‘Children need hope about the environment — our stories can help them cherish all forms of life’

Kartik

Shanker teaches at the Indian Institute of Science and writes books on the environment for children. Speaking to

Times Evoke

, he discusses why illuminating nature for children is both important — and delightful:
I’m an evolutionary ecologist. I study the ecology and evolutionary biogeography of frogs, lizards, snakes and birds across the Western Ghats, sea turtles along the coast and marine reef fish. Amidst this, I began writing on science for children by accident. After a talk I gave,

Rohini Nilekani

suggested I write an illustrated book on a turtle’s fascinating life. So, I began writing for children and I found that science from their eyes can be both beautiful and readable. My scientific papers are usually read by a few hundred people but my books for children have sold over 10,000 copies. The book I wrote on turtles was translated into 12 languages including Romanian and Igbo. Being able to reach out to children was delightful.



Most of my children’s writing derives from my knowledge of ecology and evolution. I wrote about a

bush

frog in the

Nilgiris

, a species and landscape I am familiar with. I also wrote about a loris, a

drongo

and an owl who become friends. In

Nicobar

, my partner studied an association of a treeshrew, a drongo and a sparrow-hawk. This was a very unusual grouping and it inspired me.

HER WORLD UNDERWATER: In 'Moonlight in the Sea', Shanker tells the tale of a little girl in the Lakshadweep island, looked after by the moon and surrounded by the ocean and its vibrant life. Images Courtesy: K. Shanker

I try to communicate my fascination with the natural world, its intricacies and amazements to children. I believe it is vital to engage people in conserving what is around them. I emphasise how conservation is not about segregating people and nature but encouraging a range of relationships between all life.



As a scientist, it’s easy to get depressed over climate change, its inequities and impacts — but I also believe that the good things we can do, the solutions we can make, can only come out of hope. We hope we can make a change, which is why we work at science, conservation or art. We must communicate such hope to children, without shielding them about climate realities.



I've found children are actually remarkably open to the facts of the world. In my book on the turtle, our protagonist makes her way to her beach of origin but she must first escape deadly threats like trawl nets and sharks. There are some illustrations of other turtles caught in nets and one even being eaten by a shark — happily, our protagonist survives. But two slightly grim drawings caught the attention of an American woman at a conference abroad. She said, ‘Isn’t this a bit gruesome for children?’

SMALL FROG, BIG STORIES: In 'The Adventures of Philautus Frog', Shanker tracks the travels of a Raorchestes signatus bush frog, endemic to the Western Ghats which he has researched. Photo: SP Vijayakumar

However, a two-and-a-half year-old boy sitting next to me said excitedly just then as he read the book, ‘Look mummy, there’s even a shark eating that turtle!’ The reality of a turtle’s life and the chance that it could get eaten by a shark didn’t bother him — it intrigued him. Children are happy to understand the world as it really is. They can deal with a great deal of scientific knowledge.

I hope my writing can help kids evolve a new view of nature. Conservation can often become an elite and exclusionary movement that tends to think of humans and nature as separate from each other — hence, it can end up having severe impacts on already marginalised communities that live off the land. We must foster more holistic connections between humans and nature that include various forms of sustainable use with aesthetic and cultural values. For this to happen, we must begin with children and the values which they internalise from childhood

I always get remarkable feedback from children who like the wondrous qualities of the natural world, its surprises, its delights and the adventurous role they play in them. I wrote a book on Lakshadweep loosely based on a little girl I met there. The joy on her face when her parents told her this book was built around her was more reward than any review could bring. That child’s expression inspires me to continue writing for children waiting to learn and love nature.