The Great Nicobar Journey

MY THOUGHTS

I read this book as protests around the NEET exam leak erupted across the country, and as a result, I felt a shiver run down my spine every time I thought of how timely the book was. If one protest could be heard and have such an effect on the minds of Indians, why not another one on the issue of the Great Nicobar Project?

((Review excerpted from article that first appeared on Scroll.in here))

The book opens with a conference attended by birds, animals, amphibians, and reptiles. The Nicobar Treeshrew presides, and everyone from the Long-tailed Macaque and Civet Cat to Omura’s Whale and Saltwater Crocodile gathers to listen with an intent to save their homeland. This unlikely crew of creatures decides to take an arduous journey from Nicobar to Tamil Nadu by raft and then on foot all the way to New Delhi’s Sansad Bhavan.

Their version of “Chalo Sansad” has only one purpose: to speak to India’s lawmakers about scrapping a project by putting forward their views on how it would harm their habitat. Along the way, they gather reinforcements and make new friends. From endangered and hunted pangolins to tigers searching for food close to human habitation – allies willing to risk their lives to go on the journey with them. From a small crew of animals from Nicobar, they grow into a formidable force when animals from across India and tribal communities with the knowledge of understanding animal speak join them.

This is a book for children, and in its own special way, it offers young readers an avenue to understand the issues plaguing the nation. It keeps the interest and excitement level high, as the author introduces exotic animals that will pique the reader’s curiosity.

“We realised our quest generations ago.
Now we have come to alert you, avert you.
Advise you to take this moment to pause.”

These portentous words are lyrics from a song the animals sing when they reach Sansad Bhavan. The Great Nicobar Journey does not ask readers to blindly choose sides, but at a time when emotions and tempers run high, the book and the voices of the animals ask them to do something far more valuable – it nudges them to listen. By giving the fauna of Nicobar a voice, it reminds us that every development project has stakeholders who will never have a seat at the negotiating table. Long after you have read the book, the image of animals peacefully walking across the length of India is haunting and lingers. At a time when everyone is eager to march towards Parliament, The Great Nicobar Journey encourages children to ask whose voices are still missing from big conversations.