Tracing parenting patterns: Studying social relationships in Indian children’s literature

This paper attempts to explore the familial and social relationships and how they are developed in Indian children’s literature. Unlike, the western children’s literature which focusses on a child existing by itself the children in Indian children’s literature are shown growing up in the company of their parents, grandparents, other adults and other children. Indian children’s literature is the narrative of social development along with the individual development of the child in the story. In this way, the writers of children’s literature in India are able to inculcate values and morals along with twists, turns and fun element in the story. There are many books written for children which revolve around their relationships with other people in the story. This paper attempts to illustrate children’s text in this context looking at different parenting styles that have evolved from “colonial parenting” to “alternate parenting” to “techno-parenting.”