‘Children are gurus saving us from adulthood perils’

CHENNAI: Actor and theatre artist Vani Tripathi Tikoo has launched her debut book ‘Why Can’t Elephants Be Red’ in the city recently. In a chat with DT Next, she talks about the book and children’s literature in India.

“Even though this is my first time writing a book, writing itself, especially, with children in mind, has been part of my career all along due to my work with the National School of Drama Theatre in Education (NSD TIE). The journey to being a children’s author happened during the pandemic, when I was completely alone, acting as the sole caregiver for my mother. Since Singapore shut down and I could not leave my mother back alone in India, life got increasingly complicated for almost 20 months. I allocated two hours of my time to writing every day to keep me sane. I wanted to find a creative outlet for whatever was happening inside me and the trauma of being away from my child for one and a half years. I started writing these stories of Akku, my daughter and the process felt absolutely cathartic,” says Vani.

‘Why Can’t Elephants Be Red’ is the story of Akku, a lively, imaginative and adventurous two-and-half-year-old little girl. Growing up partly in Gurgaon and mostly in Singapore, she is the darling of her big joint family.

From playing with her fishy friends and beloved puppy to discovering the wonders of swimming pools, sea beaches and food courts, every new experience fills Akku with joy and curious questions.

She loves to scribble, draw and colour and her imagination runs riot with ele- phants that are red, crabs that have moustaches and unicorns that don’t have horns. But the biggest adventure of all awaits Akku - her first day at school.

For many years, the author has been contemplating the lack of realistic writing for children. “What has bothered me is the lack of capacity to tell real-time stories — all we seem to write for children are fantasies, stories of princes and princesses, which are not just highly utopian but also have very little relation to their everyday life.While working with children at the NSD TIE, I discovered that children love stories about everyday life that they can relate to. That’s how this book took birth; as the saying goes ‘crisis is the mother of invention’,” she tells us.

Talking about children’s literature in India, she says, “We have so many books which are exemplary in terms of the imaginative reality of children. India is home to amazing stories like Panchtantra, Amar Chitra-Katha, and the epic tale of Lord Rama which reflect everyday reality for the Indian consciousness. Even though these books have ele- ments of fantasy, they also have a rela- tionship to everyday life that so many other children’s books lack.”

She considers children to be the gurus who save us from the perils of adulthood. “I hope this book will not only be an enjoyable companion for little kids like Akku but also remind their parents how important it is to keep in touch with our inner child.”