Ayra Cama’s Complete Works of Heart: Poems for Children. Published in 2024 by Birch Books, 12th floor, Sun Paradise Business Plaza, B Wing, C. S. No 1/456 (Part), Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, opposite Kamala Mills, Bombay 400013. Pp: xiii + 189. Price: Rs 400.
"But finally at this ripe old age
The book has finally got off to a start,
I hope folks, you enjoy my last hurrah,
As I publish my Complete Works of Heart.”
And with these lines Ayra Cama opens her heart to hundreds of children waiting to recite from these warm, witty and wise poems. Most of the verses are from the point of view of children; others, obviously the voice of an older mentor, teach gently, with fun and a sense of humor. Cama deals with a variety of subjects: education, reading habits, parents and children, the importance of family and friends, respect for our national leaders, and attitudes towards others, particularly the importance of tolerance to those who are different from us.
Ayra Cama: sensitive stanzas
Some of my favorite ones are those that talk about familial relationships, between parents and children and between siblings. My Momster cleverly puns on the idea of mom being a monster, who is strict and allows no indulgences of food or toys; the child longingly eyes his friends’ IPads, has tantrums, but to no avail…until, in the last stanza, the child grudgingly realizes that mother is right, and that "when I have kids to bring up,/I also intend to be a meanie.” There’s the child who is jealous of his newly born sibling, "the silly whimpering brat,” but realizes that she is rather "cute,” and that, given time, he could learn to love her. The wise poem Not so Different After All, written from the point of view of a little girl, sees her at loggerheads with her brother, always quarrelling about toys, conscious of differences, until she finally sees him playing with her blue-eyed doll.
Grandmothers are to be loved and cherished, whether living far away, or are close by; parents, though no saints, make the child realize the importance of discipline and love. The Poet in My Family takes a self-deprecatory look at the poet’s own work… "Some poems were cheesy,/ And some a tad too long,” says the grandchild, but feels she should be reciting them, as these are grandma’s "heartfelt poems,” written with love and diligence. There are also the cautionary poems for parents, written from the point of view of the child. In the highly competitive world of today, the poor bewildered child is forced to be a high achiever, with little time for fun; s/he asks the parents to "Give us some time to get to know you,/ And have some of the fun you had.”
In keeping with the politically correct mood of the day, Fairy Tales Indeed! explores fairy tales and nursery rhymes that were popular in the past, but which had a negative effect on children who "were a generation petrified.” As a result, the author resolves to "write happier tales” to delight her young readers. Poems on Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru exhort children to emulate their qualities of sacrifice and dedication; Female Education talks of the importance of women’s education, and Cast Your Castes Away advises young people to remember the importance of all religions, to make no distinctions of caste and creed, "So another 9/11 there never will be.” Even the poems that obviously preach a message about honesty, or the importance of choosing good friends, or the virtue of showing gratitude, are never boring or moralistic, as the jaunty (if somewhat predictable) rhythm carries their meaning with a lightness of touch.
This review would be incomplete without a mention of Nekzad Dhunjibhoy’s illustrations. They complement the poems with skill and humor. Whether it’s the grandchild reciting grandma’s poems with aplomb while benign granny looks on with approval, or an avid group of mainly bespectacled people watching television, or even an overgrown, hirsute boy/man holding a dazed and squashed mother with an empty nest on her head, the illustrations leap out of the pages with a life of their own.
So do go and get yourselves a copy of this delightful volume. Your children and grandchildren will love you for it… and you will thoroughly enjoy the experience as well!
SHIREEN VAKIL
Vakil has taught English literature and language for 36 years at the Elphinstone and Sophia Colleges. She has done a PhD on the poetry of Seamus Heaney.