When waste turned into secret garden at Chandigarh

 The Boy Who Built A Secret Garden: Nek Chand

by Lavanya Karthik - Duckbill / Dreamers Series (48 pages, 2020)

This is part of Duckbill's Dreamers series - short, illustrated biographies for young readers.

The Story:

Before he built a world-famous garden, Nek Chand Saini was just a boy in Barian Kalan village with a dream of home. He made his first garden from sticks, stones, clay, and bits of his sister's broken bangles - inspired by his father's stories and his mother's songs.

Then Partition in 1947 forced his family to walk for 24 days into India. He became a road inspector building Chandigarh - the new planned city designed by Le Corbusier for "rules and order, straight lines and hard edges". 

While building the new city, he saw how much was being thrown away. In 1957, in a secret forest clearing near Sukhna Lake, he started collecting that waste - broken pots, glass bangles, ceramic sinks, scrap - and turning it into kings, queens, gods, monsters and animals. 

For 15 years his 40-acre garden remained a secret. When the authorities discovered it, it was threatened with demolition, but the people of Chandigarh rallied to save it. Today it is open to public since 1976 and draws visitors from across the world. 

Why it works:

Theme: It's not just about art. It's about displacement, memory, and upcycling long before it was a buzzword. Each stone is a story of Partition.

Writing: Simple, warm and engaging. Lavanya Karthik keeps the focus on Nek Chand's imagination and perseverance.

Illustrations: Mosaic-style art that mirrors the Rock Garden itself - bright, textured, made of fragments.

Perfect to inspire kids that you don't need expensive materials to create something magical - you just need to see value where others see garbage. The book also beautifully tells the importance of following a dream and the transformative power of art. 

Rating: 4/5* - A must-read if you've ever been to Chandigarh's Rock Garden or want to introduce kids to sustainable creativity.

Apeksha R. Tandel

When curiosity in birds turned life calling

The Boy Who Loved Birds - Salim Ali by Lavanya Karthik

It's part of the Dreamers series from Duckbill (Penguin). Small book - 48 pages, made for 6-9 year olds, but honestly adults love it too.

The story:

Before he became the Birdman of India, Salim Ali was just Saloo - a boy with an air-gun who loved to hunt birds.

One day he shoots a bird he cannot identify. It looks like a sparrow, but different - with a yellow throat. That mystery bothers him. That bird was the Yellow-throated Sparrow, now called Chestnut-shouldered Petronia.

To find the answer, little Saloo gathers courage and goes all the way to the Bombay Natural History Society in British-era Bombay to meet W.S. Millard. Millard doesn't scold him, he shows him the room full of stuffed birds and tells him it's a kind of sparrow. That one moment changes Saloo's life from hunting birds to watching them.

The book beautifully shows how curiosity becomes a life's calling. From a trigger-happy boy to India's first systematic bird surveyor who wrote The Book of Indian Birds (1941) with just a notebook and binoculars.

What I loved:

Art: Dark green, black and white with Mughal miniature inspired patterns. The silhouette of Saloo holding a bird against the jaali window - very striking. Each Dreamers book has a different art style.

Storytelling: Very simple text, not preachy. It doesn't hide that he was bad at maths and failed at business. It shows failure is okay if you find your wonder.

For your work: This is perfect for the Keri kids. It tells fisherfolk kids that you don't need wealth or connections to become a scientist - just observation. Like Salim, your fishermen know birds, winds, tides by watching daily. That's potential for Ornithology too.

Rating: 4.5/5  

A must-have for any small library.

Apeksha R. Tandel

Damage Caused by Honnavar Port access Road Construction to Tonka Village

Damage Observed:

* Heavy movement of trucks and machinery has caused severe dust pollution, affecting health of villagers.

* Vibrations due to construction have led to minor cracks in houses near the roadside.

* Existing village approach road is damaged, making it difficult for school children, elderly and two-wheelers to commute.

* Natural water flow / drains are blocked, leading to waterlogging in low-lying areas.

* Noise pollution and restricted access to agricultural fields.

Likely Future Damage

* Permanent damage to village houses and structures due to continuous heavy load and vibration.

* Long-term dust and air pollution leading to respiratory issues.

* Loss of agricultural land and livelihood due to dust settlement and blocked water channels.

