On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom, there is an effort to bring alive to children the side of Gandhi that the textbooks fail to present. Instead of just touching upon his value system and beliefs, ‘A man called Bapu’ written by Subhadra Sen Gupta and published by Pratham Books, delves into the personal side of the Mahatma in relation to the  freedom struggle. The illustrations have been done by Neeta Gangopadhya.

Speaking at the launch of the book at Raj Bhavan,  Governor Rameshwar Thakur said, “While school curriculum usually includes factual incidents and major milestones in the life of Gandhiji, what children like to read is what made the Mahatma do the great things he did.”

This is the 127th title in the series by Pratham Books that is working towards providing children with books to read. “Through the project, we aim to put a book, in any Indian language, in every child’s hand,” said Rohini Nilekani, chairperson, Pratham Books.

Soon after the launch by the Governor, a few excerpts from the book was read by the students that briefly enlightened everyone about the flavour of the book. The Governor shared his brief account with Gandhi during the Quit India Movement. “We had the opportunity to participate in his meetings where he discussed his philosophy of satya and ahimsa,” he shared.

The highlight of the event for the children present was the announcement of the winners of the essay competition held earlier by Pratham Books in association with Deccan Herald and Akshara Foundation.