Vikas Khanna's Barefoot Empress is a one-time read, says 12-year-old boy

The book has been illustrated by Aaryama Somayaji

The multi-hyphenate Vikas Khanna's latest offering is a children's illustrated book, Barefoot Empress (Bloomsbury, Rs 299), based on a short film of the same name that he made earlier this year.

The book, as in the film, revisits the real-life story of the remarkable Karthyayani Amma, from Haripad in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, who swept the streets outside temples in her village for a living. At the age of 96, she became the oldest among 43,330 candidates to have appeared for the Aksharalaksham test, a class IV equivalent examination. Karthyayani wowed the entire country by topping the literacy examination conducted by the Kerala government, scoring 98 out of 100, a record certified by the state-run Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority (KSLMA). Karthyayani Amma, who is now determined to complete Class X before she turns 100, has motivated many, including the chef, filmmaker and author Khanna to revisit her story in multiple formats, including the just-released text, illustrated by artist Aaryama Somayaji.

Vikas Khanna and Keyaan Akhtar

Reviewing the book for mid-day, 12-year-old Mira Road resident Keyaan Akhtar, a student of Class VII, said what struck him most was how "inspiring" Karthyayani Amma's journey was. "I didn't know about her," he shares, "until I read Barefoot Empress. It's also what I loved most about this story... she was forced to marry at a young age, but she didn't give up. It reminds us that it's never too late to pursue one's dreams."

He adds that since the book is meant for a younger audience, "the art style is perfect. It immediately grabs the reader's attention". "The story [by Khanna] is short, and could have actually fit into fewer pages. But his grand vision for the book, which is making it illustration-heavy, makes it seem fatter than usual." While Keyaan felt that the illustrations depicted Karthyayani Amma's circumstances to the T, and will have younger readers absorbed, one of his pet peeves was that the "facial details of the protagonist were missing". "It made me difficult to imagine what Karthyayani looked like."

Keyaan himself finished reading the book in "three minutes flat", telling us that's only because he is a fast reader. "Otherwise, it would take about 20 minutes to complete it." But that's also what he thinks is a drawback. "It ends as quickly as it begins. This is a one-time read."

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