Jamlo Walks (Penguin Random House India), chronicles this heartbreaking journey, while holding a mirror to society. Written by Delhi-based filmmaker-writer Samina Mishra, illustrated by Tarique Aziz and designed by Devangana Dash, the narrative also zooms into the socio-economic divides that exist across strata. For parents with the means to facilitate e-learning for their children, every day is just another day for the kids to wake up to online school. But what do Andoram and Sukamati, who lost Jamlo, their only child, wake up to?

Writing this book wasn’t a conscious call for Mishra. She put pen to paper out of the sheer need to “say something” in response to the grim reality. “I chose to look at the inner world of Jamlo as well as other children, who are more middle-class, in the contexts of the Zoom classroom and the domestic help not being able to work, for instance.”

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Samina Mishra

Mishra hopes that young readers will resonate with the story. While accounts of struggle often get whitewashed in the name of bravery, Jamlo Walks is a pertinent reminder that there is a whole lot in this country that needs fixing. And Mishra explains, “We know everything is broken now but we all have a role to play in fixing it. You’ll fix it if you become the policymaker but you’ll also fix it with who you vote for. We cannot give up on possibility and hope.”