Welcome!

Welcome to the fan-site for Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman. Here you will find information about the book, and other extras. If you haven't already read it, I highly reccomend you read it if, since I loved it very much. You can explore the site using the navigation above, and if you would like to come back to this page simply click on the header. Any information used is from the novel itself, Padma Venkatramans offcial website, or Climbing the Stair's official site. Please sign the guestbook below and leave your thoughts about the site, book, etc. Thanks for visiting and enjoy!

Climbing the Stairs Official Site: http://www.climbingthestairsbook.com/
Venkatramans Website: http://www.cliofindia.com/padma/default.htm

India During WWII

Much of the plot of Venkatramans novel is based on real events that happened to her grandparents and other family.Vidya lived during World War 2 and her brother enlisted in the army to fight Hitler and all the evil around him. Kitta was part of the largest volunteer force, that beat the numbers of all the volunteer troups of any other country. India's force had a major impact on the war; and they managed to invade and bomb Japanese troups in many countries such as Italy and Burma.

Although they fought many Japanese, they couldn't escape the wrath of their forces, and the damages of their invasion are still available today. In the novel, all the women had to evacuate the city of Madras since the Japanese started bombing and taking control of India's coasts. Venkatramans family actually went through this ordeal.

During this time, India was also fighting for its freedom from the British. Ghandi was a major leader, who advocated peaceful protesting. Vidya's father believed in Ghandiji's teachings, and was also part of the peaceful protest movement, but this eventually lead to his brain injuries and inability to continue in the movement, let alone care for his family. Ghandi as well was hurt by the British, although his injuries were fatal, but his ideas and movement led to India's eventual freedom.

Although the novel is pure fiction, some events really happened, and I'm glad that Venkatraman brought attention to India's role in World War 2, as well as India's fight for freedom.


Indian Troops crossing Irawadda River in Burma:



Mohandas Ghandi:

Food!!

Meal times are when many important points in the novel happen. Some everyday staples include rice, coffee, as well as tea. Here are some other commonly eaten foods that appear in the novel.

Idli: A fluffy white spongey rice cake. Usually dipped in curry and eaten.

Sambhar: A curry made with masala, lentils, and an array of vegetables. Usually eaten with rice or rice made foods.

Appalam: Likes chips, applalam is fried and crunchy. It is usually eaten along with rice or just as a plain snack.

Murukkus: A spiral shaped cookie, thats salty. It is very crunchy and eaten as a snack.

Sugar Crystals: Large crystals made of sugar, a favorite candy for many. Eaten on rare occasions.

Jamun: Small, sweet and sour red fruits. Eaten as a snack.

Pictures

Sugar Crystals:

Appalam:
Sambhar:
Idli:

Jamun Fruit:

My Review Plus Reviews From Other Readers

Climbing the Stairs is a beautifully written and never bores. Venkatraman really made sure that every word she wrote down was meaningful and thoughtful. She created the character, Vidya, to be a likable girl and a true heroin. As an Indian myself, I can say that all the cultural aspects are true to heart, and Venkatraman doesn't only show the wonder of the Indian culture, but also its faults. Any reader who is interested in growing up stories as well as stories based on other cultures, will definetly enjoy this book. Thousands of people also praise this book, and here are some reviews from just a few readers:

"…Venkatraman makes a memorable debut with this lushly evoked novel set in India during World War II…More than a feisty Cinderella story …this novel vivifies a unique era and culture as it movingly expresses how love and hope can blossom even under the most dismal of circumstances…"
- Starred review, Publishers Weekly

"…Opening with the festival of Krishna Jayanthi, Venkatraman so skillfully weaves Hindu words, traditions, and religious festivals into her story that readers understand the vocabulary and appreciate the beliefs… Vidya achieves the psychological distance to ponder cultural and religious similarities and differences by way of her philosophically minded appa and her Jewish best friend… With a delightfully strong female protagonist who struggles between tradition and the values she holds dear, this novel will capture the imaginations of many readers…"
- Cynthia Winfield, VOYA, 5 Q 4P S

"British-occupied India during World War II is the setting for this impressive debut novel.... Thought-provoking and deeply moving."
- Booksense, Notable

"…A welcome addition to the small but growing body of historical fiction about growing up female in India… This novel excels in its detailed depiction of a Brahmin girlhood and family life during a time of intense social and political change…"
- Kirkus

"Climbing the Stairs…is a passionate story…In the novel, books serve as a saving grace… The central theme of the novel, violence and nonviolence, will appeal to an international audience…"
- Michelle Reale, India Currents

"…Young Adult novels are difficult to review for several reasons…the genre “Young Adult literature” is in itself a tricky label because it assumes that the book will be predominant read by just one particular narrow cultural subset… Thankfully, Padma Venkatraman has put a few of these issues to rest, or at least rendered them temporarily irrelevant… one of the most successful aspects of the novel is…open-ended…allows her thematic questions to resonate more fully and widely… Venkatraman should encounter success, I suspect, since her first foray into fiction is an enjoyable addition to the genre – whichever genre you choose to put it into, that is."
- Evan P. Schneider, Newport Mercury

"…remarkable in terms of the layout, themes and the main character Vidya…cleverly woven the story through several South Indian festivals...The style only looks simple, but it is deceptively simple – it is a lot of hard work…”
- Anatharangan Sundaresan, Translator and Tamil Literary Critic

"Climbing the Stairs is a wonderful, well written, and thought provoking book that navigates the historical and political context of India during WWII, commenting and using it as a backdrop without letting it overwhelm the story. There are so many threads beautifully woven together.”
- Kelly Easton, Award-winning author of Hiroshima Dreams and other novels

"… With the war going on in Iraq, I know that many families will find it easy to relate to the character of Kitta…" - Jane, Educator

"This is my pick for next year's Newbery Awards. A beautifully written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in India during World War II. Vidya loves to read and looks forward to going to college someday. When her father is injured, Vidya and her family must move into Grandfather's traditional Hindu household, where Vidya is forbidden even to climb the stairs to Grandfather's library…"
- Joanne Fritz, Virtual Bookshelf

reviews gotten from:

http://www.climbingthestairsbook.com/BookReviews.pdf

All About Padma Venkatraman!

