Why this Book?
The book is close to my heart for several reasons:
1. It talks about home -what is home, who is home, where is home- a theme I have been consumed by since long. I have written poems and short stories around it, it forms an important component of my doctoral research.
2. It addresses internal migration and the displacement felt by migrant workers who move away from their village homes into larger cities within their own countries in search of work -they are group much less talked about compared to the migrant diaspora or the displaced climate and conflict refugees. And if indeed they are talked about, it is often with anger and hatred for hey, aren’t these the people who steal jobs from the local population?
3. It addresses the state of construction workers and the cavernous class disparity between those who build and those who occupy the buildings they build, it addresses the fact that their services are taken for granted even as they remain invisible to the rest of the society. If my being from this industry places me closer to these people and gives me an opportunity to talk about this widening gap and the embedded exploitation, I’d be a fool not to.
4. It provokes commentary on cultural stereotyping and the perils of it. What makes a person belong to a certain State –being born there, growing up there, language, religion, cultural practices?
5. It talks about the innocence of childhood and the emotional vulnerability of children, especially those at the intersection of 2, 3 & 4.
6. And with the Supreme Court’s recent advisory to evacuate stray dogs from the streets of New Delhi on the one hand and the anti-migrant stance of many a local populace in different regions, the book questions the meanings of ‘stray’ and ‘wild’.
Do I hear you exclaim, 'But it is a picture book for children!' I get it. I truly do. And that’s why, the book is first and foremost what the blurb talks about –a migrant child wanting to build a house for Dubki and all the clamour that follows it. The larger themes have been subtly woven into the story only because I believe that the immersive read-aloud, read-along format of picture books are an opportunity to connect not only with children but parents too. With the world increasingly turning insensitive and intolerant, my hope is to provoke deeper thought and conversations amongst parents about the themes mentioned above even as children enjoy the fun, friendship and hope the story brings with it.
