Baloo’s Big Win(The Magic Makers) by Mamta Nainy, illustrated by Saumya Oberoi
My take on the book:
Palwankar Baloo was born in 1875 in Dharwad in a family of leather workers, who are considered low caste and treated as untouchables. As a kid, his mother woke him up one hour before sunrise to draw water from the nearby well. He had to wake up before the residents of the colony to fetch water as the colony residents looked at him like a ghost, if he got delayed.
As he watched men play at the Poona cricket club, Baloo was attracted to ball and stumps. When he found a discarded bat and ball, he along with his brothers and neighboring kids started playing cricket. Slowly Baloo started assisting the men at the cricket club, and when they asked him to throw balls for practice, Baloo gradually learnt to bowl.
Baloo’s excellence at bowling spread far and wide and soon he was invited to play for a Hindu club. But the caste discrimination followed him everywhere; will his skill outshine his caste and what Baloo did as a pioneer for caste discrimination and eradicate untouchability forms the rest of the book.
This is true story of a young boy from a family considered as outcastes because of their profession, in pre-Independence era, who reached great heights as a bowler. Baloo had overcome many hurdles starting from securing a place in a cricket team through sheer hard work to questioning the inequality he faced and how he helped spread awareness on caste restricting a person’s growth and being denied equal rights.
The backdrop of pre-independence India also highlights how the English men were in awe by Baloo’s unique talent as a bowler but his fellow countrymen could never look at him beyond his caste. The author portrays Baloo’s struggle in a sensible manner; the illustrations are impeccable and narrate the story, even capturing Baloo’s emotions.
Caste discrimination and untouchability are real issues in our country and though as a society with have come far from earlier days, because of effort by many wonderful leaders, it is still prevalent in many parts, even today. The author’s attempt at narrating a true story with a powerful message for young minds is commendable. The backdrop of cricket which is a famous sport also helps the story to connect to young readers.
Overall, Baloo’s big win is a must read for its message and for highlighting an important social issue.
My rating:
4/5.