The book was officially launched on 15th February, 2023 in the august presence of Union Minister, Women and Child Development & Minority Affairs, Smriti Zubin Irani; Chairperson, National School of Drama, and Eminent Actor, Paresh Rawal; and Director, National School of Drama, Prof (Dr) Ramesh Chandra Gaur.
The debut book by actor and Board Member CBFC Board, Vani Tripathi, ‘Why Can’t Elephants be Red’ takes a deep dive into the subliminal world resided in by gritty children who are much more resilient than adults. The author delves into their world from a childlike perspective, for once, keeping her parental hat aside.
Vani Tripathi Tikoo, on her first foray into writing a book averred, ’This book is a salute to the tolerance and resilience of children who can adapt to new surroundings and situations that are sometimes out of their control. They are in sharp contrast to adults like us who constantly crib and complain about things not going their way. Perhaps the adult mind sometimes forgets that we were children once too. My prayer is to bring back that innocence that we have lost and forgotten in our hurry to grow up and become adults.’
Amitabh Baghel shared, “At Koshala Literature Festival we regard children’s books vital to the landscape of indigenous writing. I congratulate Vani for her debut book and am glad we are hosting her talk in her own state of Uttarakhand.”
On the publisher’s front, Trisha De Niyogi, Director and COO, Niyogi Books, stated, ‘We are delighted to present to you an illustrated children’s book that takes readers into the adorable and magical world of a little girl for whom everyday life is full of wonder, surprises and fun. It will, in all probability, bring out in you a feeling of nostalgia for a time when we were young, curious, amiable and agile ourselves. An interesting book for all age groups, it can be enjoyed by children and young parents alike. Also, let’s not forget the uncles and aunts, grandmothers and grandfathers and brothers and sisters who all play important roles in the raising of a child. As the saying goes, ‘it takes a village (read family) to raise a child.’
Vani Tripathi Tikoo is a versatile theatre, television and film actor with extensive teaching experience at the National School of Drama, Theatre in Education Company. She has specialized in Grips-Theatre, renowned emancipatory children’s and youth theatre based out of Berlin where adults perform as children, with children and for children. She has also pioneered the use of theatre as a mode of learning in schools and practicing performing arts as part of the curriculum in India.
Vani considers The Little Prince as the Bible for all adults who want to understand children. Keeping her work with children alive after having done theatre with kids for more than two decades and having written plays that turned into performances, she has finally forayed into writing for children. This is her first book as an author. She considers children to be the Gurus who save us from the perils of adulthood!
Koshala Literature Festival is a literary initiative organized by the Perspective Cultural Foundation, which is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act 1860. The advisory board of Koshala Litfest has Prof. Pushpesh Pant who serves as the Mentor & Advisor, Anshu Khanna as an Advisor, Amitabh Singh Baghel as the Curator & Festival Director.
