Children’s book on Gandhi launched in Pietermaritzburg
Two Kwazulu-natal authors launched their debut children’s book How to Stop a Train: The Story of How Mohandas Gandhi Became the Mahatma at the Pietermaritzburg Railway Station on Wednesday last week.
The book, by Stephanie Ebert and Kathryn Pillay, looks at Gandhi’s journey from a lawyer to an iconic champion for human rights after he was thrown off a train one day.
The book blurb states that, in his journey for equality, he taught “everyone that you can change the world without using violence”.
The authors said the book is for children to learn about South Africa’s history and a tool for parents to start conversations with their children over complex topics like injustice.
“Our dream is that by learning about people like Gandhi and what he did for South Africa, children can learn that there is something they can do when they see or experience injustice,” the authors said.
Ebert said the idea for the book came about when she brought her relatives from overseas to see the historic Pietermaritzburg Railway Station and one of them, who is a parent, asked “Where is the picture book so that I can explain to my children what happened here?”
Ebert was unsuccessful in her search for one, which prompted her to reach out to Pillay so that such a book could come into existence. Pillay, who is a sociology academic at UKZN with a background in Indian history, said she usually publishes her work in academic journals or books, but “wanted to reach a broader audience when telling stories of injustice”.
Pillay said she had wanted to reach a wider audience for a while so when she was approached by Ebert to do the book it was “an immediate yes”.
“We are finding that there was a gap in the market for this kind of literature, which not only teaches the young readers about social injustice but also teaches them what to do should they or someone they know experience discrimination.”
The book teaches children to emphatically say “no” when such unfairness occurs. “Parents teach their children to say ‘no’ when strangers approach them or say ‘no’ to physically abusive situations, we should also be teaching them to say ‘no’ to unfair treatment and making them feel they do not belong because of their skin,” said the authors.
They added that they chose to launch their book in the city on Workers’ Day as the book’s protagonist is Mahatma Gandhi, who fought for equality.
The chairperson of the Gandhi Foundation, David Gengan said he is immensely proud that the launch of the special book took place at the station, as he and his organisation have been trying to get young people to visit the museum to learn about Gandhi and South Africa’s history.