Finding Neverland, book by book

Ten-year-old Madhukumar Paka doesn’t care for undue
exposition. Flash your press card, say you’re a journalist here to interview him, and he’ll stare at you unimpressed, hoping for a more interesting narrative twist. He’ll patiently answer your questions about his most recent accomplishment — exceeding the reading target of 200 books a year set for his class by 89, in just about three months. He’ll even deign to show you his notebook in which he has jotted down every title he’s read since June 1. And when it’s finally his turn to ask questions, he’ll cut right to the chase —“Where all have you gone abroad?”

Walking the five-minute distance through the slum colony of Pathanwadi in Mulund (E) to his school and back every day, Madhu’s world is currently limited. “Right now I cannot go anywhere, but when I grow up, I want to go to Antarctica,” he says, unconvinced by the suggestion that every book he reads can be looked at as an imaginary journey into a different world. For now, fantasy and reality mingle, as he talks about his favourite character, Peter Pan, and his adventures in ‘Netherland’, a recall error which can be attributed to his recently growing interest in geography.

However, Madhu rarely ever forgets, displaying an
astounding ability to remember things and apply them in different contexts. “Last year, we took the children to the Kala Ghoda festival where they saw an exhibit of an ele-fish, a fictitious animal that’s a cross between an elephant and a fish. A few months ago, we were discussing fact and fiction in class, and he suddenly mentioned it. It took us a while to figure out what he was talking about!” says one of his teachers.

Like the rest of the kids in class IV A, Madhu is allowed to borrow as many as 10 books at a time, varying in size and content, all bundled up in a plastic bag, which he lugs home and back everyday, managing a quick read every spare moment he gets. He can currently read 111 words a minute, the third fastest in class but well ahead of the reading speed goal of 100. When he’s not in school, or during a holiday, Madhu uses the T9 dictionary on his father’s phone to learn how to spell.

Modelled on goals designed for high achieving schools that cater to low-income kids in the United States, these self-monitored targets have done wonders for Madhu and his classmates’ performance. Sixteen out of the 45 children have scored above the national average on the ASSET test, an internationally recognised exam which tests both knowledge and application.

Madhu hopes to finish reading over 400 books by the deadline of April 2011, and his classmates have picked up their pace to catch up. Until then, Madhu, who wants to be a scientific researcher when he grows up, is setting his exploratory sights high, hoping to explore if there are people on Jupiter. Why Jupiter? “Why would God make it if nobody lives there?” he reasons.

Madhu and his friends in class IV A of Divine Child School, Malad,
have been reading stories about magic but have never seen a magic show. If you would like to help organise a show, call Fiona Vaz on 99692 50462 or email fiona.vaz@gmail.com