Kanmani and Co - Together, we can!
- srinivasanarchana2
- Feb 24
- 2 min read
“Brighter days are ahead”, “ the light is coming” We live in an era where we dream of living forward. Days focused on shaping our tomorrows, but there were days when every day felt like a discovery, and days when we lived for simple pleasures, and we call them our good old days. Lalitha Ramanathan transports us to those days through a fictional tale called Kanmani and Co.
Kanmani’s life was content in Maaripuram (a fictional village in South India) with her best friend Seetha and her grandparents, who love annoying each other. While her parents moved to Chennai for work, Kanmani stayed back with her grandparents.
Kanmani had many exciting things to be grateful for, including the beginning of a new school year, riding her bicycle to school, and looking forward to English period, her favourite subject. The things that brought her the most joy were teaching her Paati (grandmother) how to put her signature, helping her with little household tasks, and roaming around Maaripuram with her friends. The fact that she would eventually have to go back to Chennai to be with her parents was the only thing that had troubled her.
Kanmani's two-person team grows to five when Subru, Sreejith, and Palani join her and Seetha. On top of that, they adopt Varam, the black cat. Without her paati's knowledge, Kanmani brings Varam to her house and keeps him in a storeroom since paati says, 'In our village, black cats are bad luck!'
In ten short stories, the author describes how Kanmani and crew work together to tackle everyday adventures and turn ordinary days into memorable ones.
I believe the reader's interpretation or comprehension of the story is more important than the message it conveys. According to me, the key life lesson that the story imparts to the reader is that “We always rise by lifting others”.Although the five of them are unique, their support for one another unites them.
Simple yet beautiful illustrations bring the story to life. They make the story more engaging by bringing the fictional village of Maaripuram and the characters before our eyes.
Kanmani and co is all about friendship, curiosity and the importance of community. Readers of all ages who appreciate heartwarming, nostalgic tales that are full of humour and adventure should definitely read this.
Like the way Subru says “ one needs food for thought”, one needs to read the book to find out whether Kanmani returned to her parents or not. So snag your copy before it’s gone.
.
Comments