Janmeja Johl pens down tales of childhood mischief

Gurvinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 11

Children should not be rebuked when they indulge in mischief, rather they should be guided and counselled about what is not right. This was stated by Janmeja Singh Johl, who has come up with a book of anecdotes about children’s mischief.

He said children’s energy and creativity should be channelised to something productive because chiding children could mar their confidence.

“I met a couple who started rebuking their child for sitting atop an almirah. I told them to imagine the creativity, agility and confidence of the little child of having reached the top, without much support. It required some out of the box thinking for him to reach there. Threatening the child will only kill his confidence,” he says.

In his book, ‘Bachpan Diyan Sharartan’, people from different walks of life have shared their childhood mischief. “I received stories from people from different countries, including Canada, US, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and Germany,” he says.

“I compiled them all, edited the language and gave it the shape of a book which makes an interesting reading. The book also reconstructs the culture of Punjab,” he says.

Johl said mischief was a sign of intelligence and creativity. The author has also come up with another book titled ‘Bal Rang’ which includes story-poems, puzzles, and exercises for children.