I’ve read two books by Vibha Batra in less than a month, and I’ve loved them both! So many things about Kolam Kanna were utterly delightful that this review deserves to be in bullet points, highlighting everything I loved about it.
- The name Bharathi!
The moment I learned that Bharathi is a boy’s name in the story, I could not help thinking of a little boy I met in Perani (near Puducherry) ten years ago. He won’t be so little anymore, but I remember his bright eyes and his curiosity. His name? Tamilbarathi.( I liked him so much that he features in my story “Dragonflies and Tablets” in Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells.) Vibha’s descriptions and Jemma Jose’s illustrations made me imagine Bharathi, the kolam kanna of the story, in the same way. - Breaking Stereotypes
A boy who likes drawing kolams? Yes, please.
A girl who likes to play cricket? Yes, please.
And ideas brought together in ways that seem completely natural rather than a forced break away from stereotypes? Always. - Humour
Sometimes, you have to do sneaky, slightly underhand things to get what you want, and I love how Bharathi and his friends stop at nothing to get what they want. From making fake dog poop to staging a fake video, this trio is a force to be reckoned with! - Story and themes
Just like Gobi Goes Viral, Kolam Kanna touches upon serious themes like inclusivity, economic differences, and bullying. I love how lightly these subjects are handled. Without giving anything away, I will say the end is particularly beautiful–I loved it so much!
| Title | Kolam Kanna |
| Author | Vibha Batra |
| Tags | Chapter Book, Realistic Fiction |
| Rating (out of 5) | 5 |
| Age-group | 8+ |
I just read the book and loved everything about it. Just everything. The fun filled narration. It seems like she is narrating with some side comments and we are listening to her. Boy doing kolam and girl being cricketer, society being class driven. The setting and being a chennai guy, the setting was so much Chennai- generous usage of tamil words. I would like to drop a not to Vibha, just struggling to find her twitter address.
I don’t think she’s on Twitter, but I will pass on your comment to her! I am sure she will appreciate it.