In some ways, India as a country was forged by the struggle for freedom, when women and men and children across the country engaged in the same struggle in different ways. From Shimla to Tanjore, from Aizawl to Mysore, from the jungles of Chotanagpur to the city streets of Calcutta and Bombay, the books in this series look at how children’s day-to-day lives and dreams were changed and inspired by this national movement.
The boxset contains eight books:
- The Train to Tanjore by Devika Rangachari
- A Conspiracy in Calcutta by Lesley D. Biswas
- That Year at Manikoil by Aditi Krishnakumar
- The Chowpatty Cooking Club by Lubaina Bandukwala
- The Letter to Lahore by Tanu Shree Singh
- Postcard from the Lushai Brigade by Hannah Lalhlanpuii
- A Melody in Mysore by Shruthi Rao
- Rebellion in Ranchi by Swati Sengupta
Why should you buy this boxset?
- Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the freedom struggle and focuses on what it was like to grow up during the time.
- Eight books explore stories set in Calcutta, Tanjore, Sarchi, Ranchi, Mysore, Madras, Bombay and Mizoram.
- A meticulously researched look at the past, written in a manner accessible to middle-grade readers
- Showcases young and inspiring children taking part in the independence of India through small acts of rebellion
A hopeful and heartwarming story about finding joy after tragedy, Amil and the After is a companion to the Newbery Award-winning novel The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani.
At the turn of the new year in 1948, Amil and his family have started over in Bombay and are once again trying to rebuild their lives in independent India.
Both Muslim and Hindu, twelve-year-old Amil is not sure what home means anymore. The memory of the long and difficult journey from his family’s hometown in what is now Pakistan lives with him. And despite having an apartment in Bombay to live in and a school to attend, life still feels lonely and uncertain.
At Nisha’s suggestion, Amil begins to tell his story via drawings meant for their mother, who died when he was just a baby. Through Amil, readers witness the unwavering and resilient spirit of a young boy trying to make sense of a chaotic world and to find hope for himself, his family and a newly reborn nation.
Sahabzada Hawa Singh Rafu Chakkar (Rafu), a descendant of the legendary Time-Travelling, Thieving Djinns, wants to abandon the family tradition of stealing jewels to pursue his true passion—cooking. However, when the king of djinns tasks him with a mission to steal the Shah-i-Noor diamond in the newly built city of Haiderabad, Rafu reluctantly accepts. His secret agenda? The diamond is his ticket to his dream.
With only two weeks to get the coveted gem, Rafu finds himself entangled in a web of cunning courtiers, mysterious thieves and a most annoying horse, all while the tantalizing aroma of pulavs and kebabs constantly distracts him. Racing against the clock, Rafu’s adventure unfurls as he strives to turn his dream into reality. How far will he go?
SIDE A
Magic in Marble: Building the Taj with Attaullah
Attaullah has to leave his playmates and the beautiful trees of Lahore behind as he makes the tiring journey to Akbarabad on a camel cart. His abbu, a master architect, has been summoned there to help build the most extraordinary monument ever-the Taj Mahal. The mausoleum will immortalize the memory of Jahan Panah Shah Jahan’s beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. And Attaullah wants to be a part of history as it’s being created. But how?
Travelling across two timelines in history, this is an ulta-pulta book about two children whose paths collide in a mysteriously magical way.
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SIDE B
Magic in Marble: Saving the Taj with Aradya
Aradya has read everything she could find on the greatest monument ever built-the Taj Mahal. So, when her papa, a conservationist, invites her to join him on his quick work trip to Agra, she feels like she’s the luckiest girl in the whole, wide world. Her papa’s team is working on a project that will help preserve the Taj’s beauty and ensure its survival for future generations. And Aradya wants to help. But how?
Travelling across two timelines in history, this is an ulta-pulta book about two children whose paths collide in a mysteriously magical way.
