Want to know more about money? Come to Moneypur

Vivek Kaul Tuesday, February 07, 2006 21:18 IST
MUMBAI: In school I detested Physics. I remember asking my mother, why Physics couldn’t be presented in an interesting way? You know, like Hindi film songs. You hear them once and remember the entire number.
Time went along, and as luck would have it, I ended up on the other side of the table, teaching subjects in finance and economics, to business school students. After a semester of teaching I realised that students were receptive to what was being told in class as long as it was presented in an interesting manner, which involved a large dose of story telling (real or fiction).
Adventures in Moneypur, by Swapna Mirashi, introduces the various concepts of money through a story format. It’s a story of a 12-year-old, Honey, a talented cartoonist, who abhors the way his Maths teacher teaches (that makes me wonder where have all the good Maths teachers gone?) and would rather draw cartoons in class. Honey gets chosen by a Guru (called Guru Future Rishi) to attend and clear a very tough course in Money Wisery in the island of Moneypur.
In Moneypur, Honey meets Money, a bachcha rupee, and together they go through various tests and realise different aspects related to Money Wisery.
The story starts with the concept of barter and how gradually this concept is taken over by money in the form of shells, beads, stones, feathers etc. There were problems with this form of money and then metal coins were introduced. Metals coins could not be carried everywhere, as they were heavy and bulky and then paper money was introduced.
Paper money had its own share of problems. Inflation was the foremost. Inflation in this book is introduced as a demon named Infley shun who feeds on bachcha rupees.
The book then takes a contemporary turn, and explains the vices of consumerism, through the aptly titled disease called buyingitis and a deadly beast called Want-A-More.
It then explains various facets of personal finance, like various kinds of investments and the importance of having an investment portfolio. All told through a story. And that’s were the beauty of this book lies.
The concepts are weaved into the story. Also the author has taken adequate amount of care not to go overboard with concept and introduces them gradually one by one over this 270 page book.
How many of us actually understand the various aspects of money.
Most of us are reasonably good at earning and spending it. But when it comes to saving money and investing it to make it grow, most of our efforts come cropper. And this is where books like Adventures in Moneypur can be a great help in promoting financial literacy among children so that when they grow up they have a greater idea of what to do with their money than their parents ever did.