“The world that we know has been put on pause,

How much longer for us to return to how it was?” – Avnita Nair, 9.

“...while roads were empty,

The world could breathe.

And while shops were closed,

Everyone's hearts were open.

And while I was distanced 1.5m apart,

We were all still together.” – Jiah Lakshmi Shyju, 13.

Avnita and Jiah are among the 54 children who have contributed to Bounce Back, a book on reflections of COVID-19 times, brought out by the Malayali diaspora in Australia. 

The book, a collection of writings and illustrations by children in the age group of 7-13, has been brought out by the Sydney Malayalee Association. 

It is a multi-genre anthology, featuring poems, stories and memories by the children who were asked to write about their experience during the COVID lockdown days. Each work is accompanied by an illustration done by another kid.

The works were selected by a jury comprising writer Roanna Gonsalves, Deeju Sivadas, executive producer, SBS – Malayalam Program, and Dakshinamurthy Anjanappa, founder, Painting for Charity Australia.

A five-member team – Anish Philip, Srikumar Nambiar, Emie Roy, Binta Ranjit and Beena Ravikumar – are behind the anthology. The book took shape after they called for entries on a Facebook page of the association. 

“We chose to listen to the thoughts and experiences of the children in the particular age group because we found that they were the most affected by the restrictions.

While the kids below seven seemed to be too young to be affected by the COVID-induced troubles, the teenagers had options like phone and video chats to keep themselves engaged and connected to their friends,” Emie Roy said.

She was behind a video project titled 'Social Distancing Tales from Down Under' that documented the pastime activities of seven people that kept them positive during the initial days of COVID crisis.

Avnita Nair, the young poet, attests to Emie's observations. “It felt strange when our world suddenly changed. Everything felt unusual. Through my poem, I wrote about everything I felt differently and how this world became a different place. I wrote several drafts to put all my feelings into words and describe the unique situations that were brought about by this pandemic,” she said.

An illustration by 11-year-old Athena Jinson was chosen as the cover picture. The picture features everything that has become symbols of the fight against the COVID pandemic. 

“My drawing was inspired by actual requirements and restrictions during the COVID lockdown and hence is a representation of my new life during the pandemic,” Athena said. The book was designed by Binu Varghese. 

The book has a print as well as an online edition with the latter having more content. Julia Finn, MP, released the printed booklet. Malayalam writer Benyamin also shared it on his Facebook page. Muralee Thumarukudy, Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction in the UN Environment Programme, released the e-book.

“The idea (of the book) is to document these unprecedented times through the expressions of these little minds, and preserve it as a memory for the years to come,” he wrote on Facebook, sharing the e-book.

Unbound by the rules of creativity in the elder people's world, Bounce Back has turned out to be a true archive of the mindscape of the children of the diaspora. 

The children's book is not the only project initiated by the association during the pandemic days. 

“Sydney Malayalee Association, as part of its COVID-19 community assistance programme, decided to care for the well-being and safety of the community along with providing physical, moral and financial help to deserving members. So far, we have conducted four programmes focussing on various themes,” John Jacob, the association's secretary said.

“An overwhelming response was received from the community for the Bounce Back project.  The uniqueness of the project has really drawn the attention of the community and the feedback we have received from the parents and kids are very positive and encouraging. The project was aimed for Malayalee Community, but has gained extensive attention and appreciation from the wider community,” Anish Philip, executive committee member, said.

To read the book, click here.