MY ELEPHANT SECRET AND OTHER STORIES
Neluka Silva is Professor of English at the University of Colombo and President of the University of Oxford Alumni Society of Sri Lanka. She is the founder/director of Kids @ Play, a children’s theatre workshop. She was educated at the Universities of Colombo, Leeds, Oxford and Cambridge.
Her novel ‘The Iron Fence’ (2011) was shortlisted for the Gratiaen Prize and was longlisted for the Commonwealth First Book Prize 2012 and the Dublin IMPAC prize 2012. Neluka’s collection of short stories ‘Our Neighbours and other stories’ is published by Vijitha Yapa Publications (2009). “Our Neighbours” was one of the 20 stories placed in the Highly Commended Winner category in the 2008 Commonwealth Short Story Competition. She also coauthored a collection of short stories entitled ‘The Rolled Back Beach’ with Simon Harris. She was an invited author and moderator at the Galle Literary Festivals and conducted Writing Workshops for the Children’s Programme. She has conducted workshops for young adults at the American Centre’s Writers’ Lab programme. Following her Creative Writing Workshops for children, her young authors published ‘Eagle Eyes and Other Stories’ in 2018. She also conducts courses in Professional Communications and business coaching.
It is with great delight that I was able to chat with Professor Neluka Silva on her latest children’s book, “My Elephant Secret and Other Stories”. With there being such a dearth in children’s English literature with a local flavour, it was such a pleasure to present to my own children a book that resonated with their everyday lives. From little Nishani, who dreamed of an Elephant Safari to the perplexities of the Husseins moving into Saman Mawatha and Sumi, the chooti Nangi who faced the delusions of her beautiful dark skin on a daily basis. Professor Neluka writes with an easy, refreshing style that keeps any reader, young and old, enticed till the very end. My Elephant Secret and Other Stories -a collection of short stories for children (9-14yrs) that centre around contemporary issues faced by children such as bullying, racism, skin colour and poverty. The stories are set in Sri Lanka, and written in
Sri Lankan English which is familiar to us and brings in cultural terms in the way they are used. For example, words such as sili sili bags, kade, tuk which children can identify with, as well as phrases which are commonly used. The situations are very relatable and interweave comedy and tragedy.
Q WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE SUCH THE BOOK FOR CHILDREN? ESPECIALLY THE TITLE?
I have been working with children since 2004 when I started my drama workshop Kids @ Play and, over a period of 11 years, devised, produced and directed about 10 plays.
In 2013 I started conducting creative writing workshops for children as I was persuaded by many of my friends to encourage and develop creative writing skills. Working with children gave me insight into their experiences, joys, fears and daily encounters. It also enabled me to identify what issues they were interested in and what kind of narratives they like to read. I thought it was important to write stories that are situated in a local context which grapple with what happens in their own lives. The title is from the 1st story in the collection, which deals with a young girl’s shattered dream and the way she copes with disappointment, but also opens her eyes to the suffering of others.
Q CAN YOU BRIEFLY TOUCH ON THE ISSUES THAT EACH STORY TALKS ABOUT?
The 12 stories deal with many of the issues facing children in Sri Lanka today – from racism, bullying, being considered “dark”, lack of attention from working parents, dengue, divorce, taking the initiative to save a school, poverty and disappointment. In “The Middle Child”, the plot revolves around a boy who feels “invisible” because he is the middle child, and his parents are preoccupied with his older, talented brother and younger sister. He gets the opportunity to learn to play drums and realises that he has a talent for it. When he performs on a public stage, his fears about himself, especially the feeling of “invisibility” change. “Knowing the
Unknown” is about racism towards Muslims in a neighbourhood, witnessed through the perspective of a young boy. The healing touch of a puppy underpins “Google, the
Three-legged Wonder” as a young girl tries to cope with her parents’ divorce and the pain of experiencing the break-up of her family.
The story “Pretty but …” is about a young girl’s emotions in dealing with skin colour. Right throughout her life, she feels marginalised because she is regarded as “dark”. The narrative goes back to an incident in her childhood where she is bullied about the colour of her skin and the ending of the story empowers her.
Q AS NEW “TWEENAGERS”, HOW DO SOME OF YOUR STORIES HELP IN DEALING WITH ISSUES THAT KIDS IN THIS AGE GROUP FACE?
While my stories try to honestly confront the issues facing children, I don’t try to offer simplistic solutions, but rather instill hope and possibility. Most of the protagonists in the stories face their realities with courage. The intention is to enable them to face these realities, rather than blaming others or running away from them.
Q WHAT WOULD YOU TELL A PARENT WHO IS INTERESTED IN GETTING YOUR BOOK?
As parents we avoid engaging with our children in frank discussions about what is going on around us. Sometimes we don’t even know the problems our children and their friends undergo.
Hopefully, these stories will become a way of opening up conversations about sensitive subjects and provide a way to recognise what needs to be addressed in our own lives.
Q WHAT WAS YOUR HARDEST OR MOST COMPLICATED STORY TO WRITE?
“Knowing the Unknown” was definitely the most difficult to write, as it deals with racism from a child’s perspective. The story emerged from a personal experience some years ago, when we were selling a house.
I wanted this story to capture the innocence and bewilderment of the child when he is expected to be complicit in marginalising a family from a different ethnic group. Portraying his emotions was challenging and I had to keep envisioning how he would react in the situation, but judging from the feedback I have received from children and adults, it seems to have been effective.
Q WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE YOUNG READERS TO GET OUT OF YOUR BOOK?
What I hope to communicate to young readers is that you are never alone, and there’s always hope, even in the darkest times. You can always find strength within you and your family and friends will support and empower you if you reach out to them.
Q ARE THERE MORE CHILDREN’S BOOKS IN THE FUTURE?
I’m still recovering from this one! But there are many stories in my head, so perhaps I will start writing them later on.
Q WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE DEARTH OF BOOKS FOR CHILDREN BY LOCAL AUTHORS?
Writing for children is very challenging. To see the world through the eyes of a child can be daunting, which might be a reason why there aren’t many books for children in Sri Lanka. I have been very fortunate in being able to work with 9-14 year old children for many years now, and the insights I have gained from this experience have been instrumental in enabling me to craft the narratives. It has also been integral to piloting my stories. As a result, I was able to revise and adapt the stories before they were published.
The Elephant Secret and Other Stories can be found at Sarasavi Bookshop, Vijitha Yapa, Barefoot Gallery, Caramel Pumpkin and Kumbuk.
The stories are set in Sri Lanka, and written in Sri Lankan English which is familiar to us and brings in cultural terms in the way they are used
My Elephant Secret and Other Stories -a collection of short stories for children that centre around contemporary issues faced by children such as bullying, racism, skin colour and poverty