Sona is a twelve-year-old Nepali girl living in Darjeeling with her mother and brother, trying to make ends meet. After her father’s death due to Covid, everything narrowed. Her mother works at a tea plantation; her brother, Samiran Daju, takes on whatever work he can find and cooks for the family when he is home.
Two close friends – Geet and Rima, full of energy and ideas, set their hearts on winning the prize at their school fest. Along the way, they face tough competition from other stalls and even have a few minor arguments.
One day Prabir’s flute breaks in an accident. He builds himself a new flute with a stalk of bamboo cut from a clump growing in the junkyard. But many days later, when he plays the flute at a wedding, the flute makes sad, wailing sounds!
Set in the quaint heritage city of Mysore and loosely based on true events, the story traces the journey of Rukmini aunty, an unassuming elderly lady – Rukmini, who is spurred into creating an action group to preserve RK Narayan’s heritage house in Mysore.
We are introduced to young Zooni who is a playful and feisty girl. Along with her older cousin, Maqbool Sherwani, she is in the thick of fervent patriotic discussions about the fate of Kashmir.
A book that every child who has ever been called “shy” needs to read. It shows us that a silent demeanor often hides a world teeming with imagination, courage, and adventure.
