Much of the children’s literature we read in Bengali today has its origins in Sandesh (yes, like the sweet!), a magazine that was started by the writer and painter Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury in the early 1900s and then revived in the 1960s by his great-grandson Satyajit Ray. Mahasweta Devi, who is known more widely as an activist and a writer of social realist fiction, revealed another side to her when she contributed whimsical fiction for children to Sandesh. Translated by Paramita Banerjee and published by Seagull Books, Our Non-Veg Cow and Other Stories brings together ten of her delightful short stories for children. 

Narrated by the author as a young girl named Khuku, most of the stories in this book take place in her childhood home, which is inhabited by eccentric family members and a variety of pets. In the first few pages, we meet the household cow Nyadosh, who loves to eat fish-fry and is adept at climbing stairs. This sets the tone for the stories that follow: each filled with wonder and wry humour, blurring the line between reality and fantasy. We meet Khuku’s impractical parents, shake our heads at the antics of her eccentric brother Phaglu, and become familiar with the house where hens start laying eggs in every corner they can find, including the folds of a mosquito net. 

The cast of characters, including a whole bunch of ghosts, come not only from Bengal’s woods and forests, but also from South Asian folklore, history, and urban legend. When we meet Chittu, a helpful being who can turn into a pebble as well as a mongoose, we wonder if the character emerged from the author’s own worries about the future of the earth. Chittu says to readers: You came and we lost our rivers, our forests — everything. 

True to Mahasweta Devi’s spirit, her stories evoke empathy and awareness but are never boring or overbearing. I particularly enjoyed the story ​‘All-Alone’, where an otherworldly creature named ​‘All-Alone’ visits those who are lonely. When the story’s protagonist is bored watching television by himself in his house, he is visited by All-Alone. The boy and All-Alone have a free-wheeling conversation, and slowly the boy’s boredom is replaced by curiosity, laughter, and a sense of companionship. The humorous interaction made me smile and long for my old imaginary friends. 

The stories in this book often centre around ordinary plants, animals, and even vegetables, but through Mahasweta Devi’s lively storytelling, they are rendered extraordinary. There is a twinge of nostalgia that one feels reading Khuku’s anecdotes. I wished for simpler times where we (no matter our age) could be bored to the point of switching off our TVs and revelling in our own imagination instead, inventing friends and having full conversations with our pets, rather than scrolling endlessly on our phones to keep ennui at bay. 

Sparkling with magical moments of childhood, this book captures the joy of co-existing with all kinds of natural beings, even within the concreteness of a city. The Seagull edition has a charming introduction by another great Bengali writer, Nabaneeta Deb Sen, which makes the volume even more special. The book would make for a delightful gift for young readers, especially those who enjoy reading with the adults in their lives. Adults too would enjoy reliving the whimsies of childhood through these stories.