Yamuna
Yamuna
JONAKI DREAMS; BLOWING IN THE WIND by Aditi Ghosh Manan Books, Urja Series, 2019, 20 pp., 200
November 2019, volume 43, No 11

Both books talk about renewable energy. The main characters in both stories are school going siblings Puhor and his elder sister Ushmi, and the stories take place in Kuwaritol, Assam. Books evokes sentiments akin to Ruskin Bond stories, aptly capturing the nuances and beauty of the remote locale and scenic Kaziranga jungle. It also captures the travails and simple joys of the people living in such villages.

Jonaki Dreams, (jonaki being the Assamese word for fireflies) is a beautiful story about Puhor, who is a budding inventor and who always thinks outside the box. Due to his father’s influence, Puhor is handy with tools and enjoys creating many things one of which is a stationary cycle which when pedalled gives light or can run small electric appliances. As the story goes, a science fair was to be held at Sonitpur District school where students from all over India were to come and share stories about renewable energy and also see the display of Suraj Enterprise’s brand new solar lamps. En route to this fair, while cycling in the dark forest with his sister, Puhor thinks of a unique idea where ‘Jonakis’ could be collected and kept in jonaki houses inside each street lamp which will eliminate the need for electricity! At the fair, Ushmi wins a surprise competition, a naming contest, when she suggests the name ‘Jonaki’ for the newly launched solar lamps. The kids receive a solar lamp with its own solar battery charger as a prize. Post this, the children and villagers rush to the open air cinema to watch a new Assamese movie and to meet the VIP celebrity Labita who was a renowned Assamese heroine. However, when the electricity as well as the generators fail to work, Puhor, with the help of twenty young boys and girls ride his power generating cycles to keep the cinema projector and fans running, thus saving face for the theatre owner and saving the day for everybody else.

Continue reading this review