It’s November and we can’t believe how fast time has flown this year! We hope you had a lovely festive season. We are pleased to present to you the November 2014 issue of Spark on the theme ‘Childhood’. The word childhood evokes fond memories and the joys that a child can bring while also making one ponder about parenting, particularly in today’s world. This issue presents many of these perspectives to you, dear reader, including an interview with children’s author Anu Kumar and a Social Lens feature on providing therapy to Child Sexual Abuse survivors. Click here to access the November 2014 issue on the e-reader, ISSUU.
Anu Kumar, Author, talks to Anupama Krishnakumar on what it means to be a children’s author, including what fascinates her about writing for children, what’s the sort of research that goes into her books, who her favourite children’s authors are and what’s her favourite from her own body of work. Plus there is a beautiful reading list that she recommends for children too.
SOCIAL LENS | Therapy for child sexual abuse survivors is an aspect often ignored when it comes to responding to abuse. Shreya Sen, with the Therapeutic Intervention team at Arpan, an organization that works to prevent child sexual abuse, talk about the various ways therapy can help heal.
A mother’s fashion accessories become a little girl’s source of fascination and temptation. Fashionista is the fashion (mis)adventure of that child. Shloka Shankar captures it in a poem.
Big-eyed, looking ahead or focused… children are just curious! Maheswaran Sathiamoorthy captures the curiosity through his lens.
A wristwatch from childhood, bought under rather strange circumstances, continues to hold a special place, even though many costlier and flashier watches make their way into the narrator’s life. M. Mohankumar’s poem is a tribute to that wristwatch.
A girl of nine joins a Boarding school, and enters a whole new world, something so different from the sheltered life she lived. Vinita Agrawal recounts her experiences of childhood.
A ruler catches a little girl’s eye. Now how can she get her hands on one? Vani Viswanathan tells a story of longing, tantrums and a child’s relationship with her parents.
A visit to her childhood home brings back memories of innocence, fun and carefree days. Latha Sakhya pens a poem on the journey down memory lane.