Padma Venkatraman was born in Chennai India. She loved literature and the sciences, thus creating trouble choosing a career path. At the young age of 19 she moved to the U.S and got a degree in oceanography. After working at a science instituition in Germany and doing reserarch at the Writing School of Engineering at John Hopkins University, she decided to pursue her true love: writing. Climbing the Stairs is her first novel and she's also recently writtin another book, Islands End. She currently lives in Rhode Island and continuing her oceanography work.

To learn more about Padma Venkatraman and her other books, visit her official website:

http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/aifolder/aipages/ai_v/venkatra.html

Character Profiles

Information about important characters in the novel.

Vidya: A 15 year old girl, who the story is narrated by. Vidya blames herself for what happened to her father, and lives with the guilt for most of the story. Her dream is to go to college, unlike most girls who leave school as soon as they are proposed to.

Kitta: Vidya's older brother, who gets caught up in the war and decides to enlist in the British army. He later regrets it, but continues in the army. He is Vidya's confidant and protecter and always comforts her when Vidya feels helpless.

Appa: He is Vidya and Kitta's father. A strong believer in Ghandi's values, he decides to join the Freedom Fighters, a peaceful protest group. He receives brain damage after trying to save a peaceful protester from a British soldier. His inability to care for his family after that, forces the family to move to his family's home.

Amma: Kitta and Vidya's loving mother. All she wants is for her daughter to be married and happy so she doesn't have to suffer. She is against Vidya and Kitta's goals, but ultimately just wants them to happy. She becomes very sad after Appa's accident, so Vidya always tries to cheer her up.

Rifka: Vidya's best friend. She is also Vidya's confidant, even when Vidya is forced to move away.

Tha-tha: Vidya and Kitta's grandfather. He runs the household where everyone moves to after Appa's accident. Everyone decision made in the house is checked with him first, and he has the most control over everything going on in the family. He is greatly respected and no one goes against what he say's. After Kitta joins the army Tha-tha disowns him, but eventually starts to understand Kitta's decision.

Periamma: Vidya and Kitta's aunt. She acts very bossy towards Vidya, and makes her do many chores in the house. She dislikes the family and goes out of her way to show it.

Periappa: The exact opposite of his brother, Appa. He disowns his brother after his accident. Like periamma, he also hates the family as well.

Sarasa Chithi: Vidya and Kitta's aunt. She does whatever periamma does, and always tries to please her.

Chinni Chithi: Also Vidya and Kitta's aunt. She does her best to comfort vidya, but is also very afraid of Periamma. Vidya is thankful for her kindness, and tries her best to help Chinni Chithi, since she is very weak.

Malati: Vidya and Kitta's beautiful cousin. She constantly brags about her engagement to Vidya. She tells the whole school about Vidya's secret. She also tries to make Vidya's life as stressful as possible, but in the end both apoligize to each other at Malati's wedding.

About the Book

Climbing the Stairs is about Vidya, a 15 year old girl living in Bombay, India during World War II, the time India was under British occupation. Vidya was a simple girl whose only challenge and ultimate goal in life was to go to college, a rarity during her time. Her ideal life was unexpectedly taken away from her, after her father, a freedom fighter, tried to save a peaceful protester from a British soldier, but ended up sustaining severe head injuries, that would never heal. This unforeseen event, forces her family to move in with her paternal family which consists of her fathers brothers and their wives as well as her grandfather.

Vidya's life is now completely different. She has to deal with her bossy aunt and her cousin, who reveals to everyone at school her fathers condition, thus making Vidya the class reject. Additionally, she cannot talk to her brother, who is her confidant, because men and women are seperated in her new home. On top of that, Vidya feels she may not be able to escape her worst nightmare: marriage. With all this suffering, Vidya does not see any hope in sight, until Raman comes to live at the house.

Soon they bond and find out they have so much in common, from their love of literature and philosophy to their opinions on the household, and a strong friendship forms. Their friendship ends up turning into something more though, even the Vidya tries as hard as she can to stop her love for him.

Meanwhile, the war is progressing more and more, and India is being threatened by the Japanese. Kitta, Vidya's brother, gets caught up in the action of the war he hears every night over the radio, so he decideds to enlist in the British army. Everyone is schocked and devasted; and her grandfather is infuriated that he disowns him. Vidya try's to convince her confidant to come back, but after hearing his determination in fighting the war, she lets him go. Not long afterwards, Vidya also finds out Ramans going to soon move away to America, leaving her with no protector. Vidya is now confused on what to do with her roller coaster life? Will there every be a time in her life where she'll truly be happy again?

To learn more about Climbing the Stairs, visit the books offcial website:

http://www.climbingthestairsbook.com/