Climbing the StairsRead Padma Venkatraman's posts on the Penguin Blog. Fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of going to college— an unusual aspiration for a girl living in British occupied India during World War II. Then tragedy strikes, and Vidya and her brother are forced to move into a traditional household with their extended family, where women are meant to be married, not educated. Breaking the rules, Vidya finds refuge in her grandfather’s library. But then her brother does something unthinkable, and Vidya’s life becomes a whirlwind of political and personal complications. The question is, will she be strong enough to survive? Watch a Video
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Contents
Krishna Jayanthi | 13 |
Rifka | 19 |
The Chess Game | 30 |
Black Crow | 40 |
The Protest March | 47 |
Ganesha Chathurthi | 56 |
Saraswathi Poojai | 107 |
AirRaid Drills | 168 |
The Officer | 196 |
St Thomas Mount | 202 |
In Chathas Study | 223 |
The Evacuation | 230 |
Madras August 14 1942239 | 239 |
Authors Note | 245 |
Research and Writing Activities | 253 |
Alone | 185 |
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Common terms and phrases
amma amma's appa appa's asked baby Bala maama Bombay Brahmin British British Indian Army brother Chinni chithi closed Coimbatore Deepavali door downstairs eyes face father felt festival fight freedom front Ganesha gaze girl go to college groom's hall hand head heard Hindu idiot Indian kanna kitchen Kitta knew Krishna Jayanthi lathi laughed leave live looked Madras Mahim beach Malati Mangalam married mind morning mother never night nodded nonviolence periamma periappa Pongal Ponni poojai room prayer protest march pulled Raja Raman rice Rifka sambhar Sarah Dessen Sarasa chithi sari shook shoulders shouted silence smiled softly someone sorry sound stared stay stepped stood stop talk tell Thank thatha things thought told tried turned verandah Vidya voice waiting walked window seat women wondered words worried write