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Who Clicked That Pic
Parag Honour List (2024)
Longlisted for the BK Children Book Awards (Emerging Readers) 2023
Pari has 10 photos left in her roll ... and the countdown begins.
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Read this fun filled romp, for a peek of what it must have been like, back in the 1930s, to be a young woman, confident, cycling the streets of pre-independent Bombay (with a 9 kilo Rolleiflex camera strapped on your back)...
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Nandita da Cunha's story celebrates the life of India's most famous photographer, Homai Vyarawalla. Homai's courage and craftspersonship comes out beautifully in the book. Priya Kuriyan's illustrations maintain Homai's style of work so accurately that sometimes it seems as if Homai herself has illustrated the book. The continuous shift between craft and life reminds the readers of the liveliness of theatre. The book is available in both Hindi and English languages
"The sights and characters from Bombay in the 1930’s are captured by Pari and her Camera rather ingeniously Nandita da Cunha’s writing keeps the reader rapt and the words snap perfectly to the rhythm of each click. Priya’s spread of the dark room is absolutely spot on"
"This book is truly a “fun filled romp”and a great addition to our bookshelf. "
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"The innovative approach to a picture book biography is accompanied by stunning visuals…clever and appealing all around."
"In a world that is revolving around sensational photography, Who Clicked that Pic? is like the ‘shutter lag’ of old, a pause, that makes the reader dwell on the story of someone who paved the way for some of the freedoms we enjoy today."
"The illustrations by Priya Kuriyan are jaw-droppingly, stunning and ever so clever. The palette sets the tone of Mumbai in the 1930’s"
"With themes of self motivation and determination, woman's empowerment, supportive family…in particular the men in her life, her creativity, work ethic and her disdain for paparazzi style of photography…this is a wonderful book not just for elementary age children, but wonderful to share and raise discussions with secondary school students as well."
Hindustan Times (Chintan Girish Modi)
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The book also gets its sense of pace and urgency from the writing. At the beginning, Pari has only 10 photographs “left to take” in her film roll. The rest of the story proceeds like a countdown until she uses up all the photographs. Since this is not a film, there is no soundtrack but a swift reading of the book feels like watching an animated motion picture. Pari’s cycle bell, the clicking of her Rolleiflex camera, drums, loudspeaker announcements, rain and thunder, and the ruckus created by excited children conjure up a rich soundscape.
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"I don’t actively look to make every book a teachable moment, but I love how this book beautifully allowed us to ease into conversations around:
* Working with limited resources
* A tiny bit of economic liberalisation
* The wonders of tech advancement
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"The level of detail in the illustrations is mind blowing!
For us, the icing on the cake was the last few pages of “fact” (as Aditi calls it) that features original photographs and little anecdotes from Vyarawalla’ life.
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“Nandita da Cunha fills the pages with snippets from daily life and transports you back to Mumbai in the 1930s. You can see that the city is her muse and she knows it intrinsically. Mumbai pulsates and comes alive during the Ganesh festival and she manages to make that happen even for the most non-Mumbaikar reader. The visuals and illustrations in this book are simply breathtaking! Priya Kuriyan makes you feel like you are running shoulders with Pari and racing through the streets of Mumbai.
Both da Cunha and Kuriyan create tension with drama and words and illustrations”
“By the end of this you are breathless, on the edge of your seat, and cheering wildly. Spark that interest in history, have meaningful conversations, and read a book that quite clearly takes you on a ride that you will never forget.”