Premlata and the Festival of Lights

by Rumer Godden, Ian P. Andrew (Illustrator)

The magic of India comes alive. There is excitement in the Indian air tonight, and Premlata can barely contain herself. Diwali, the Festival of Lights, has arrived, when everyone will light lamps in celebration of the Goddess Kali and her battle against the demons of darkness. But times are hard, and Premlata's mother has sold the family's Diwali lamps to buy rice. Theirs will be the only house left in darkness on the village's most festive night unless Premlata can find a way to bring light -- and hope -- back into her family's home.

Genres: Childrens

60 pages, Hardcover

First published July 12, 1996

About the author

Margaret Rumer Godden was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Premlata is dismayed to discover that her mother had sold their family's deepas, the little clay lamps used to mark the festival of Divali in her Bengali village, in this slim chapter-book from British author Rumer Godden. Things had been difficult in her family since the death of her father, some years before, and everything from her mother's bangles to her older brother Ravi's books had had to be sold. When she inadvertently communicates this state of affairs to Bijoy Rai, the local landlord and her father's former employer, his gift of a little money to buy some more deepas sets in motion a chain of events that changes everything for Premlata and her family. An exciting visit to the mela (fair) in the nearby town, a frightening night-time journey home, and a surprise discovery, all lead to better things...

I discovered Premlata and the Festival of Lights while searching for children's stories about Divali, which begins tomorrow, and seeing that it was by Rumer Godden, who has written many stories I have greatly enjoyed, I immediately decided to read it. Although Godden is considered a British author, she spent a great deal of her childhood in India, in a region now part of Bangladesh, and lived in Calcutta (now Kolkata) for twenty years, while running a dance school. She also apparently lived in Kashmir for a number of years, where she ran a farm. I would imagine that this background influenced her decisions, in telling this story. For my part, I found the narrative here engaging, and if the conclusion felt a little too convenient , I nevertheless enjoyed the happy ending. I also appreciated the glimpse offered of Divali traditions somewhat different to those I had already read about. I had always thought that the story of Rama and Sita was central to this holiday, and that the goddess Lakshmi (of whom Princess Sita is an avatar) was honored by it, but it would appear that this is only the case in some parts of India. In Bengal, where this story is set, the holiday is considered to honor the warrior goddess Kali, who fights the forces of darkness. I enjoyed this story, in its own right, but am also glad to have had my limited understanding of Divali/Deepavali expanded. Recommended to chapter-book readers looking for engaging stories about Divali and/or set in India.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the eyes of Premlata, a young girl eager for the coming holiday, readers have the opportunity to learn more about Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Diwali is celebrated in different ways throughout India, but the area Premlata is from celebrates by worshipping the goddess Kali, a scary goddess who defeats evil and defends the innocent, an example of divine feminine energy. Premlata is very interested in Kali, and is dismayed when she finds her mother out of need has sold all the holiday lamps for the little lights used during celebrations. Premlata's quest is to replace them anew - yet they are the poorest of the poor. Through the kindness of an open-minded neighbor, Premlata finds her way alone into the festival and her adventures - including the chance to be with an elephant friend artfully decorated for the occasion.

Told in Rumer Godden's gentle way, filled with all-five-senses descriptions, and rounding back the abject poverty of Premlata and her mother, this for grade school children read ends in a very satisfactory way.

Huzzah, Rumer Godden! Another superb story to share with the grandkids, in a country far, far away.

24/52:40

[Jessica Sacks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember being carried along emotional highs and lows by this book as a child, and just relived them together with my daughter, who at five needed some help understanding the language but could completely engage with the story. Prem is devastated to learn that, having fallen upon hard times, her mother has been forced to sell the family's deepas, the clay lamps used to celebrate Diwali. Prem is determined to replace them, but is dazzled and distracted by the sights and tastes of the fair in the far-away city. Others here have found the happy ending too convenient, but having been through the agony of watching the deepa coins drain away, and the night terror that follows, I felt we had earned it fair and square.

Godden grew up as an English child in India, and steeped herself, to the disapproval of her fellow expats, in the local culture. The book is written with utter respect and reverence for the religious sensitivities of the characters. I would be interested to hear from Hindu readers to what extent it rings true. I imagine Godden would not have expected readers from the characters' own culture. The other thing that struck me as of its time is the heightened empathy given to characters who have fallen from working-middle-class security to dire poverty, while little tension is felt in the astronomical gap between the wealthy landowner and the many neighbours who are poor from birth. It's a book that wouldn't be written today, but I don't think that makes it obsolete; it still expands the reader's empathies towards the breadth of the writer's.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Motifs have been done elsewhere, but the educational value for western readers make this a worthy book to have in a public or school library. Unfortunately the girl is introduced right away as 'fair' compared to other Indians, with the implication that it's a mark of attractiveness. Interestingly, she is so very kind & compassionate that she feels a 'pang of pity' for the villain. Too bad the educational value weighs down the story and makes it a slower, more awkward read. I can't tell if the HEA theme is preachy & twee, or classic, but I wasn't impressed. The art is fine, if a little dark.

[Amy Varchetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cultural story for kids. The events are centered around Diwali (the Festival of Lights) in India. Vivid detail, strong characters, and a complex journey, both literal and figurative, make this a fantastic quality read for kids.

[Divya Shankar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, hopeful, and so life- affirming, these are adjectives best suited to describe this short read. I loved Rumer Godden's Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, I have another favorite now with this book. Reading it a day after Kali Puja made it even more special.

I really liked how the festival of lights ushers brightness and cheer into the lives of Premlata, the protagonist, her mother, elder brother and little sister. A simple tale of a young girl's determination to not let her home remain without a diya/lamp or remain unlit during festival time, and this resolve of hers to fight hardships brings good fortune to her whole family. The illustrations are gorgeous. A very beautiful, uplifting story.

Rating 4.5 stars

[Maureen Milton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This charming little illustrated volume will provide some useful context to readers who want to know a bit more about a celebration of Diwali and its significance in honoring & assisting the goddess Kali in her bloody battle against evil demons and darkness. Impoverished since the death of her father, Premlata longs to light the deepa (traditional oil lamps) to celebrate the Festival of Lights, but the oil lanterns have been sold along with mother's jewels and brother's books, to buy food while all continue to grow thin in their diminished circumstances. Not surprisingly, plucky Premlata uses wit an grit to solve the family's problems.

While the going is a bit slow at first, the plot picks up and the story as it unfolds is engaging, albeit not without a healthy dose of noblesse oblige. Nonetheless, a good read for Seniors (& youngers--the protagonist is only 11 or so) to help elucidate the significance of Diwali and to inform readers with rich details about life in Bengal, east India (now Bangladesh). The author usefully employs lots of Bengali (?) language, rich settings, and economy of style. Definitely a good companion to Senior South Asia study, as well as a read aloud to youngers, if only as a Divali story.

[Kay Robart · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my review here:

https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2021...