NWfC Book Review - Banian Buddies - Azim Premji University

When an author intentionally misspells ‘banyan’ (the tree) as ‘banian’ (the undershirt) and makes it the title of her book, the reader is in for either a series of lame cringe jokes or a thrill-a-minute chucklefest. Thankfully, Vibha Batra delivers the latter.

A play on the phrase ‘chaddi buddies’ (childhood best friends), Banian Buddies puts together two kids who are the polar opposites of pals. The girl, Kannalmozhi, is a hard-nosed fruit vendor on Banian Tree Avenue and has no chill for anybody messing with her business, be they local goons or interfering boys. She goes to school during the day and runs the stall in the evening when her mother visits her father at the hospital. The boy, Venky, is an obsessive list-maker who lives in an apartment on Banian Tree Avenue. All he wants is a peaceful and quiet existence with his potted plants inside his house. However, the vendors are noisy and their customers create commotion and confusion when they park their vehicles haphazardly. Further, Venky locks horns with Kannalmozhi every day because her rooster startles him by crowing at random times.

Venky desperately wants the vendors gone, no matter how convenient having them right outside might be. And so, when two corporation officials, named Helmet and Lollipop, come to clear them out of the street, Venky feels like his prayers have been answered. But his joy is short-lived when he discovers the real reason for their action. Suddenly, he and everyone else on Banian Tree Avenue are at risk of permanently losing their quiet street and the large banyan tree that gave their street its name. Worse, Venky harbours a guilty secret that all this is happening because of something he did.

Meanwhile, Kannalmozhi is scrabbling. The great revolutionary Tamil poet Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi once declared “Rowthiram Pazhagu” or “practice righteous anger” against the injustices and oppression one sees. He would be proud of Kannalmozhi, who refuses to go without a fight. Thrown together with her arch-irritant Venky, she consistently tries out various strategies to thwart the corporation’s plan, even getting a celebrity involved at one point. Along the way, they are forced to deal with the frustrating ineptitude and indifference that adults bestow upon the matters that are important to children. Finally, though, their efforts ensure that even the adults can no longer sit by quietly. And Kannalmozhi and Venky not only discover common ground, they also experience the kind of friendship that can only be forged by going through something life-defining together.

Banian Buddies deserves to be read aloud. Alliterations abound and homophone-based jokes run riot from the very first page. Also, top marks to the author for gorgeous character naming. For instance, Kannalmozhi the girl, Tandoori the rooster, Chamathu the stray cat and Manimekelai Miss the teacher.

The straightforward plot hurtles along at a frenetic pace. The book delivers what it promises and it does it well. There aren’t any unnecessary plot twists or side tracks that slow or weigh it down. The font is large with occasional flourishes, and you’ll forgive the few typos. The illustrations by Isha Nagar are lively and chuckle-inducing. The story is set in Chennai and is flavoured with the city’s culture, but anyone anywhere who reads it should easily relate to it. The 7 – 10-year-old reader for whom the book is suggested will probably devour it before dinner.

Banian Buddies is about getting involved with one’s street and making a difference to one’s neighbourhood. The resolution, especially, is beautifully simple and entirely believable. It is possible that readers (children and adults both) may feel inspired to cast a keen eye on their own immediate surroundings, either to take action or to write about. All said and done, this is the greatest thing that any little book can achieve.

Under the Banian Tree

Future Tense