Raaga's Song
A Diwali Story
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- $179.00
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- $179.00
Descripción editorial
For fans of Sugar in Milk and Festival of Colors, this celebration of the Diwali holiday is interwoven with an empowering folktale that teaches the importance of being true to oneself.
Raaga has always dreamed of singing at the annual Diwali mela at the Royal Place. Ever since she was a little girl, her grandfather would tell her the story of how Lord Rama and his army slew the ten-headed demon Ravana (the story for which Diwali is celebrated today). While young Raaga has always suffered from stage fright, the more Raaga practices with her grandfather, the larger her audience grows, like her own little army.
When the day of the audition comes, Raaga takes to the stage in front of her family and friends. But the ten judges tower over her like Ravana and taunt her: "You are the color of a moonless night," one says. "Can you really sing?" It will take all of Raaga's courage and the support of her "army" to summon the strength of Lord Rama and prove them wrong.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a modern folktale about courage, Chhabria leans into the Hindu mythology that underpins celebrations of Diwali across India. Vocalist Raaga, whose name means "melody," loves singing for birds and for her grandfather, and she has always dreamed of singing at the palace's annual Royal Diwali mela. But having been teased "for being too dark and too young," she freezes each time she tries to audition. Her grandfather compares her efforts with tales of Lord Rama, who practiced until he was skilled enough as a marksman to battle 10-headed demon Ravana: "Lord Rama was brave, but he also had people who helped and believed in him," Baba says. Taunted on the day of the audition by 10 older judges, portrayed with lighter skin, Raaga draws on her community and her faith—she hears her cheering loved ones and thinks of the moment Lord Rama released the arrow—to prove everyone wrong. Paired with a telling that explores prejudice and self-determination, colorblock art employs Indian iconography and folk art forms using a minimal, contrasting palette. Ages 4–8.
