Sitting on grandma’s lap, while she recites animated stories of magical creatures and animals that can talk and dance leaves a lasting impression on our minds. The stories we hear in our early childhood get etched in our minds and remain with us even through our adulthood. Needless to say, our perception of the real world and its inhabitants also get influenced by these stories that we hear in our formative years.Over the years numerous authors have written stories about animals keeping their individual characters in mind—From horses to tigers and monkeys to crocodiles. Yet none have ever really dwelled much on the idea of writing a complete book on snakes, and only snakes. As the International Year of the Forest draws to a close, Pratham Books launched A King Cobra’s Summer, a children’s book by conservation writer and filmmaker Janaki Lenin. The book was jointly launched by Suzanne Singh, managing trustee, Pratham Books and renowned herpetologist, Gerry Martin. The two also unveiled the ‘Conservation Pledge Wall’ which had a glimpse of the 2,04,049 pledges received by the organisation in ten Indian languages.Unlike most children’s books, Lenin has weaved a story around a particular King Cobra, Kaala. While the author describes the snake’s story she carefully adds informative anecdotes about the snake and its natural habitat and life. Kaala who once lived in the lush forests of the Western Ghats has lost his bearings. Due to his body’s natural cycle he is blinded and the magnificent snake ends up in a situation and surroundings alien to him. The story is about how he lands himself in the situation and his struggle in the verdant forest that has animals and humans battling for survival.As the story unfolds, Kaala recalls his varied experiences in the jungle, his tryst with humans and animals and his journey through it all. During his course Kaala meets Lila, who according to him is one of the most beautiful King Cobras he has ever scene. Wildlife artist Maya Ramasawamy has done a spectacular job at designing the illustrations for the book. Her eye for detail has not missed a single scale on the reptile’s body. Through her book, Lenin has covered every stage in a King Cobra’s life from birth to procreation.Gerry feels that it is crucial to get children acquainted with the species. “The idea is to familiarise the kids with serpents. The book is written through the eyes of the animal. Many books have been written about the stealth and the beauty of the horse, the fear that the tiger invokes in his prey, the loyal companionship of the canine, but no one has ever rendered the serpent in a positive manner. This book does that. The author has tried to de-mystify the animal so that the younger generation will understand the animal and not fear them mechanically,” he says. The youngsters present at the launch were thrilled with Gerry’s stories about the snakes he rescued and helped. Speaking of rescuing, more than relocating snakes from their natural habitat, Gerry advocates learning to live with them. “Fewer people die of snake bites when compared to those who lose their lives due to dog bites. A snake will never attack unless and until it is provoked,” he informed.According to Singh the book has beautifully managed to break some of the most common myths about the snake. “Lenin’s book has the ability to teach young children that they need not fear snakes. They must respect them and their habitat,” she said.
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