“A lot of times, society places barriers on us and our creativity, forcing us not to think outside the norm. But, when someone stands up against these norms and breaks down those barriers and says that true happiness comes when you do what you love most, that story and that person becomes an inspiration. for others. And, that’s why I decided to tell the story of 96-year-old Karthyayani Amma as an illustrated children’s book,” said Michelin-starred chef, filmmaker, and author. Vikas Khanna said when releasing the book. Barefoot Queen on Children’s Day — also his 51st birthday.
Published by Bloomsbury, Barefoot Queen revolves around the remarkable journey of Karthayani Amma, who never went to school as a girl, finally got the chance to go to school at the age of 96.
Hailing from Haripad in Alappuzha district, Kerala, Karthyayani Amma sweeps the streets outside the temples in her village to earn a living and raise six children. But she still dreams of going to school.
At the age of 96, she was the oldest of 43,330 candidates taking the Aksharalaksham exam, the fourth standardized equivalency exam, and surprised the nation by topping the literacy test conducted by the Kerala government, achieved an excellent score of 98/100. -run Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority certified her score as a record.
In 2019, Karthayani Amma became a Commonwealth Academic Goodwill Ambassador. She was also awarded Nari Shakti Puraskar by President Ram Nath Kovind on Women’s Day in March 2020. However, Amma has no intention of stopping anytime soon. She plans to complete the equivalent 10th grade when she turns 100.
Honor your grandparents
Barefoot Empress borrows its title from the Khanna-directed documentary about the inspirational life of Karthyayani Amma. The film has won several critics’ awards and is in the race for an Oscar. So why is Khanna interested in releasing it as a children’s book?
“The idea for the book came about almost a year and a half ago when I narrated the story of Karthyayani Amma to my two nieces, Ojaswi and Saumya, introducing them to how she lived and all that she did. To want is to be educated,” said Khanna.
While promoting the documentary in the US and telling the story to a wider audience, Khanna wondered what the children would think of it and the elders, who must have had a dream but couldn’t fulfill it. , would think. Somewhere, Khanna also thought of her grandmother, who had not had the opportunity to get an education.
“I also want to tell children who are educated as a privilege to cherish it as an opportunity. With this in mind, I contacted Bloomsbury, who immediately liked the idea. So this book is very important to me,” said Khanna.
Khanna’s first meeting with Amma, he said, was magical. “I read about her and she looks bigger in the picture sent to me, but in real life she is much smaller. Even so, she looks beautiful and strong. She only speaks Malayalam, although I can pick out a few words because I know a little Kannada. But, just being there felt like standing in the presence of a goddess. In the poster, I used her image as a reflection of a goddess. Her simplicity, determination and humility… I admire her so much,” he said.
The more he read about her, the more he became interested in the idea of making a movie about Kartyayani Amma’s. “I know it’s a beautiful and inspiring story, but what I find really special about Amma is her intelligence and childlike innocence. Things like the lucky pencil she found in the temple, her confusion about math… all of these things are very childlike. Having that will to get out of bed to learn something new, go to school every day, get up at 3 a.m. to review each lesson and get 98% on the exam—all of this is so inspiring, especially at that age,” said Khanna.
It’s never too late
Khanna finally decided to make a movie about Karthyayani Amma when she told him, ‘A lot of times you live a life pleasing others, but society puts you to shame. I don’t want to do that anymore.’
“That realization came to her at the age of 96, and she told her teacher that she wanted to learn if the teacher was willing to teach her. That in itself is a great thing,” he said. “Sometimes, I think that’s why God gives me this platform—to use it as a vehicle to tell the world about people like Karthayani Amma, to tell the world the story of resilience. and determination.”
With the release of the book, Khanna hopes to inspire children and make them respect and understand elders more. “Children’s books leave a strong impression on children’s minds. They almost immortalized the stories. That was my main motivation—making Amma’s life accessible to children, showing them the value of elders, telling them to respect elders and fulfill their wishes, because most of their time is spent fulfilling our wishes,” he said.
He is very happy and excited not only because the book is released but also because the documentary is doing so well on the circuit that has just been released on YouTube to cater to a wider audience.
“It took me four years to make this documentary and to get to know and understand Amma, her passion and mind. It is produced by Oscar nominee Doug Roland and currently Dr Deepak Chopra has also joined as executive producer. A lot of moviegoers have called me and said that they have returned home and asked their grandmothers about their greatest wish. One guy said that his grandmother always talked about wanting to play the sitar but also said that she can’t play at this age. So he told her the story of Karthayani Amma and told her it was never too late to fulfill her dream,” laughs Khanna.
“When a reel inspires real life, that is truly a filmmaker’s greatest mission. The book is a love letter so you never give up on your dreams. It tells readers that you are never too old to follow your passion,” he added.
From HT Brunch, December 3, 2022
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