Aizawl, 1942
The world that the young boy at the heart of this story is growing up in is filled with magic and the simple joys of life with his brother Kima. Even the British presence in the Lushai Hills, so resented by some, does not affect him, except as a source of interesting and different things and people.
But as the Japanese prepare to invade their land, Kima joins up with the British Indian Army, and the days of simple joy are over . . .
The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.
Sarchi, 1921
When Dak Chacha comes to visit, Luxmi feels only joy and excitement. But this time, there is something dark underfoot-Chacha is worried and there are policemen coming to search their house.
Luxmi learns that both Dak Chacha and her mother are involved-in their own small ways-in the struggle for liberation from the unjust laws and practices that the British regime forces on all of them. This makes her determined to be part of it too. Even if that means undertaking a risky mission which no one else is able to do . . .
The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.
The series complements school textbooks about the independence movement. As the stories are told from a child’s point of view, these stories bring the facts of the independence movement to vivid life in settings all over the country—and inspire each reader to engage with the idea of India.
The Series: It’s bedtime! Time to settle down, get cosy and read some stories-with magical moments, oodles of entertainment and a little bit of learning. Meet some happy characters who love to know about . . . well, everything! Join them as they explore the world and discover fun things along the way.
The Book: Vicky Voyager is a history buff and time-traveller, who has invented a top-secret time machine. With his best friends Lucky and Lulu, Vicky visits different historical eras in this trusty machine. The trio gets to meet Cleopatra, Alexander and other famous historical figures while having some rollicking adventures together!
Curious and spirited, Sharadha loves living life in her ancestral tharavadu. The grand ol’ house, Vishwasam, is right in the heart of her beloved Marayur, in the Chera kingdom. The house is also the centre of activities as Devaki Amma, her grandmother, is a healer for the King no less! Life is good in the sleepy village!
But her inquisitiveness takes Sharadha on an unintended adventure. Trying to investigate a secret, she chances upon a mysterious trader and ends up in the bustling city of Mahodayapuram. And it’s not just any city but the busy multicultural melting pot of the Cheraman Perumal Empire!
As she traverses the metropolis, Sharadha gets pulled into the magical colours, languages, religions, and the vibrancy of the city. She now realizes how complex the Capital is from her small village life-full of intrigue and political scandals. But as a sudden war with the ambitious and powerful Chola Dynasty looms on the horizon, Sharadha pines to get back to her old quiet life in Marayur.
Will she ever be able to see her beloved Vishwasam again?
Can she use the wisdom taught by her grandmother to save the others and herself?
Peek into an account of what life was like during the final years of the Chera Dynasty of the eleventh century Kerala!
Tanjore, 1942
There are few excitements in Thambi’s quiet life. There is the new hotel, disapproved of by elders, which lures him with the aroma of sambar with onions. There are visits to the library to read the newspaper, and once in a while, a new movie at the Rajaram Electric Theatre. More disagreeably, there are fortnightly visits from his uncle to lay down the law.
When Gandhiji announces the Quit India movement, Tanjore is torn apart by protests. The train station-the lifeline of the town-is vandalized. Mysterious leaflets are circulated, containing news that newspapers do not publish. And inspired by the idea of a free India and his own dreams of being an engineer, Thambi must find the courage to do what he believes is right-even when it endangers all he holds dear.
The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.
Calcutta, 1928
As the student protests gather momentum all across Calcutta, and police atrocities grow, ten-year-old Bithi wants to join in the struggle for freedom.
But living in a society where her best friend is to be married and just the fact that she is going to school is regarded with disapproval, how can Bithi play a substantial part? How can she fight those who are dearest to her? Discouraged but not daunted, Bithi schemes and plots and lies and is drawn into unexpected danger-all for the sake of fighting injustice in all its forms.
The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.
The series complements school textbooks about the independence movement. As the stories are told from a child’s point of view, these stories bring the facts of the independence movement to vivid life in settings all over the country—and inspire each reader to engage with the idea of India.
