Uncle Nehru, Please Send An Elephant!
by Devika Cariapa and illustrated by Satwik Gade
“Uncle Nehru, Please Send An Elephant!” by Devika Cariapa and illustrated by Satwik Gade. Published by Tulika. This relatively new book (released this March) introduces the first prime minister of India to the children through his unique elephant diplomacy.
One day, when prime minister Nehru opened his overstuffed mail bag he was in for a pleasant surprise. There were a thousand colourfully decorated cards and letters from the children of Taito ward in Japan. They wanted to see a live elephant and requested him to send one from India. He could not refuse such a request and decided to send an elephant as a token of friendship between India and Japan. The first task was to find the right elephant. They found a great beauty with a broad forehead and a long trunk in the forests near Mysore. She was special as she had sixteen toenails as compared to the eighteen that most Asian elephants have. She was named Indira after the prime minister’s daughter. Indira was sent to Japan on a freighter ship in the month of August in 1949.
This led to more requests coming in from children from various parts of the world such as Canada, Netherlands, China and Turkey requesting for elephants to be sent to them too. Elephants such as Indira, Ambika, Murugan and others became India’s ambassadors in a way to different parts of the world. They were the jumbo gifts from India to various nations. All these incidents have been put together well in the book with charming illustrations to complement. My seven year old attended the book launch and made me buy the book as he liked the story narrated by the award winning author Devika Cariapa. Apt for children aged 6+.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Tulika books here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.
