Uncle Nehru, Please Send an Elephant!: A review by Myth Aunty

Some books are born of serendipity. When we chanced upon an article in The Caravan about Nehru’s unique ‘elephant diplomacy’, we saw sitting in it a charming story for children. We’d been wanting to get a picture book out of Devika Cariapa, a natural storyteller and one of our star non-fiction authors. So we sent her the piece, she gracefully took the challenge, and did what she does with everything she writes – turned it into a masterpiece! Satwik Gade was so enthused about this story that he magically sent us the absolutely delightful illustrations in absolute record time! So it all happened... And what joy it is when a discerning reader picks up all the little but big things that make it a most unusual and interesting picture book, as Library Consultant and Trainer JoAnne Saldanha does in this Facebook post!

Click here to buy this picture book!

Myth Aunty writes… 

 

In a time that seems like a lifetime before this one, in which most of us communicate through email, Whatsapp messages and SMS, people wrote and received letters...snail mail, as we call it today, named so because it took quite a while for a letter to reach, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru spent a portion of his day reading and writing letters.

A look inside from Uncle Nehru, Please Send an Elephant

 

On one such day, he opened his mail bag to find a whole lot of letters from Japan, a country quite far away. What was surprising was not that the letters were written by children but rather the request that these letters held. The children of Tokyo, Japan had written requesting that he send them an elephant!! ‘Could you send us an elephant, a real live one...we’ve never seen a live elephant.’...the letters read.

 

Pandit Nehru was very busy with a newly independent country to run and develop. However he knew that Japan had also been through some very hard times, through the second world war. So he sat down with his advisors and decided to send an elephant to Japan. 

 

A masterful diplomat, he saw this as a way to build ties with Japan, sending a warm letter to the children of Japan, along with Indira, the elephant... named after his own daughter “... a gift not from me but from the children of India to the children of Japan. The elephant is a noble animal much loved in India and typical of India. It is wise, patient, strong yet gentle. I hope all of us will also develop these qualities.”

#DevikaCariapa takes true incidents from history to tell us about Nehru’s ‘elephant diplomacy’. She weaves Nehru’s efforts at building a nation together with amusing anecdotes and his efforts as ensuring that other countries looked on the newly formed nation of India as one that is generous, gentle and noble... much like their gifts that travelled around the world. #SatwikGade‘s illustrations add charm and humour to this interesting read. 

A spread from the picture book

I love books which I can use across the grades. Devika Cariapa’s writing prompts many ways to explore this book. While my primary children will love the story of the elephants, and be amused by the range of requests, like the one to ‘dig up’ an elephant for their city, letters addressed to ‘Uncle Nehru’, an elephant being given English lessons, to the anecdote about a child who on being told that elephants were vegetarian, wondering if the elephant will know that he is not a vegetable!

For my older students, I can see this book prompting discussions on diplomacy and the various efforts being taken to build the country, along with animal rights and whether it would be ethical to transport elephants, a creature with close family ties, alone and far away to countries with different weather conditions and vegetation, to what Indira - Nehru's daughter thought about her name being given to an elephant. 

I’m a huge Devika Cariapa fan, her writing, the research that she puts into her work, and her interactions with both children and adults that I’ve witnessed at a few of her sessions I’ve attended...I hold it all and Devika in high esteem. 

When it comes to history #devikacariapa (in the words of my students) is ‘da bomb’ 

Love this one and looking forward to using it with my students. 

#elephantdiplomacy #mythaunty #tulikabooks #indianhistorybooksforchildren #indianpicturebooks 

Get your copy of this book now to introduce India’s first Prime Minister to children 

through his unique elephant diplomacy!

 

 

Warrior Women: Q and A with author-illustrator Tara Anand

 Flashing swords, firing guns, charging on horseback, planning strategies and talking peace… these twelve warriors did it all, and how! Some were royalty and some ordinary, but extraordinary courage and determination was common among these women.

Setting aside stories about men who ruled and protected women, Warrior Women is a slice of our lesser-known history, which the talented Tara Anand (author and illustrator) brings to light with striking illustrations.  We spoke to the history buff about her book, her art and her interests.  

A lot of young people find history boring. How about you?

I love history. I will continue to obsessively consume history related podcasts, books, movies and documentaries.

What kind of books have had an impact on you?

I read a lot, so it’s difficult to pin down just a few that have had an impact on me. Although, the books that I read as a kid like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, definitely had the most lasting impact on me!

In an interview, you once said that you grew up reading a lot of Tulika books. Any favourites?

I still have my first copy of Ekki Dokki. I even took it with me to college in the US!

Talking about this book, can you tell us where the seed came from and how it germinated into Warrior Women?

It started with a conversation I had with someone, where we were talking about powerful women in history, and I couldn’t name more than one or two Indians. So, I went home and did the research, which turned into my initial series of illustrations (‘I Am No Man’). I think, collaborating with Tulika and expanding the illustrations into a book, gave more dimensions to the stories!

What pops out of this book are the bold visuals. Did the look come to you right away, or did you work on it?

My favourite part of any piece is the colours, so that was my priority while working on the visuals. I definitely had to work on them a lot, because I wanted to create spreads that were fun, bold and super colourful!

Tara's bold visualisations brings the courage of 12 warriors to light 

Warrior Women is being hailed for its feminist approach to history. Was shifting the male-centric focus your motive?

Definitely. I think the version of history that most people know is primarily the story of men. So telling the story of women, especially those with power and agency, restores balance to the narrative. Alongside, it also gives 21^st century women an idea about the legacy that they’re a part of!

Could you name some gender stereotype defying books that you think are must-reads for young readers?

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls is an obvious must. Similarly, Like a Girl (that I was lucky enough to contribute a couple of illustrations to) by Aparna Jain, covers Indian women across various fields, and Frida by Jonah Winter and Ana Juan is also really lovely! Outside the children’s picture books realm, I think Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a timeless story about a very strong, intelligent female character. Also, for the slightly older audience, I’d suggest Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Katie Green’s Lighter Than My Shadow.

Who are your favourite illustrators?

This list is always changing, but I’m currently loving Emma Rios, Jillian Tamaki and Frances Jetter!

Where does your art take inspiration from?

Usually, from a lot from fine arts, comics, animated movies, books and the people in my life!

The next book with Tulika is on women scientists. Any others in the pipeline?

I’d love to work on something about women in art or dance. It’s also my indulgent wish to illustrate a story about a tiger, because I love drawing them!

Want to dive into history with Tara’s dynamic illustrations?

Grab your copy of the Warrior Women here!

  

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Tara Anand is a Mumbai-based illustrator, currently doing a BFA at the School of Visual Arts, New York. Her art is influenced by books, history and people around her. In 2016, at just age 17, she illustrated warrior queens from Indian history in the series I am no man, which won her a 'First Ladies' award from the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Picked up by Tulika, it evolved into this book.