Pot-pourri in Corbett country

Ranjit Lal, in his first novel for children, uses his involvement with nature and wildlife to present a magical mix of adventure and mystery, says PREMA SRINIVASAN.

ONE of the current trends in the world of children's books is the presence of professionals who wish to tell their stories from their practised viewpoints. We have art historian Romila Thapar and Whittaker writting for children on ancient history and nature. Now, Tulika Publishing has brought out Ranjit Lal's That Summer at Kalagarh. Here, Ranjit Lal, a specialist in Natural history, regales our young audience with a wildlife plus adventure story in Corbett country.

The story begins with a holiday in the Kumaon Hills and the main protagonist, Gitanjali, is an unusual 12-year-old who is fascinated by elephants. She and her three cousins are excited about their holiday at Kalagarh Forest and Gitanjali's parents, like all parents in children's stories, are unobtrusive.

Gitanjali being plump is called "Hathni" by her cousins who tease her mercilessly at first but after they witness her expertise in trekking, grudgingly begin to admire her knowledge of wild life. When the children come face to face with a bull elephant, it is Gitanjali's presence of mind which saves them and they return home amazed by "Hathni's sixth sense" as far as the elephant was concerned. Gitanjali can feel the elephant presence in rather an uncanny way and this is the central motif of the entire story. A simple adventure tale in the hills becomes definitely complex as Gitanjali experiences a sick feeling of impending doom when she goes near the reservoir at Ramganga. The climax of the story is the elephant ride with the mahout recounting the sad story of an elephant who was killed trying to save its young one during a storm. When the mahout mentions that the dead elephant was called Gitanjali and the incident occurred 12 years ago, the children are astonished and moved by the tragic story.

As for Gitanjali, she seems to relive the anguish of the night and it is not difficult to put two and two together, as we are no doubt meant to. To make the adventure story more mysterious, children are informed by the forest officer that there was no elephant or mahout sent for their trip. The entire adventure becomes delightfully spooky when the children identify Chameli elephant (on which they take their ride) as the dead Gitanjali and their mahout as the man who died in the storm years ago in the old photograph in the Forest Ranger's office. The story ends here with no additional explanations and we are equally mystified by the ghostly visitors of the previous night getting a little muddled by the suggestion of reincarnation of the dead elephant as a girl child. Only Gitanjali or "Hathni" is not surprised but is sadder and wiser for the adventure.

Like Arup Kumar Dutta of Kaziranga fame, Ranjit Lal has a great involvement with the creatures of the wild and is completely at ease describing the jungle terrain. The subtle indications that Gitanjali has a more than unusual bond with elephants persist throughout the story. In reality, after the jungle trek, there is no action and the climax is only a matter of recalling a tragic story by the nocturnal visitors. Children wanting to get their teeth into a meaty adventure-cum-action tale in Corbett country may be disappointed. Perhaps it would have been more fun if the trek had taken the children to the reservoir where Gitanjali elephant once battled for the life of her young one. However the ghost element is bound to thrill children hankering for some "spooky fun". Well, it is the 21st Century and the dividing lines between mystery, adventure and the ghost story are likely to keep blurring and we have here a pot pourri which can take the child reader through a gamut of emotions. Humour, banter, and finally spine chilling tragedy before we come back to earth again as the car load of occupants return to their humdrum lives far away from the elephant country.

We are told that this is Ranjit Lal's first book for children, although he has written several short stories and articles for youngsters. He is the author of The Crow Chronicle (Penguin) and The Life and Times of Altu Faltu (IndianInk), both novels intended for adult readership. The author's concern for wild life dominates his writing and this book set in Kumaon Hills reminds us once more that love for all God's creatures should be initiated amongst children early in life.

That Summer at Kalagarh, Ranjit Lal, Tulika, 2001, p.78, Rs.80.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : The laugh at the end of the world
Next     : Partition narratives