The telugu archive posted about a couple of books recently - Noppi Doctor (pain doctor) and bulli matti illu (small mud house). She said “Children...now found themselves within reach of the beautiful and indulgent illustrations, distinct aesthetics and surprisingly affordable Soviet children books”
I woke up to see this post and while I got super excited looking at the pictures, I did not expect the description. I grew up with these books! My mother still tells me stories about how much I loved Noppi Doctor and how much they hated the fact that they had to keep narrating the same story over and over to me. In my defense, it is a great story! It is a story about a doctor who can heal pain, whether for a butterfly which broke its wing or for a young boy trapped in a dungeon. The doctor traveled across the world, in ships, through forests, helping monkeys and two headed-zebras and imprisoned prisoners. The hard bound book was filled with beautiful illustrations that had maps of the world, sharks, dolphins and of course the doctor. No wonder I wanted to become a doctor in my childhood!
However, I was today years old (which is 25 years old) when I found out that these books and many others were part of a cultural and literary exchange between India and Russia. The minute I saw that post, I jumped out of bed, ran to my parents and exclaimed to them “What is this! You never told me about this!” My amma of course immediately understood what had happened. Their generation saw the transition from Chandamama to Noppi Doctor, I was just born after these books were part of popular culture in the Telugu community. I saw it as yet another book. My nanna got up from the bed, immediately walked to the book shelf and brought my old, tattered copy of Noppi Doctor, It was just like I remembered it! Yellow with so many pictures.
While they both responded to whatsapp messages and folded clothes (the usual morning routine, duh!). They talked about Raduga Publications and the vans that went from village to village to make books accessible to children. How the Soviet Bhumi magazine and calendar were great to cover school books with. We remembered how going to Visalandhra book house was a treat for me and my little brother, which was made possible by how affordable these books were. The entire morning was spent in nostalgia, but it suddenly struck me that so much of it was history. A history that probably I would not have known about, if not for the Telugu archive’s post. A history which I never questioned despite knowing that my favourite childhood book’s author is Corney Chekovesky - A name, that if I see now, I would have probably asked questions about. I would have asked how a Russian person knows Telugu or more importantly - Why?
The reason I wanted to write this piece is, firstly, to make myself think about all the times that, as a kid or a teenager, I witnessed history without knowing about it and may be, urge you to do the same. Secondly as a promise to myself to stop and think about the privilege I have in safely witnessing things like the literary and cultural exchange between Vijayawada and Moscow - safely, from the arms of my parents. Finally to tell you all that if you want to re-read Noppi Doctor, or Bulli matti illu, I have both of them and I would love to do it together!
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