#556 - पाँच पैरों वाली हाथी (Panch Pairon Wali Hathi)

by Peeyush Sekhsaria and illustrated by Bhargav Kulkarni, Proiti Roy, Atanu Roy, Allen Shaw, Kanupriya Kulshreshtha, Rajiv Eipe and Prashant Soni

“पाँच पैरों वाली हाथी (Panch Pairon Wali Haathi)” by Peeyush Sekhsaria and illustrated by Bhargav Kulkarni, Proiti Roy, Atanu Roy, Allen Shaw, Kanupriya Kulshreshtha, Rajiv Eipe and Prashant Soni. Published by Jugnu Prakashan, an imprint of Ektara Trust. A delightful and enriching collection of short stories around the observations of nature which often remain unseen.

The book has a set of eleven interesting stories from the author’s experiences over the course of his travels. While some of the animals and birds are commonly seen and therefore known, others are not so well known. Be it small or big, every creature has an interesting story to tell us. We only have to start observing nature carefully with all our senses for their world to open up to us. And it is no less than a magical world out there. With his keen observation skills, the author spots a juvenile blackbuck amidst a herd of goats during his journey. This is very unusual and makes him curious to know how it landed up with those goats. That leads to a conversation with an old man who is the goatherd.

Ever thought about the flora and fauna around the borders that we have between countries? Do they have an inkling of these man made fences? Ever had a close look at the tiny little swallows which keep flying in most urban areas and build nests even inside shops? Guess who is a more lethal hunter than a lion? Ever heard of an elephant with five legs? Should we be scared of a crow? Why is a Khejri tree wishing for a barber to visit it? Are hyenas really villainous? Read the book to savour such stories which give us a glimpse into a fascinating world which is easily missed if we do not observe keenly enough.

The book is a treat for nature lovers. It draws the reader’s attention and gets them interested in nature even if they haven’t observed or experienced the small joys that we can find in our surroundings. My ten year old son and I were drawn into these stories each of which were very interesting and made us curious to know more. The forests and landscapes of India have so much diversity in creatures big and small. To read and imagine the author’s experiences which he has described in such a vivid and beautiful manner was amazing. The accompanying illustrations are fabulous and enhance the effect. I loved reading the foreword and I do believe that the author’s objective of writing the book to share his stories with readers and get them to enjoy the small joys of nature has been met. Given our love for nature and wildlife (birds in particular), the book was brilliant. While we could relate to some of his experiences, many others were new for us making it an even more enriching read. Appreciate the author’s efforts to portray the manner in which one can find interesting things right around them and observe them using a combination of senses. The stories left us with a feeling of hope for the species which are endangered as well as wonderment at nature’s marvels. They also allayed the fears that we sometimes inadvertently feel along with the excitement of spotting a wild animal.

Initially we were sceptical whether we would manage to read and understand the book reasonably given that it was in Hindi and we haven’t read beyond easy picture books in Hindi. I haven’t had the opportunity to read much in Hindi except basic stories in the last two decades. However all our doubts were laid to rest when we started reading. Google (and ChatGPT in some instances) helped us translate and figure out the names of birds or words that we couldn’t understand. Overall the book is a “MUST READ” for fostering the love towards nature which can be savoured by everyone.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for anyone aged 10 and above.

Where to buy from?

The publishers Ektara Trust here.

Disclaimer - We received this book from the author, Peeyush Sekhsaria, for review. Thank you for sending across the book Peeyush!