Story Title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Author: Eleanor Coerr
Translated By: Arvind Gupta
Cover Illustration: Sneha Malani
Storyteller: Ajay Dasgupta
Language: Hindi
Age: 10 and above
Beautiful audio and video story in English
Description
This is the story of Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was 2 years old when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945. She and her family escaped unhurt except her grandmother who died later that evening. Sadako grew up to be a happy young girl and an enthusiastic sprinter until the dizzy spells started and she was diagnosed of leukaemia or blood cancer. Fighting with her condition in the hospital and struggling to get back to her family, Sadako was told by her brother that she could have her wish come true if she folder 1000 paper cranes. Sadako folded 644 paper cranes in all, hoping against hope to survive. With her family by her side, Sadako died on the morning of October 25, 1955 at the age of 12.
After her death, Sadako’s friends and schoolmates raised funds to build a memorial for her and all the children who had died from the effects of the atomic bomb. In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads:
“This is our cry. This is our prayer. For Building peace in the world.”
Additional Resources
Modern Adaptation
Watch this film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_gGP-4Cwhc&feature=share&list=TL7NPWB9j-gpQ
Animated story:
How to Fold Paper Cranes
Note About Copyright
This is a Hindi translation of the original story titled – Sadako and the Thousand Paper Crane. The copyright of the original text of this story in English is held by Eleanor Coerr. This recording is a strictly non-commercial and educational endeavour. Since the content of this book has not been made available in the Public Domain, we have disabled the Download option. If you feel that the availability of this story on our website infringes on your copyright, please email us and we will promptly remove it. We feel this story must be told to as many children and adults across the world as possible. Email us: editor@thekahaniproject.com
Ajay Dasgupta
On a mission to make stories more accessible to every child. Founder of The Kahani Project and Skills Cafe' (http://www.skills.cafe)
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