Tail tale

Poetry - Anushka Ravishankar

Art – Tushar and Mayur Vayeda
Publisher – TARA Books, Chennai
HB, 36 pages
ISBN – 978-81-934485-7-1
Price – RS 600.00

The tale is quite simple – a cat is attracted to the many tails in other animals around her. She finds
her own to be very unruly and tricky and instead wants the one dog has, the one mouse has, the one
pig has, then even the one snake has! And each time she faces some simple realities of how each of
their tales is as mundane as a straight line, or a bangle, or a squiggle and so on. Until, she sees a
magical, shiny, silky tale of some animal – in the waters – and comes out the other side with her own
shiny and swishy tail – no less than the best!

And that’s where the simplicity ends, and what begins in the form of telling of this tale in words and
images and an interplay of the two is PURE MAGIC! The tale is set in verse – in quirky quintains and
quartets, playfully woven – as playfully as a cat’s tail that all cat-lovers can vouch for. ABCCB and
ABCB, the rhythm goes, and as you read along, the tail is sure to rub your funny bone with its
humorous and lively antics. It is another one of Anushka Ravishankar’s bests. Although comparisons
may not be the best way to compliment poets and authors, I think I should risk it and go public with
my long-time privately nurtured thought. I proclaim Anushka as the future Roald Dahl of Indian
English children’s literature. And this book certainly takes her one huge notch closer! I just wait
eagerly for her to churn out some longer tales, with some more twists and turns – in the verse.

The Warli art in the book by Tushar and Mayur Vayeda, is as magical as the telling of the tale – full of
details and thriving with life, action packed – every line and every stroke measured, purposeful and
aesthetically pleasing. The way in which it has offered itself to the tale – with witty use of the lines
and shapes – makes it a treat. In fact, the visuals by itself – work of art as they are – could keep you
busy for hours as you discover many animals, insects, birds and other life forms hidden in the nooks
and crannies! The rendering of imaginative underground habitats and lives almost takes you down
there – in those dingy holes, with rats and snakes and their food stores.

The use of just 2 colours and a judicious use of the background of white just as if it were a third
colour, and not just the boring static back-drop – talks about the design sense of the book. The
paper, the printing, production – everything speaks about impeccable TARA books. So does the
price, sadly! Like the book, the price too aims for the sky and takes the book out of the reach of
hundreds and thousands of children who would have loved to experience the book.

Tultul Biswas