CHIKKA

Miss Nirodi knew a child like Chikka when she was a child in India, so she writes out of an authentic background of place and people. Chikka was ten, eager to see the world, to find adventure, so he ran away from his small village and went to Banglore. Overwhelmed by the contrast to village life, he seeks employment and gets a job as houseboy in a generous, spirited family. Their kindness and understanding gave him a chance to grow in knowledge. He learned to cook, to do housework, to read, even to speak English, ad best of all he had a chance to go to school. A sensitively written story, but one could wish the rich background had been more fully realized.