This new book delves into the search for belongingness

The book talks about themes like fitting in and trust issues. Illustrations courtesy/Bhargavi Rudraraju; Pratham Books

For journalist Jairaj Singh, "the most impactful stories come from vulnerable spaces." His new children's book, You Won't Believe Me (Pratham Books) is a tender tale of searching for belongingness. It is about an unnamed boy who opens up about his struggles in school to ‘fit in', and discovers one day that he isn't the only one. The book carries a melodic narration, like a poem. When we catch up with (below) Singh over a call, he admits that that was his intention, "It had a lyrical cadence to it in my head [from the beginning]."

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Accompanied by relatable, humane illustrations by Bhargavi Rudraraju, the book deals with difficult themes of bullying and loneliness. Singh captures the voice of the child narrator well - almost like the story has been drawn from his own experiences. However, he tells us, "There are parts of me, yes, but there are also those of so many people whom I grew up with and who, like me, were having a hard time coexisting with others because they didn't feel they were entitled." It was, therefore, important for him to tell the story from that position of "how frustrating it can be to adjust."

When a child is looked at as being troubled, it can be daunting for them to even grapple with the fact that they really do belong or are worthy of being trusted. Singh elaborates, "Your biggest achievement can sometimes be that someone believes you because you are still taking into stock a sense of your own rights and where you're being attacked."

This kind of sensitivity also made us think if the writer were, perhaps, meaning to introduce early ideas of masculinity as well, since he provides small instances that urge us to meditate on them, without spelling them out. Singh shares that it wasn't something that he had initially set out to do. He shares, "That's the beauty of fiction; things surface. You have a sense of a child you want to talk about but once you start filling life into them, you realise it's not that simple. I think the vulnerability of a child is a few steps before these issues begin to be formalised. This is still the age of innocence, where you don't understand these
terms but you come to confront them gradually."

As a salve from the pain, the book offers beautiful moments where the child sits by a pond full of fish near his school and watches them for hours. He knows their moods and habits, and unfamiliar with their names, learns to identify them by their colour. Singh recollects having a pond in his own school by which children played. "But that's where the autobiographical element ends", he tells us. Water and fish themselves have remained very close to him. He reflects on water's calming property to nurse one out of pain. He adds, "Children, these days, rarely grow up in greenery. We're [children] greatly disconnected from animals and other creatures. It's a different relationship that we're seeking suddenly. We're so used to the urban concrete structures now. But wilderness allows a child to open up to another world or system where you can see other life." This helps the image of the pond stand out as an interesting contrast to other architectural impressions from day-to-day city life.

Available All leading bookstores and e-stores
Cost Rs 90