* Increased risk of accidents due to damaged road and no proper diversions / signage.

* Groundwater and environmental impact due to improper drainage and waste dumping.

Apeksha R. Tandel

What it takes to make dream come true

Book Details:

Title: The Girl Who Climbed Mountains

Author: Lavanya Karthik

Series: Dreamers Series by Karadi Tales

Based on: Real life of Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to summit Mount Everest (1984)

Genre: Children's Biography / Inspirational Non-fiction

Pages: 40 pages, fully illustrated

The Full Story:

This book starts in a small, remote village called Nakuri in Uttarakhand, in the lap of the Himalayas. Bachendri was not your typical girl. While other girls were taught to cook and stitch, she was climbing trees, fighting with boys, and staring at the snow-covered mountains with wonder.

Her family was not rich. Her father made a living making wool, and like most families in the 1960s, they believed education for girls was a waste. But Bachendri was stubborn. She walked for hours to go to school, she studied hard, and she never let anyone tell her what a girl can or cannot do.

Her real journey started when she joined the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM). Imagine this - a classroom full of strong, trained men, and one small girl from a village. Everyone doubted her. The training was brutal - carrying 20kg bags, waking up at 3 AM in -15 degree cold, learning to survive on ice. She fell, she got injured, she cried, but she never quit.

In 1984, she was selected for India's first mixed-gender Everest expedition. This was historic. On May 23, 1984, at 1:07 PM, she stood on top of the world - Mount Everest, 8,848 meters high. She was just 29 years old. She spent hours on the summit, praying and looking at the world below her feet.

This Book Stands Out:

Writing Style: Lavanya Karthik doesn't write like a boring textbook. She writes like a storyteller. The sentences are short, simple, and powerful. A 4th grader can read it, but a 40-year-old will still get emotional.

Artwork: The illustrations by Debasmita Dasgupta are stunning. The mountains look majestic, Bachendri looks fearless. Each page is a painting.

The Core Message: It's not just about climbing a mountain. It's about three big lessons:

 Gender is not a limit: Society said "girls can't climb." She climbed the highest peak in the world.

  Poverty is not an excuse: She had no money, no fancy equipment, but she had willpower.

  Dreams need discipline: Dreaming is easy, but she woke up every day at 3 AM to make it real.

Who Should Read It?

- For Kids (8-15): If your daughter ever feels scared or says "I can't do it," give her this book. It will change her.

- For Parents: To understand how to support your daughter's crazy dreams.

- For Adults: When you feel stuck in life, this 40-page book will give you more motivation than 400-page self-help books.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Recommendations:

This is not just a children's book. It's a reminder that the highest mountains are not in the Himalayas, they are inside our minds - fear, doubt, and what society says. Bachendri climbed both.

If you have this book in your hand right now, don't keep it on the shelf. Read it tonight. It will take only 30 minutes, but it will stay with you for years.

Apeksha R. Tandel

When "Lights Out" comes alive at Tonka, Honnavar

In the book Lights Out a village decides to switch off all its lights for a small sparrow. It sounds like fiction about sacrifice and kindness.

Here at Tonka-Kasarkod beach in Honnavar, Uttara Kannada, this fiction is happening for real but here, it's not for a sparrow. It's for the Olive Ridley turtle.

ALAN is deadly

ALAN is an acronym for artificial lighting at night.

1.  For mothers: Olive Ridleys nest only on dark, quiet beaches. Bright white lights from high-mast lights, harbour development and beach tourism scare the mothers away. If they feel light, they return to the sea without laying eggs.

2.  For babies: Hatchlings are born with one instinct - crawl towards the brightest light, which for millions of years was the moonlight reflecting on the sea. Today, artificial lights from the shore are brighter than the moon. The babies get disoriented, crawl towards the road and buildings, and die from exhaustion, dogs, or vehicles.

Research indicates that we must control artificial lighting along turtle nesting beaches because it disrupts hatchling orientation.

What is heartening is that the local fishermen and the forest department already understand this Lights Out philosophy. They protect the nests with green mesh, guard them from stray dogs for 45-50 days, and at night, they use dim torches to gently guide the confused hatchlings back to the sea.

Lights Out teaches us that co-existence needs sacrifice. Tonka teaches us that sacrifice is practical conservation.

