PREFACE TO A CHILD'S FANTASY WORLD (Yet untitled)

PREFACE

A CHILD'S FANTASY WORLD (Yet untitled)

I have completed my fourth book ‘The Diary of Mrityunjay’ but have held up its publication till such time the present situation shows a semblance of heading towards normalcy. Meanwhile, I started work on my fifth book (as yet untitled) to keep a promise I made my grandson that I shall write a book for him. So here I am attempting a genre that I have never attempted ‘Children’s Fantasy’, and let me confess that I find it difficult. But I feel it slowly growing on me and it is enchanting. It is my habit to give my readers a peek at what they can expect. I am not giving anything away for I myself am not sure what will unfold in the pages to follow. It is as much a suspense to me, but the peek I promised is through the PREFACE. So please read on-

There is a whole world out there. A world that gives us refuge, even if it is for a short time, from the drudgery of our present life in this present world: an alternate universe that takes us away to a land of magic and chivalry where mythical creatures come alive. The more I think about it, the more I feel pulled into that world. All it needs us is to take that step forward and cross the boundary we have drawn to limit our imaginations. It’s people who ventured to dream and took the plunge into this realm who have given rise to great fantasy literature like ‘The Lord of the Rings’, ‘Harry Potter’, and their ilk? Now we have numerous authors and numerous books that take us to this world and we like it. During the time when we read the book or see the movie, we live there. Even as an adult these books have fascinated us and the possible existence of another dimension starts taking shape in our minds.   So, the truth is we like fantasy, which has been the preserve of every child. We want to be that child again.

The earliest I can remember are the fantasy world of the Indian epics and Greek mythology. I found myself plunging into the world of gods and demons and of retribution and rewards, Hanuman the monkey god and the avatars and exploits of Vishnu and Shiva. I have traveled along with Ulysses on his voyages or with Jason and the Argonauts, the land of Cyclops the one-eyed giants, Scylla and Charybdis, the Greek Gods Zeus and the others residing in Olympia. The dragons happened later and the dinosaurs still later, while the former still remains mythical, Dinosaurs have been documented to be real and extinct, recreated from the fossils found at various places around the world. They once walked on this earth, and that is why movies like the Jurassic Park, which transport us to an era long gone by, a lost world, appeal to us.

From a toddler fascinated by a puppy or a kitten, waving his hands in glee, to a four-year-old chasing and feeding goats, sheep and geese in the Grant’s Farm, slowly moving on to the zoo, looking at the wild animals behind enclosures with a sense of awe and anticipation, the child goes through the entire gamut of growing up, to understanding that all this is part of his world. This perhaps is his first glance at the wonders of nature. A natural progression to the land of fantasy through books completes his world: a world of reality and imagination. While the natural world helps to understand and develop a relationship with the environment, the fantasy world stimulates imagination and creativity. A  balanced development of both is absolutely necessary for molding personality. It is sad that we have moved away into a cloistered world where our children grow up behind walls, busy with their gadgets and innovations. Should they be deprived of a childhood of pure joy and innocence? Progress and development are necessary for the world to move on, and I will be the first to say that the present generation is smarter, independent, more informed, and innovative. But are they as empathetic, and understanding as they need to be? Do they have the time? Much of the environment has been destroyed and polluted; the price we have paid for the development. Forests have been cut down and the rivers have dried up, animals are slowly turning into endangered species; the repercussions of which will be felt by the generations to come.

There is no limit to human imagination as mythology has shown us. It has fed and nurtured our growing up years. Memories of a childhood that has remained buried deep in our psyche, sometimes appear as fleeting moments, not nostalgia, but déjà vu, an overwhelming sense of familiarity, of having been there. But how does one sustain that moment, an ache that grows as you age? How does one dig out that childhood? Well, I realized that it takes a child to do that to you.

That’s what my grandson did to me. He took me along to a world of his own and helped me discover mine.