September 22, 2002

A children’s publication of peace titled Children of light represents the concerns of a mother who feels sad that her children are growing up with images of mass destruction and annihilation all over our cities. The story should stimulate a thought process in adults and raise questions in their mind about the future they are offering the coming generations.

The story revolves round four children, Pari, Ali, Chunna and Munna. Pari and Ali work in a brick kiln for a living. Deprivation and poverty frustrate Ali, who is always “grumpy and angry”. Pari on the other hand keeps hoping for a bright future. Because of this hope, she has a “bright shiny light” in her heart and is a “child of light”. This light works wonders for Pari, when she is alone. It fills her mind with beautiful thoughts.

To take respite from her day’s work, Pari makes a trip to the bridge of light. Chunna and Munna, two other children of light, also join her there. One day the children meet Amai, a magical dove who takes them on an adventurous flying trip over their countries. It is on this trip that the children learn about the hatred, greed and venom that is destroying the world. They ask Amai about the monuments of destruction, and what they symbolize. Amai tells them about the horrors of these bombs and takes them many years back in time to Hiroshima, where the nuclear bomb was used during the second world war.

The children see the pain and suffering caused by the bomb. They learn that billions, that are spent to cause death and destruction in the world, could be better used to help improve the lives of poverty-stricken people.

To divert the attention of adults from war and destruction, hatred and greed, the children decide to produce “bombs of light”, that will fill the hearts and minds of people with love, understanding and tolerance, and “turn enemies into friends”. And that is the message of peace given by graphic designer, artist and children’s book writer Fauzia Aziz Minallah.

“There is nothing concocted in the book,” says the author. “There are children like Pari and Ali growing up with these images of monuments of mass destruction.” Fauzia notes that the children see these monuments every day and wonder what they symbolize. Western studies show that you do not talk about things to children they do not know. On one hand we are making them proud of these monuments. On the other, we are not telling them the whole truth. Children ask questions and want to know the concept behind these monuments representing weapons of mass destruction. They also want to known its consequences. Whether it is right to hurt people? Is it right to cause so much suffering?

Thanks to the information explosion, today’s child has a lot of awareness. He reasons, observes and tries in his own way to interpret his observation. In fact the idea about creating bombs of light, which would dismiss hatred and animosity and pave the way for love and understanding came from the author’s seven-year-old. The book targets readers of seven years and above.

A masters in communication design, Fauzia uses the computer mouse like a paint brush to create computer generated illustrations that offer great diversity in terms of the use of colours, creative interplay of light and shade, and the incorporation of special effects.

Children of light
By Fauzia Aziz Minallah
Published by the author from 24-B, Street 38, F-8/1, Islamabad
Tel: 051-2263471
44pp. (22 illustrations) Rs50
To be available in October

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