This is a story from the time when India had not quite made a home in the heart of our first Mughal emperor – Babur. Like any other person estranged from his native, Babur tries to seek familiarity in this strange land by sowing one aspect of Samarkand (Babur’s native) in the new soil that he had conquered. Babur, who was fond of fruits, orders his minister to bring watermelon seeds from his previous homeland to India. The story portrays a touching narrative of how the Mughal emperor personally cared for the watermelon creepers, how he lavishly celebrated the first watermelon harvest with the people of his kingdom, and how he rejoiced the bitter-sweet taste of nostalgia that it brought.
| Story Title: ख़रबूज़े का ईजाद Author: Butool Abbas Illustrator: Vaibhav Kothare Storyteller: Butool Abbas |
About the author
Butool Abbas is a UI/UX designer and educator. She works for fostering creativity in classrooms, empowering individuals in students, colleges and professionals with thinking and problem solving skills to apply in real world challenges. She sets out to achieve this through Thinkizm, her social entrepreneurship venture.
About the illustrator
Vaibhav Kothare is a class 10 student living in Mumbai. He loves to sketch and paint in his free time. The cover for the story is an original illustration created by Vaibhav after listening to the story. Recently, he has learnt photography as well.
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The author was commissioned to write the story by Yukti foundation, funded by Center for Frugal Innovation, IIT Kanpur.
