Gangamma's Gharial

by Shalini Srinivasan

'There was a swish of a tail and for the first time in more than seventy years, the bazaar at Giripuram was Gangamma-less.'
At the ripe old age of seventy-nine and a quarter, Gangamma the gardener comes across a rather unusual object-a gharial-shaped earring that can take her anywhere in the world. On her very first trip, she tries to kidnap an apple tree, only to discover that it has a guardian-a sullen twelve-year-old girl, and an unlikely friendship springs between the two.
But that's only the beginning of this story . . . or well, the middle, depending on how you look at it.
This book is no teleporter, but it will transport you (whether you're twelve or seventy-nine) to a fabulous (as in, fable-like) land of strange creatures and odd heroes, and where things are never what they seem.

Genres: Fantasy

208 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Smitha Murthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up ‘Gangamma’s Gharial.’ I was merely attracted by the book’s premise of a friendship between a 79-year-old grandmother and a teenage girl. I didn’t think I would be swept away into the land of yakshas, (I had to google what these were!), their quest for immortality, a lake of blue lotuses, a bunch of motley gardeners in an ancient temple town, a fierce chough, a sweet apple tree, and a talking earring.

Srinivasan’s Gangamma is one of the sweetest grandmas you can hope to meet. I so fell in love with this travel-lover, bad cook and totally kick-ass gardener grandma. And there was Ondu, the part-yaksha girl who is a thousand years old, and so quirky that I fell in love with her too. Ok, I have fallen in love. Period.

Utterly delectable offbeat tale.

[Swati · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is 4.5 stars.

Ah, such a fun ride this was! I was swept away into the land of yakshas (nature spirits) and blue lotuses and into the lives of Gangamma and her coterie of friends.

I reluctantly take away half a star only because it became slightly confusing towards the end. There was a lot happening and kind of overwhelming. Also, the sudden slants towards a very British way of speaking is jarring when the rest of the book is very deeply, and quite efficiently, immersed in a typical South Indian setting. Small quibbles, and perhaps only something my idiosyncratic self would notice.

A charming book on the whole!

[Monideepa Sahu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having thoroughly enjoyed this author's'Vanamala and the Cephalopod', I picked this up and braced myself for a magical, and funny, and exciting, and well... all of these, depending on how you look at things, adventure. Gangamma's magic earrings takes her anywhere she wants to go. The first place she lands up, has an apple tree. Which has a little girl for its guardian. Who is sullen at first but becomes the very old Gangamma's friend.
Jolly good fun, with adventures, friendships and more. With gangama. we see the world with fresh eyes, and have exciting experiences. The best thing about this book is the author's unique sense of fun. Sparkles in every page.
Young people from eight to eighty will love this. Highly recommended.

[Harini Gopalswami Srinivasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gangamma’s Gharial is a children’s fantasy with, strangely, a 79-year old protagonist. Gangamma is a gardener in Giripuram, a temple town in South India, famous for its gardening gods, its mild climate and its unique blue lotuses. Only three gardeners, including Gangamma, can grow the blue lotus, and the skill is jealously guarded. The sights, sounds and smells of this little town are brilliantly evoked.

One day, a gharial earring, bright eyed, toothy, and annoyingly cheerful, enters Gangamma’s life, whisking her off on the first holiday of her life. And in the Himalayas, she meets a nameless, taciturn young girl, whom she accidentally kidnaps while stealing an apple tree. Ondu, as she decides to call her new apprentice, is not quite what she seems. In her wake come mysterious beings and happenings. And as danger, tragedy, adventure and friendship overtake Gangamma, the peaceful tenor of her life is changed forever.

I love the story, and the illustrations by Archana Sreenivasan are fabulous too! And it's not just the author's doting mother who thinks so. (Yes, Shalini is my daughter. And no, Archana is not. There are a lot of us Srinivasans, but you can never have too many.) Gangamma’s Gharial has been shortlisted for the Hindu-Goodbooks award 2017.

[Shreela Sen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, eccentric adventure with an unusual heroine. The 'side-heroine' would have been a more 'usual' pick ... We Indians tend to take our mythology a tad too seriously, & miss out on the opportunity of truly fascinating mythological fiction. This novel is one of THAT rare variety. True, it does follow the 'hero's journey' monomyth, but it is rather the 2nd protagonist than the main protagonist who goes through it.
The characters are colourful & characterful (sorry if that is not a word!) & the Ghariyal itself is charming an many senses, & quite a change from typical representations. There could have been many ends to this novel, & I like the end that the author chose. Recommended for teens & adults who enjoy the occasional flight of fantasy.

[Ishita Sethi · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a very sad book .

[SWASTI MALI · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is no teleporter, but it will transport you (whether you are 12 or 79) to a fabulous (as in fable like) land of strange creatures and odd heroes, where things are never what they seem
I was swept away into the land of yakshas (google it), their quest for immortality, blue Lotuses, an ancient temple town, a fierce chough, a sweet apple tree and a talking earring.
Gangamma is a sweet, kind and caring person. She had never ever travelled in her life, but bcs of the earring she travels and the adventure begins...
It can get a little confusing in the end...
Over-all a fun readd

[Subhadra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant imagery with an Indian connection.