There are two sides to Datta Damodar Naik
from Margao. He is one of Goa’s leading entrepreneurs and a Sahitya Akademi
award winner as a writer. After writing several books in Konkani and Marathi,
Datta has written his first book in English. The book, for children, is titled,
‘Uncommon Wealth – A Modern Day Panchatantra’. The book, which is gaining
momentum in sales across Goa, has been published by Frederick Noronha of Goa
1556. Jose Lourence has edited the book while Eddie Lourence and Bina Naik have
worked on the beautiful illustrations.
‘Uncommon Wealth – A Modern Day Panchatantra’ features 36 stories about animals, birds, fishes and even great personalities like Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda with beautiful illustrations and a moral behind every story. “I decided to write this book in English to appeal to children who may not be well conversant with Konkani and Marathi. I have named my book ‘Uncommon Wealth’ because not only common sense is important in life; uncommon sense is equally important. Uncommon Wealth is imaginative thinking to find innovative solutions to simple and complex problems in life.”
He found inspiration to write the book in his grand nieces, Natasha and Khushi, who are also featured in the book. “I have three grand children, Rehaan, Ranvir and Raina whom I tell stories to. My daughter suggested that I should pen down these stories for the benefit of all the children,” adds Datta.
Being an adult, it is sometimes difficult to think like a child and it gets even more challenging when it comes to writing for them. Datta overcame this challenge through his experience. “A story with a moral is the only way to activate parts in the child’s brain so that they turn the story into their own idea and experience. Age and skill level play a very important role when writing the content. You want it to be comprehensible but not overly loaded with words that are beyond his or her range. I enjoy the combination of simplicity and depth that I find in children which I strive to capture in my books,” says Datta.
Is it easy to attract children to reading in this technology driven age? Datta replies, “The explosion of information technology and electronic gadgets has adversely affected the reading habit. Parents and teachers should have a good approach in motivating the child’s need to inculcate the reading habit right from childhood. When children do not learn to read, their general knowledge, their spelling and writing abilities and their vocabulary development suffer. There are means to make reading fun for children. The story itself needs to be very interesting. Stories are frozen collective wisdom. After reading a story, the moral of the story is subconsciously imbibed in the minds of children.”
Datta is presently working on another book. “I have thought of a plot of about 16 stories and I may start writing in about three months. I have to write at least 32 to 36 stories for publishing a new book. The title I have in mind is ‘Grandma’s tales’.”
To conclude, his message for young readers is, “When we read, we read in silence and the black print on a white page is much less stressful for our eyes and brains. We have to teach children not only to read, but to grasp the true meaning of what is written, the role it can play in their personal lives and in the society they live in.”
The book is reasonably priced at Rs 100 and is available at all leading bookstalls in Goa as well as Monginis Cake shops across the state.