Thatha at School
About the book
It is Grandparents Day at school, and everyone is excited. Not little Oviyam, who is embarrassed at the thought of her schoolmates seeing her grandfather Thatha in a dhoti, a traditional wrap-around lower. She tries her best to convince him to skip the event but he insists on attending. Will Oviyam rise above her insecurities and own up to her dhoti-wearing Thatha in front of everyone? Richa Jha's light, breezy words, along with Gautam Benegal's soft playful colour palettes and vividly illustrated frames help the reader both empathise with Oviyam's fears and strongly hope for her baseless insecurities to rid her troubled mind.
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About the Book
It is Grandparents Day at school, and everyone is excited. Not little Oviyam, who is embarrassed at the thought of her schoolmates seeing her grandfather Thatha in a dhoti, a traditional wrap-around lower. She tries her best to convince him to skip the event but he insists on attending. Will Oviyam rise above her insecurities and own up to her dhoti-wearing Thatha in front of everyone? Richa Jha's light, breezy words, along with Gautam Benegal's soft playful colour palettes and vividly illustrated frames help the reader both empathise with Oviyam's fears and strongly hope for her baseless insecurities to rid her troubled mind.
Book details
- Format
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Pickle Yolk Books
- Weight
- 230 grams
- ISBN-13
- 9789352120871
- Pages
- 32
- Reading time
- ~1 hrs
- Age
- 0-11
- Country of origin
- India
- Dimensions
- 22.2 × 27.9 cm
- Language
- English
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Customer reviews
"Thatha at School" by Richa Jha is a heartwarming and relatable story about overcoming embarrassment and embracing one's culture. Through the eyes of young Oviyam, the book beautifully portrays the bond between a grandchild and grandparent. With charming illustrations by Gautam Benegal, this book is a must-read for children and adults alike who wish to celebrate their cultural heritage and family relationships."
Thatha at School by Richa Jha turns a common childhood fear — being embarrassed by family in front of friends — into a quiet meditation on cultural belonging. Oviyam does not want her classmates to see her grandfather in his dhoti on Grandparents Day. Her anxiety is specific: not that Thatha will misbehave, but that his traditional clothing will mark them both as different. Jha does not resolve this tension with a lesson delivered from above. Instead, Oviyam must decide whether her grandfather's dignity matters more than her classmates' gaze. Gautam Benegal's illustrations work in soft, warm tones that make Thatha's dhoti feel not strange but lived-in, familiar, loved. The book asks young readers in urban India — where Western dress codes increasingly dominate school spaces — to consider what they lose when they distance themselves from older generations and the visible markers of regional identity.
What kind of reading experience will Thatha at School provide me with?
This picture book offers a gentle, introspective reading experience. It does not rush toward spectacle or conflict. Instead, it lingers in the quiet discomfort of a child who loves her grandfather but fears being seen with him. The pacing mirrors Oviyam's internal struggle, and the resolution feels earned rather than imposed. Readers who appreciate stories that honor ambivalence — the coexistence of love and shame — will find this rewarding. The illustrations by Gautam Benegal provide warmth and visual breathing room, making the book feel like a conversation rather than a lecture.
Who is this book, Thatha at School, best suited for, and what does it expect of its reader?
- Children aged 4–8 who are beginning to navigate peer approval and family loyalty.
- Parents and educators seeking picture books that address cultural identity without didacticism.
- Readers interested in how clothing and tradition function as markers of belonging in contemporary Indian schools.
- Families where generational differences in dress, language, or custom create quiet tensions.
The book expects empathy and a willingness to sit with discomfort before resolution arrives.
What is the cultural significance of the dhoti in this story for Indian readers today?
The dhoti here represents the visibility of regional and generational identity in spaces — like urban English-medium schools — where Western dress codes dominate. For many Indian children today, traditional clothing is reserved for festivals or family functions, not everyday life. Oviyam's embarrassment reflects a real anxiety: that markers of Indianness can make you stand out in ways that invite judgment. The book does not romanticize the dhoti or demand pride in it. Instead, it asks whether a child can extend dignity to what makes her family different, even when that difference feels risky.
What makes Richa Jha's treatment of this subject distinctive?
Richa Jha refuses to turn Oviyam's embarrassment into a moral failing. She lets the child's anxiety be real and understandable, not something to be scolded away. The story does not hinge on Thatha proving himself exceptional or winning over Oviyam's classmates through charm. Instead, it centers the child's internal shift — the moment she decides her grandfather's presence matters more than her classmates' reactions. This restraint makes the book feel honest. Jha writes for children who know that pride and shame can live side by side, and that choosing love over fear is not always easy.
What does this book leave the reader with long after they finish it?
This book leaves readers with a question rather than a certainty: What would I do if I were Oviyam? It plants the idea that defending someone you love — especially when that defense costs you social comfort — is a form of courage. For young readers, it may be the first time a book has acknowledged that family can embarrass you and that this embarrassment is not the same as not loving them. For adults, it surfaces the quiet ways children absorb hierarchies of dress, language, and custom, and how much courage it takes to resist those hierarchies in public.

