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Bridging Worlds Storybook Series

The Bridging Worlds Storybook Series includes 4 original illustrated children's books on important social and cultural themes in the Indian context. With stories exploring topics of caste, gender, stigma around mental health, and dying regional languages, the storybook series aims to enable young children to critically engage with these themes through an accessible narrative.

Anita’s Journey With Anxiety

This storybook follows the life of Anita, a young girl who finds herself grappling with sudden feelings of worry, fear, and sadness. However, when she tries speaking to her friends and family about it, she finds them dismissing her feelings as it is not something that is commonly talked about in their society. In her solitude, she encounters an understanding art teacher at school who encourages her to open up and seek support, and as she gains the confidence to do so, other students are inspired to speak up about their issues as well, creating a community that comes together to navigate the complexities of mental health and associated stigma in society.

Sumira - Anita's Journey With Anxiety.pdf

Sumira - Kavita's Caste.pdf

Kavita’s Caste

This storybook follows the life of Kavita, an observant young girl who encounters the concept of caste for the first time when she notices her house help using different utensils to eat and drink and never sitting on the furniture at home. When she approaches her grandmother about it, she simply gets the response that this is ‘tradition and culture,’ and the way it has always been. However, as Kavita learns about the social evils associated with the caste system in her Political Science class, she realizes that her family members are still practicing an archaic tradition and takes it upon herself to educate her grandmother and parents with the help of her teacher.

Meera's Mealtime Quest

This storybook follows the life and times of Meera, a young girl who thrives in her close-knit family consisting of her two brothers, father, and mother. Her favorite time of the day is when the family sits down to eat a meal together, however, one day she notices that her mother always begins eating last and is busy serving the other family members food before eating herself. This perturbs her but her mother reassures her that she has been brought up to put her husband and children first. However, Meera is not satisfied with this response, and upon finding that her peers share similar experiences, she resolves to change this mindset, creating a school club for students to come together and brainstorm ways to bring about this change.

Sumira - Meera's Mealtime Quest.pdf

Sumira - Nandini's Nani.pdf

Nandini's Nani

This storybook follows the life of Nandini, and her beloved grandmother, Netra who hails from a small village in Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. When Nandini learns of her grandmother's great sorrow that her own family does not know her native tongue, Bhoti, or the roots of their existence, she strives to learn more about her background and culture. She diligently devotes her evenings to learning her native language from her Nani, as well as interesting facts about her grandmother's upbringing in Spiti. Nandini takes it upon herself to encourage her parents to do the same as well, and together, they decide to revive a dying culture and language and celebrate their roots.

22 and You Article Series

The 22 and You Article Series includes articles that involve exploring, reading, and analyzing culture-specific literary works from across the Indian sub-continent. Articles review these works in the present context and highlight their relevance across changing eras and socio-cultural predicaments, with the chief aim of highlighting the diversity and cultural significance of rich Indian literature across states and languages.

Read more here: https://medium.com/@sumirajain

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