This new illustrated book delves into the rich history of Pune

We invited a young Mumbaikar to review this illustration-heavy children’s interactive book on the history of Pune and its people

Pune is an ancient city where several parts of it remain steeped in history. How does one teach a child about this city or any other metropolis from a country that has an insightful chronicle of several civilisations? A book, and a good one at that, is the answer. One such interesting children’s book is Flashback: Pune (people and places around the 1700s),  published by the Watering Can Foundation.

Conceptualised by Ulka Athale and Tania Kamath, the brilliant illustrations have been created by Paul Anthony George. The book takes the young reader through the 1700s Pune — how people used to live; what they wore; where they lived and important parts of the city. Through the book, there are bar codes that when scanned, open YouTube videos of the places and people of the city, which are mentioned in the story. We got 11-year-old Sanavi Kinjawadekar based in Kalyan to review the book for us. “I find this book very interesting, and enjoyed learning about Shaniwar Wada, the Peshwas’ grand home as well as about several peths [neighbourhoods] in Pune. I cannot believe that in a day, 1,000 people used to visit the wada from the five doors!” Kinjawadekar says excitedly. 

There are a few activities in the book that Kinjawadekar recommends, like matching the column, sticking the pictures and drawing an article. “It was so cool to try these activities. Matching the column was interesting because it taught me about objects like the flour grinder, vegetable slicer, paan box and the rice serving spoon that were used in the 1700s. I have never seen such old objects,” says the young reader, adding, “There’s an activity where I had to help the city police to find the rooms in his home. It was fascinating because that old home varied from my home. There were so many different rooms! Plus, the illustrations made it thrilling. I was particularly excited to read that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was only seven years old when he moved to Pune, because I am also learning about this Maratha leader at school. There’s so much about him in my history book,” she adds.

Sanavi looks at an illustration about Pune’s famous peths. Pics courtesy/Neelam Kinjawadekar

The 11-year-old points out that the text in the book is written in English and Marathi, which helped her a lot. “When I read this in English, there were a few words that I didn’t understand, but then I referred to the Marathi text, and understood what they meant,” she says, adding that due to this, she didn’t have to take her parents’ help for reading. The young reader gives full marks to the book, and is hoping that in her next school vacation, her parents take her to Pune so that she can visit Shaniwar Wada.

Flashback: Pune (people and places around the 1700s)
AGE GROUP: 11 to 13 years
PUBLISHED BY: The Watering Can Foundation 
PRICE: Rs 250
RATING: 4/4
LOG ON TO: thewateringcan.in

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