indians into Christians and to acquaint them with their language. It is in this context that English language had its beginning in India. Bilingualism was slowly and gradually been established in India with the Macaulay’s minutes of 1835 which were followed by Bentinck’s educational policy as they tried hard to create a class of educated Indians who are able to speak English language and should be act as an intermediate between the English speaking British class and Indian people. Thus, it is only in India where the English literature and English language have gained popularity and dominance and helped in the process of inculcating English values into the heart and mind of Indian people. As it is quoted in Lord Macaulay’s minutes on Indian education 1835 that:

We must do our best to form a class who may be interpreters

between us and the millions whom we govern- a class of

persons, Indians in blood and colour, but English in taste, in

opinion, in morals and in intellect (qtd. in Leela 25).

The minutes paved the way for the development of textbooks, stories and magazines particularly for children. In India, Children’s literature in English as a distinct branch of literature comes into existence only after Independence. Prior to this, there were no books written primarily for children. It is only after Independence that children were treated as target audience for various writers and sufficient amount of literature was made available for them. In spite of all these, India, under the influence of west and the English language, was still able to produce its own unique children’s literature with the essence of Indian-ness in it and thus encouraged national pride, literature and culture. Indian Children’s literature and Indian child both acts as a vehicle for transmitting nationalistic ideals to the coming generation. But at the same time it is also true that nationalistic inclinations cannot be achieved and transmitted through literature that is not our own but borrowed from other nations. It rather transmits western hegemonic ideologies. As it is well explained by Ravi Shanker as:

[T]here was not enough Indigenous literature for children in

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India apart from epics and folklore and myths and legends.

They were brought up on western writings...As a result these

children were conversant with western life styles than with

the way of life of children in other parts of their own

country (260).

Chota Henry which was published in 1814 by Mrs. Sherwood was the first story book written specifically for child readers in English set in India. It described the bond between the English child with his Indian attendant who was later towards the end of the story converted into Christian. Didacticism and the influence of religious beliefs were still there in children’s literature during the nineteenth century. Translation of the classics like Anderson’s Fairy Tales, Stories from The Arabian Nights, Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe began to appear in the field of Indian Children’s literature towards the end of the nineteenth century. Dhan Gopal Mukherji was the first Indian writer who was writing for children in the English language. He was basically an Indian immigrant settled in the United States. His famous works include Kari the Elephant (1922), Jungle, Beasts and Man (1923), Hari, the Jungle Lad (1924) and Ghond the Hunter (1928). His most of the works explained his knowledge about wildlife in India. Gift of the Forest (1910) was another piece of work based on the theme of wildlife by Reginald lal singh and Eloise Lownsberry. “Missionary Novel” was another theme that fascinated various writers towards the end of the nineteenth century. These novels were based on the idea that in order to lead a happy, successful and comfortable life, Indian villagers had to be converted to Christianity. Special attention was also given to the picture books and Children’s book illustrations during this period in the field of Children’s literature in English in India.

Children’s literature in India gained popularity after Independence and excelled in English alongside Hindi and Regional languages. The writers of Children’s books in regional languages include: Satyajit Ray, Rabindranath Tagore, Ashokamitran Basheer, Sane Guruji, Hariprasad vyas, Hari Narayan Apte, K.P. Kesava Menon etc., In Hindi language the writers included: Premchand, Raja Shiv Prasad, Bharatendu Harishchandra, Sohan Lal and so on. Well known writers in the field of Indian English children’s literature are: Vikram Seth, Salman Rushdie, Ruskin Bond, R.K. Narayan and so on.

