Ritu Weds Chandni: A Book Everyone Must Read

"Ritu Weds Chandni" is a beautiful read on a Desi sapphic wedding and how a child comes to see the harsh reality of the prevalent and normalized homophobia rooted in the society. This is a small book but leaves a powerful impact on the reader. It emphasizes on how a child isn't born with these ideas, rather prejudices and harmful ideals are sown into them by their surroundings.

Overview:

Author: Ameya Narvankar

Genre: Children's Fiction, LGBTQ+

My Rating: 5/5★

Publication Date: 1st Dec, 2020

Blurb:

Ayesha is excited to attend her cousin Ritu’s wedding. She can’t wait to dance at the baraat ceremony! But not everyone is happy that Ritu is marrying her girlfriend Chandni. Some have even vowed to stop the celebrations. Will Ayesha be able to save her cousin’s big day?

Centering Ayesha’s love for her cousin as much as it showcases Ritu and Chandni’s love for each other, this warmhearted debut from Ameya Narvankar celebrates the power of young voices standing up against prejudice and bigotry.

Normally, I'm not one to try Children's Fiction, but the blurb was too compelling to resist and I'm glad I got an opportunity to get an Advance Reader's Copy and read this. This was a brilliant, heartwarming tale of celebrating love in all forms.

Ayesha is extremely excited to attend the wedding of her favorite cousin Ritu Di, and it hardly makes a difference to her that she's getting married to a woman; all she looks forward to is her sister's happiness and dancing away in the baraat (dancing procession). She doesn't understand why her parents and her aunt feel apprehensive over the reactions of the neighbors and others who might stop this wedding- after all, why can't she marry whom she loves? Her thought-process and her reaction to the protestors who try to stop the baraat is what truly makes this book shine. It fills the heart with joy and fuzzy warm things reading about Ayesha while also bringing to the fore an important issue that must be discussed in every household.

This book is also special to me for showcasing the sisterly love shared by Ayesha and Ritu, it was truly a treasure watching their bond get stronger after this siege.

The illustrations in this book is gorgeous and I absolutely loved the wedding setup, with my personal favorite moment being when BOTH of them arrived in horses in the baraat. Traditionally, only the groom gets to do this and by this move, it also avoided the harmful stereotype of showcasing one partner as the 'groom' and other the 'bride'.

This book is one of the best ones I read this year and I feel this must be read by everyone. In India, even though Section 377 has been scrapped, much needs to be done regarding the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community and as allies, we should all ensure that every child reads this and ensure the creation of a safe space and acceptance for all. After all, every change needs to start at the grass-root level and this book is a good way of ensuring it.

Thanks NetGalley and Yali Books for this Advance Reader's Copy, I truly cherished this experience.