Book review

Waiting for Turtles

Pankaj Sekhsaria & Vipin Sketchplore

Karadi Tales Company Pvt Ltd, Chennai, July 2021

ISBN 978-81-9473-243-3

Rs 250.

Waiting for Turtles captivates a Child's imagination


Waiting for Turtles, 

A story for young children by Pankaj Sekhsaria, an environmentalist and academician, is set in pristine Tarmugli, an island and a turtle nesting site within the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park in the Andaman Islands.

The book starts off with Samrat preparing to go with his mother, a turtle researcher, to the beech for turtle watching. “It was December  and this Sunday evening…instantly makes you sit up with reminiscences of the devastating Asian Tsunami on 26th  December 2004 - a Sunday - incidentally.

One evening, Samrat, the story’s protagonist, accompanies his mother, a sea turtle researcher, to watch the turtles coming in at Tarmugli. Sekhsaria simply and lucidly captures the boy’s delight at the new experience, the magic of a night out on the beach and the entire process of turtle nesting. It’s sure to pique any child’s interest in the subject. However, the author could have completed the story with the eggs hatching and the baby turtles finding their way to sea. 

Or, since there is no reference to the Asian Tsunami perhaps a reference to the Sunday in December could have been cropped…Illustrations by Vipin Sketchplore animate the story beautifully. Evocative images truly capture the imagination of the younger generation. Mamta Rajesh, a counselor told Digital Discourse Foundation Digital Discourse Foundation “it’s the kind of story I have to keep safe to read out as bed time stories for my grand 
children”.

Additional information on sea turtles and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands rounds it off.  The waters surrounding the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are home to five species of sea turtles: Olive Ridley Turtles, Green Sea Turtles, Hawksbill and Leatherback Turtles. Loggerhead Turtles are rarely seen and “are not documented for egg laying in Indian waters” according to herpetologist Dr. Karthik Shankar at the Centre for Ecological Sciences in Bangalore. But the loggerhead turtles are mentioned in official documentation of the ANI Forest Department, ANI tourist Department as well as WWF 
brochures.

These islands also harbour many other unique habitats which are now endangered. More such stories for the younger generation will indeed illustrate their importance and the urgent need for their preservation for future generations to enjoy.

Rajeev Yeshwanth

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

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