If we really want to save this beach, we need planned lighting: warm amber lights instead of white Light Emitting Diode (LED), lights shielded and pointed downwards, no high-mast lights within 1 km of the nesting zone, and a complete lights-out during the nesting season from 10 PM to 4 AM.

The village in the book chose darkness to let a small bird live. Can Honnavar choose darkness to let an ancient ocean traveller live on?

This story is not just about a village in the book. Today at Tonka-Kasarkod, we need the same Lights Out for Olive Ridley turtles.

Apeksha R. Tandel

Lights Out For Sparrows!

Book Review: Lights Out

Author: Vibha Batra 

Illustrator: Sahitya Rani (Karadi Tales)

I read the book 'Lights Out' published by Karadi Tales in 2024. This book was selected for Parag Honour List 2024.

The book based on true story is about Karthik and his father who find a sparrow's nest with eggs inside an electrical junction box. If they switch on the street lights, the sparrow and her eggs will be electrocuted. If they keep the lights off, the whole village will be in darkness every night. Karthik is worried for the little bird family. He goes to the villagers and the panchayat and requests them to keep the lights switched off for a few weeks. At first, the villagers are hesitant, but Karthik's kindness and courage finally convince them. They all agree to live in darkness to save the sparrows.

This small story teaches a big lesson - sacrifice, kindness and co-existing with nature.

What I liked? I liked that the story is based on a true incident and gives a big message of kindness in simple words. The illustrations are beautiful and make us feel the darkness.

What I didn't like? The book is very short, only 36 pages. I wanted to read more about what happened after the eggs hatched.

Conclusion: 'Lights Out' is a must-read book that inspires us to protect sparrows and live with nature. I will recommend this book to all my friends.

Apeksha R. Tandel

Refugees Are Not Unwelcome People

Book Review: Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing / Riverhead Books

Illustration:  Dan Williams

Sea Prayer is a short and powerful book written by Khaled Hosseini, the famous author of The Kite Runner. This book was published in 2018 and was inspired by the true story of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian refugee boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in September 2015 while trying to reach Europe.

The story is written as a letter from a father to his son Marwan. They are on a cold, moonlit beach waiting for a small boat to take them across the sea. The father remembers their old home in Homs, Syria before the war. He remembers Marwan's mother singing, the farm full of life, and how children turned bomb craters into swimming holes. Then the war came and destroyed everything. Now they are refugees with other people from Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Eritrea and Syria. The father is scared because he knows how deep, vast and indifferent the sea is, but he holds his son's hand and prays that the sea will know that his son is a precious cargo.

What I like: I like the emotional power of this book. Even though it has only 48 pages, it tells a whole life story. The language is very simple and poetic. The watercolor illustrations by Dan Williams show both sadness and hope very beautifully. It teaches us the pain of refugees and the love of a father.

What I don't like: I feel the book is too short. I wanted to know what happened to Marwan and his father after the journey. But maybe that is the point - the journey of thousands of refugees does not have a clear ending.

Why it is my favourite: This is my favourite book because it taught me empathy. It made me understand that refugees are not unwelcome people, they are just people searching for a safe home. Also, all the money from this book goes to help refugees, which makes it even more special.

Apeksha R. Tandel

From 07 to 117: My Journey with books!

Who I Am: A Dancer with a Second World

My name is Apeksha R. Tandel and I am a choreographer. Many people know me for my dance. I love to perform on stage, I love the lights and the music. But when I come back home, I enter into another world — the world of books. I am still learning English. It is not easy, but books are making it easy for me.

The Beginning: Just 07 Books and a Big Dream

I still remember the day I started. I had only 7 books. I kept them very clean and arranged them neatly. I would read them again and again. My dream was very big; I wanted to build my own small library.

The Dream Comes True: My Library of 117 Books

And today, that dream has come true. I have 117 books! For me, a book is not just paper and ink. As I have written on my wall with my own hand: Book is my Friend, Book is my Teacher, Book is my Happiness, Book is my Everything.

My Two Precious Jewels

This journey is not mine alone. I have two kinds of jewels in my life. First is my book collection. Second is the people who made this collection possible. My family and my dear best friends they are the most important and precious jewels of my entire life. They trusted me, they encouraged me when I felt low, and they gifted me the world of knowledge.

