Ask some 8 to 10 year-olds what they understand by peace, and the answers you get will make you stop and think. “Uhhh…calm, silent…dullish, a bit boring…not war.?.” Now try ‘compassion’ or ‘sensitivity’….. See what I mean?

How can we convey ‘abstract’ concepts to children so that they understand and relate to them?  The key seems to lie in imaginative writing that can breathe vibrant life to themes and issues which we all encounter in every day situations. Stories that have the impact to make children pause and reflect, and perhaps act when an opportunity arises.

The Karuna Kit, as the name implies, brings together a unique collection of such stories dealing sensitively with enduring values. A total of fourteen themes have been identified, and excellent stories and writings by different authors have been compiled to form this kit.

Sutradhar, which has come up with this brilliantly conceived and executed idea, is an educational resource centre in Bangalore. The idea seems to have grown out of their earlier experience in implementing a value-based programme for school children, when they were struck afresh at the powerful role of stories in reaching out to children.

Under the themes of Love and Friendship, Co-operation and Team Spirit, Courage and Bravery, Understanding Feelings and Emotions, Sensitivity to the Differently-abled, Relationship with the Elderly, Dignity of Labour, Citizenship and Responsibility, Identity, Caste and Community, Gender and Sexuality, Sensitivity to animals, to Nature and to the Environment, the kit has about 110 books. These are meant for the age group 6 to 10 years but can and will be read by older ones too. The selected books are from Indian publishers and organisations so the situations and characters are familiar and recognisable. The kit has been priced at Rs. 6,500.

I can’t resist mentioning a few of my favourites which have appealed to all the children I have interacted with.

Mahagiri is about a caring elephant who lets himself be beaten by his mahout rather than harm a helpless little creature. The Mountain that loved a Bird is an immortal tale of a rare friendship which results in the greening of a mountain. The illustration is out of this world. The Shape of an Elephant by Rumi has exquisite art work to depict the tale of people trying to describe an elephant in the dark. In such limited ways, says Rumi, do we perceive life and god when we do not know how to look beyond. In Tyltyl’s Adventure a newly-hatched turtle bravely takes on the dangers encountered by his compatriots on their way to safety and the sea.

Why are you afraid to hold my hand? confronts our discomfiture in relating to the differently- abled. Young children are exposed to this situation through the direct and simple words of such a child. In Festival of Eid, a well-known story worth retelling, a young boy brings back a pair of tongs for his grandmother so that her hands don’t burn while cooking. Anju and the Stream is about a young girl who engages the community in cleaning up the polluted stream she loves so much. Kali and the Rat Snake tells of a boy from a rat catcher’s family who is isolated at school because of his family’s profession. Who will be Ningthou?

A tender story of succession to the throne in Manipur. Can a girl succeed? Who am I? takes  the boy or girl reader from either end of the book through their gender differences until they meet in the middle! Set in the Nilgiris, The Toda and the Tahr, is about life in the Toda tribe. Fascinating for children to read and visit that region. The Sun all Golden and Round is based on a Kannada folktale about the cycles of nature. The section on animals, nature and the environment has some gems too.

I suggest these books be stored in a special display in the library and lent out for children to read followed by book talks. In the discussions that follow, much will happen. Another project is for children to write their own stories on these themes, of real life incidents they have encountered. They could also go through the library collection and add other books they feel are appropriate to the themes. The librarian could make such a selection for the next age group either from the library’s collection or by browsing through the book stores. The possibilities for spreading the message of karuna are immeasurable!