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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Just a Train Ride Away wins the Bal Sahitya Puraskar

Just a Train Ride Away won the Bal Sahitya Puraskar! A national award! Yay! Yippee!
*Choking noises of joy. Takes a few deep breaths. Sits down.*
This is the news, people. Just a Train Ride Away has been selected for the newly instituted Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2010 by the Sahitya Akademi. Author Mini and all of us here at Tulika have been treading air ever since we heard the news. Tulika publishes fiction for older children very selectively and the little that we do publish is clearly award-winning material. We are so cool. *Tries hard to be modest about it all and fails*
Just a Train Ride Away is the story of Santosh’s train journey from Mumbai, where he lives with his mother, to Kolkata on holiday. But he has secret plans to look for his father whom he barely remembers. The train ride brings him into contact with people quite outside his sheltered world – an eventful prelude to another, deeper journey. With a refreshingly light and honest touch, Just a Train Ride Away explores the emotional dilemma of a young boy who craves the space for both parents in his life and faces the bitter-sweet reality of estrangement and belonging.”
That’s what the blurb says. Also, allow us to add, it’s marvelous that the author takes a heavy theme - a son of divorced parents looking for the father - and tells the story with such elegant simplicity. We loved that she doesn’t make a villain out of any one parent but presents them both as nice but incompatible people. The lessons that Santosh learns on the train are understandings and questions that he arrives at by himself – not inflicted on him by didactic adults. For all these reasons and more, you should read Just a Train Ride Away for yourself. We’re so glad the Sahitya Akademi feels the same way.

11 comments:

  1. Congratulations!!!
    My kids are too young for this book, but it sounds like something I would love to read myself.

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  2. That is wonderful, Tulika books! The book is lying on my shelf for the past few months. Somehow it did not get read. I think I must correct that at the earliest!

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  3. Congratulations. That is great news. Will pick it up even though my son will be ready for this much later.

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  4. Congratulations Mini, we are truly proud of our local author !

    twistntales

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  5. Congrats Tulika! Way to go!

    The book is awesome indeed. And err.. why do you produce books for older kids very selectively when you KNOW you produce award-winning material? Please pretty please do the needful to correct the unfairness.

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  6. Congrats!!! thats so wonderful!!! and I so absolutely second ChoxBox.. you really should bring out more such great books for older kids.....

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  7. What a wonderful sounding book. Do you know where it can be purchased in the United States?

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  8. Great news, congrats!

    Re books for older children - I'm hoping by the time we reach that stage, Tulika would have come out with loads of these. I'm sure you will :)

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  9. Congrats:) I hve read this book..Its very good one and i love Tulika books for its content and quality print..

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  10. Mini, very proud of you! My mother in law and I loved the book and I am looking forward to discussing it with my daughter ... good for both children and adults!

    Sanskriti

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