In order to understand the written word in the book more easily and clearly, pictures and paintings are incorporated into the children’s books. Thus, picture books have gained

KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP  9ROXPH,,,VVXH;)HEUXDU\,661 popularity among children in the contemporary times. In the present world, the field of children’s literature in India has grown, blossomed and developed towards new directions with the establishment of Children’s Book Trust (CBT) and National Book Trust (NBT). Both these are famous for publishing ‘Indigenous picture books.’ CBT was established in 1957 by K. Shankar Pillai, pioneer of children’s literature movement in India. NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training), another semi- government organization for publication of children’s books in India was established in 1961. Well known picture books for children illustrated and published in India are: Life with Grandfather written and illustrated by Shanker, Anushka Ravi Shankar’s famous picture book for children is Tiger on a Tree. My Friend, the Sea is another famous picture book in India by Sandhya Rao. It won the aspirational children’s Book Project Award. It is the story about the boy who was struck by the terror of tsunami. Famous picture books written by Deepa Aggarwal and Illustrated by Atanu Roy are with titles like Lippo Goes to the Park and Bamba and the Apple Tree. These picture books are mainly published and supplied for the children of 5-8age groups but older children also feel delight to read them.

Realism is another main genre in the field of children’s literature in the contemporary times. Realistic fiction mainly deals with the issues, problems and the dilemmas that children face in their everyday life. Famous realistic fictional works are Paro Anand’s book published in 2006 with the title I am not Butter Chicken and Growing Up by Devika Ranyachari, which was nominated by IBBY Award list in the year 2002. It portrays contemporary world middle class existence and many others.

Fantasy fictional stories gained popularity in India and are read not only by young children but are also enjoyed by adults. Famous among them are: The Adventures of Prince Teentang (1994) by kalpana Swaminathan, Nilima Sinha’s Rishabh in the land of the Flying Machines (2002). This work is partly partly inspired and influenced by Kathasaritsagara. Deepa Aggarwal’s famous fantasy story Anita and the Game of Shadows published in 2002, is about the story of two groups of children on an adventurous journey into two different fantasy worlds. Swapana Mirashi’s Adventures in Moneypur (2006) also falls under this category of children’s books. Late Dilip Salwi had contributed a lot in the field of fiction and popular science.

In spite of all this, in the contemporary world, magazines also published for the children of all age groups. The popular magazines for children in English and Hindi languages are Children’s World, Target, Champak and Chandamama etc. These magazines are popular and

KWWSZZZLMHOOKFRP  9ROXPH,,,VVXH;)HEUXDU\,661 are read by children in the present world. Another important stage or turning point in the development and genesis of children’s literature in India is the establishment of a unique voluntary organization, The Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC) in the year 1981. It was founded by late K. Shanker Pillai at New Delhi. This organization promoted the works of children’s book illustrators in India.

In the end we can say that Children’s literature in India in English provides books in all topics which are relevant for the amusement and edification of children not only in India but throughout the world. Various categories explored by children’s books writers range from myths and classics to adventures, Fantasy, stories of realism, history, and biographies and so on. These books are read and enjoyed not only by children but by adults also and thus help in developing comfortable and understanding relationship between adults and children. All these have been achieved by Indian English children’s literature within a short span of less than fifty years after the Independence of India. No doubt, Children’s literature in India has not gained that much popularity and acknowledgement as it gained in the west but, still Indian writers are working hard to make its popularity and acknowledgement in the literary map of the world.

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References Leela, Preetha. “Gulmohar Trees and Cream Teas: The Influence of British Children’s Fiction upon the Indian Psyche.” East Meets West in Children’s Literature. Ed. Par Pinsent. Shenstone: Pied Piper, 2005. 25-29. Menon, Navin. “Historical Survey.” Children’s Literature in India. New Delhi: CBT, 1999. 23-45. ---. “Children’s Literature in India: The Changing Trends.” Telling Tales: Children’s Literature in India. Ed. Amit Dasgupta. New Delhi: New Age International and Wiley Eastern, 1995.53-66. Shankar, Ravi. “Profile of a Publishing House.” Children’s Literature in India. Ed. Navin Menon and Bhavana Nair. New Delhi: CBT, 1999. 259-267. Shrinivasan, Prema. Children’s Fiction in English in India: Trends and Motifs.Chennai: T.R. Publications, 1998. 25. Superele, Michelle. Contemporary English Language Indian Children’s Literature: Representations of Nation, Culture and the New Indian Girl. New York and London: Routledge Publications, 2011. Print.

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