What Books Taught Me

Every single book taught me something. One book taught me a new English word, another gave me a new thought, and another showed me a completely new world. My most favourite book is 'Sea Prayer' by Khaled Hosseini, who also wrote 'The Kite Runner'. That small book touched my heart deeply.

My New Dream: Apeksha's Reading Club

And now, a new dream has begun. I have started a small reading club named 'Apeksha's Reading Club' located at Tonka, Kasarkod, Honnavar'.

Every Saturday and Sunday, my friends and little children come to my library to read books. I tell them moral stories, and they listen with so much happiness and excitement. Seeing their smiling faces is my greatest joy.

My next dream is to induct many more new storybooks especially for children into my library, so that more children can come, read, and grow.

The Journey Continues...

From a choreographer who only knew dance steps, to a person who now lives among 117 books — this journey has taught me one thing: If you have a passion and if you have good people standing behind you, you can achieve anything.

This is not the end. My next goal is 500 books. This is just the beginning.

Apeksha R. Tandel

Fisherman: A Life of Courage and Dignity

A fisherman is not just a man with a net. He is a warrior of the sea.  

Every morning before sunrise, while the world sleeps, the fisherman wakes up. He goes to the river or the sea with hope in his heart and courage in his hands.

Fishing is not an easy job. The sea is both a mother and a teacher. Sometimes it gives a big catch. Sometimes it gives nothing. Sometimes it tests you with big waves and storms. But the fisherman never gives up. He learns patience, hard work, and faith from the water.

In villages like Tonka near Honnavar, fishing is not just a job. It is life. The father teaches the son how to steer the boat. The mother prays on the shore. The whole family lives by the rhythm of the tide.

A fisherman feeds thousands of people. Yet he asks for very little. His wealth is not in money. His wealth is in the sunrise he sees, the salt on his hands, and the respect he earns.

We must respect fishermen. They risk their lives so that we can have food on our plates.  

The dignity of a fisherman is written not in rupees, but in the waves he conquers every day.

Apeksha R. Tandel

The First Man Awake: A Fisherman’s Story

3:00 AM

The city is asleep. Streetlights are still on.  

But in the coastal villages, one house has light.  

He is already up. The first man 

No coffee machine. No commute.  

Just a flask of tea, a prayer, and a boat that’s waiting.

His name won’t be in headlines today.  

But without him, there would be no headlines about food prices tomorrow.

The Sea Doesn’t Negotiate

He checks the sky, not an app.  

His grandfather taught him: read sky in morning, take warning.  

His phone has two bars. The loan app has reminders.

He goes anyway.  

Because four people at home are counting on him.  

Because the middleman already advanced money.  

Because if he doesn’t go today, the net stays empty tomorrow.

When the sea is calm, he is a provider.  

When the sea is angry, he is a gambler with his life.  

Cyclones don’t ask for ID cards. Waves don’t care about EMIs.

The Invisible Supply Chain

By 10 AM his catch is in the market.  

By 1 PM it’s on your plate.  

From boat → auction → truck → market → hotel → you.  

Five hands touch it. He gets the smallest share.  

We talk about “food security” in AC rooms.  

He creates it with salt on his skin and sleep in his eyes.

What He’s Really Carrying

It’s not just fish.  

It’s loans.  

It’s a daughter’s school fees.  

It’s the fear that the sea will be empty for his son.  

It’s plastic in the net. It’s fuel prices. It’s rules made far from the shore.

He doesn’t ask for charity.  

He asks for 3 things:  

Respect. Fair price. A future.

 This Is Our Story Too

The fisherman is called unskilled labor in reports but he can read wind, tide, moon, and cloud.  

That’s a PhD written in experience.

The next time you scroll past news about “fisheries policy” or “marine heatwaves,”  

remember the first man who was awake.  

His struggle is not just a coastal issue.  

It’s a food issue. A climate issue. A human issue.

If his boat sinks, our food system shakes.  

If his daughter gets an education, our coast gets stronger.

Closing remarks

He leaves before we wake up.  

He risks so we can eat.  

The least we can do is see him.

He is not just a fisherman.  

He is the first man awake for all of us.

Apeksha R. Tandel