Independence Day 2024 | Why children in India should read historical fiction series ‘Songs of Freedom’

Discover how historical fiction series "Songs of Freedom" brings India's Independence struggle to life through children's eyes.

What do you remember about your school history lessons? I recall a litany of dates, names, acts and wars. Poorly reproduced black-and-white photos and line drawings of kings and queens. It was something to be endured rather than enjoyed.

It wasn’t till I read The Diary of Anne Frank in Class VIII that I actually had an emotional reaction to a historical event. Perhaps it was reading about the experiences of a girl not much older than myself that left such a big impression on me.

It’s easy to forget that children bear witness to, and participate in, the making of history, when all we read about are the heads of states, generals and policies that shaped the times. It was this sentiment that inspired Sayoni Basu, co-founder of Duckbill Books, to envision Songs of Freedom, a historical fiction series for young readers that tells the story of India’s Independence struggle through the eyes and experiences of children. Since the series launched in 2022, eight books have been published, each set in geographically diverse locations, from Mumbai to Manikoil, and Aizawl to Kolkata, spanning a time period from 1900 to 1942.

“The freedom movement was when the idea of India was shaped, and where we, the people, truly determined the future we wanted. Even today, we deserve to shape our future. It’s important for children to learn about acts of resistance and the power they hold to make change,” says Basu, an avid reader of historical fiction and non-fiction herself.

These acts of resistance and change-making are small but powerful in Shruthi Rao’s A Melody in Mysore, released last month. It is 1932 and 12-year-old Leela is being raised by her Ajji (grandmother) in the well-governed, prosperous Mysore kingdom, free of British interference, under the rule of the Wodeyars. Leela hears snippets of information about Gandhi and the independence movement sweeping through the country from her Shivappa Meshtru and whispered conversations at home, but she is desperate to know more.

Her wishes come true when she meets Malathi Akka who moves into the neighbourhood, and exposes her to new ideas, poetry and music, through a gramophone. Rao’s story explores the role of music as a medium through which ideas of freedom and revolution were subversively spread, hidden between the lines of religious songs and poetry.

Leela and her cousin Subba, on the cusp of adolescence, want to be taken seriously, and contribute to the movement. Rao highlights how little deeds or as the book calls them, alilu seva, often go unnoticed but are of great importance. “Every time people speak of the freedom struggle, I can’t help but think of all those who worked tirelessly, who kept the movement alive with their tiny actions, whose names we will never know. Many of these people were women. Unknown, unacknowledged. My story is a tribute to all of them,” Rao says.