Songs of Freedom Series That Year At Manikol

Madras 1944While World War II rages in Europe and the Japanese army draws closer to India Raji and her sisters are sent off with their mother to stay in Manikoil her mother's family village. But with her brother now a soldier in the British Indian Army and refugees fleeing from Malaya Burma and other eastern countries back to India Manikoil is no longer the peaceful haven it once was. And while there is hope of Independence in the air Raji is uncertain whether it will come to pass-and what it will truly mean for her and her family.The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence. Review Despite being individual tales the two books serendipitously pose several similar questions. Both Sakina and Raji find themselves judging their role in it all and whether they agree with the adults that surround them. Like Sakina Raji too battles with the idea of what is right in the face of potential freedom. Her war-enlisted brother thinks that the freedom promised to them at the end of the war is inevitable but everyone else says it is not their war to fight. When it comes to Aditi's story it is difficult not to well up while reading the letters Gopu anna writes to Raji from the war front. Interestingly some sentences are struck off (while still legible) by the 'Military Censor'. Such a small addition adds great depth to the words and what they mean for the family. -- The New Indian Express ―For the children of freedom Published On 2022-02-10 About the Author As a child Aditi greatly enjoyed sports and once outswam a porpoise. She later had a chequered career that included working as a pet food taster. In her downtime she enjoys long-distance running and partying with her friends on Friday nights. Just kidding. It's all fiction just like her books.Aditi Krishnakumar works in the finance industry in Singapore where she lives with her husband and daughter. She won the Scholastic Asian Book Award in 2016.