When Anupurba returns to India from the United States after 16 years, she is full of misgivings about her new life. Forced to give up her routine as an elementary school art teacher in the US, her days are centered around her two school-going sons and software engineer husband. Bored with being at home all day, Anupurba decides to
go out and check out an art exhibition by the students of the local Fine Arts College. There she meets her old friend Shoba from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. The two catch up on old times over a cup of tea, and that’s when Shoba, a PRO with Asha Jyoti, invites Anupurba to her school’s Christmas party. When Anupurba asks Shoba why a school needs a PRO, Shoba says, “Our school is kind of different. Why don’t you come and see it for yourself?”
State Sahitya Akademi Award winner Susmita Bagchi’s novel, Children of a Better God, is a gut-wrenching account of the trials and tribulations of children afflicted with cerebral palsy as seen through the eyes of the protagonist, Anupurba.
Like most “normal” people, Anupurba is also extremely uncomfortable when she meets a group of children in Asha Jyoti, during the Christmas party. Expecting the party to be a sombre affair, she consciously dresses down, only to be pleasantly surprised to see the place all decked up with balloons and streamers. She is even more startled to see a pop artist who looks every bit like a Page 3 celebrity kick off the party with some popular Hindi remix numbers that have all the children and the staff singing and dancing. It is then that Anupurba feels a little hand tugging at her, asking her to dance. As Anupurba silently makes her way to the dance floor, her tight control over the multiple emotions that flickered in her head over the past hour snap and she runs out of the room sobbing bitterly.
Soon after, she accepts the offer to volunteer as an art teacher with Asha Jyoti, albeit, reluctantly. She finds herself getting involved with the lives of the children and their caregivers. While Anupurba teaches the children art, she ends up learning some important lessons of life — about suffering and surviving, love and laughter and more.
The novel published by Penguin India is an English translation of the original, Deba Shishu, poignantly written in the author’s mother-tongue Oriya. “Although some of the essence of the book is always lost in translation, Bikram K, Das, who is a Sahitya Akademi Translation Award winner, has done a commendable job in conveying the myriad emotions and challenges of these children while they struggle to cope with mundane tasks”, said Bagchi.
“Most people, although kind, tend to distance themselves from these children, as they don’t realise that most of these kids have normal brain functions. More important, these children share the same innocence, mischief, dreams, aspirations and uncertainties that normal children have. I’ve written this book not to evoke pity in people but to make them aware of a condition called cerebral palsy which is not a disease or mental retardation but an affliction that disables the body for life. I sincerely hope that this book brings that message across loud and clear”, she says. Some of the powerful character sketches — Arundhati, Uma, Ronnie and Ranjana — leave a lasting impression in your mind, much after you put the book down.
Consider this brief paragraph: “Anyone who took one look at Shweta could guess that she was suffering from some serious physical or mental disability. What future did the Shwetas of this world have? Shobha would raise her hands heavenwards and say, ‘Surely the same Creator who brought them to earth will look after them? I believe they are children of God, hopefully a better God than the one who looks after us”.’
The author’s easy, straight-from-the-heart story-telling style is inspired by the works of Oriya Jnanpith award winning author Gopinath Mohanty, whose natural, unpretentious style doesn’t overwhelm the reader. There is not a trace of intellectual snobbery. Susmita, who started writing in Oriya in 1982, has published five novels, seven collections of short stories and a travelogue. A voracious reader, Susmita devoured the translated works of regional writers such as, K. Shivaram Karanth, Kuvempu, T. Shivshankar Pillai and even learnt to read Bengali to be able to read the original works of Sarat Chandra Chatterji.
“I never thought this novel would see the light of day”, says Bagchi, and recalls the day when the principal of the School for Children with Cerebral Palsy (run by the Spastics Society of Karnataka), where she had volunteered to work for several months, requested her to write a book about the lives of the children. “I told her that I write only in Oriya”, to which she replied, “At least some people will get to know about these kids. And who knows, perhaps the book may be translated into English some day”. Although the book was written several years later, its release coincided with the silver jubilee celebrations of the school and it was just a matter of time before Penguin decided to publish the translated version.
A post-graduate in political science, Bagchi gave up a teaching position at Delhi University to devote all her time to writing.
The book cover sports a colourful painting by one of the children suffering from cerebral palsy. Inside too there are several beautiful paintings, by children of a far better God.