If Elephants Could Talk: An Interview with Ranjeeta Ram
Padma Venkatraman:
It’s my great pleasure to interview you on Diverse Verse’s blog for the first of many interviews, I’m sure! Thanks for taking the time to do this, Ranjeeta. Could you start us off with a quick summary of the story, in your own words?
RANJEETA RAM:
This is a story of empathy and kindness, of hope and strength - the story of Meenakshi and her friendship with a temple elephant, Ganeshan. Having lost her mother, Meenakshi is grief-stricken when she meets Ganeshan and something clicks inside her. Her whole perspective of temple elephants changes in that instant, and she awakens to the cruelty of the centuries-old tradition of using elephants in temples. Meenakshi goes through some personal struggles as she deals with bullying from school and misunderstandings with close friends but finally learns to overcome those and focus on only what is dear to her and her cause: finding a solution to save temple elephants.
Though this story is set in India, it gives a universal message of friendship and loss, which would appeal to kids everywhere as it mirrors similar incidents and events from around the world.
Padma Venkatraman:
Couldn’t agree more. The message truly is universal - and could have been delivered in prose or poetry. Why did you choose to write in verse?
RANJEETA RAM:
When I read Elle Terry’s Forget Me Not, my mind was blown away. I never thought that verse novels could be so impactful. Less was more here. I felt like this was something I wanted to try my hand at. Our minds fill the gaps that the absence of words leaves behind with beautiful thoughts and feelings, and sometimes we need to have that space for the mind to breathe. And that is exactly what verse novels do. And so, I read a few more verse novels to learn the technique and then just went ahead with writing my own one.
Padma Venkatraman:
Would you please share with us a writing prompt or other activity that goes with a theme or poem in the book?
RANJEETA RAM:
‘If animals could talk what would they say?’ Write a poem with this title to read out in class or a poster that you could circulate in your school and neighborhood to raise awareness about cruelty to animals and the ways children can help stop it. Choose one animal or a group of animals like tigers or cows for this activity.
Padma Venkatraman:
Alan Gratz and I once judged an award together, along with Christopher Paul Curtis - and that year, Alan and I chatted A LOT! He read Author’s Notes with great attention and interest - and I’ve started doing the same, ever since. You speak at length about your daughter's activism in the Author's Note, which I love. Do you have suggestions on concrete steps readers can take to make our world a better place for other creatures?
RANJEETA RAM:
Empathy and kindness go a long way in making things better for everyone. Here are a few suggestions everyone could try to incorporate into their daily lives:
Avoid buying animal products like leather or ivory; Say no to animal rides; don’t buy tickets to shows like circuses or animal shows that use them for entertainment; take injured animals you might see around you to the vets; report any animal abuse you see; adopt pets from rescue centres, not breeders; be kind to street dogs and cats.
There are so many small, yet easy things like these that we can do to stop creating a demand for animals to be used and abused for our wants.
Padma Venkatraman:
Thank you for those important practical suggestions. Did you ever lose faith while working on this debut? What kept you going?
RANJEETA RAM:
I finished this book in four months, but it took me four years to bring it out into the world. And those four years were not easy. I had some early successes and then a quick downfall (when I decided to part ways with my agent) which was hard for me because I was nearly at the finish line. But I allowed myself to mourn and cry (to writer friends and family) for almost a year. The good thing was that I kept writing all the while, small bits though they were. Then it was time to be braver, pull myself up and go to Plan B. So, I pushed myself to query again but to Indian publishers this time and I found success at Hachette India and the rest as they say is history. What kept me going at those times were first, my writer friends and then the belief that I had created something relevant that the world needed to hear. The feedback I got from friends built my trust that this story is important and likable. And so I kept going though it was very hard to, on most days. It may sound clichéd, but belief in yourself and perseverance are your true best friends on this journey.
Padma Venkatraman:
Love it! What are you working on next?
RANJEETA RAM:
I have one completed story in verse that I am planning to submit to Indian publishers this time again. Another one is almost complete too but it’s a tough story to write and revise, and I think I need a breather from tough topics, so I’ll put it on the backburner for now and start a new one soon. I am very excited to start this new one because I want to let my thoughts free again this time like I did with the elephants story and see where it takes me.
Padma Venkatraman:
I can’t wait to see where your thoughts take you next, either! And in the meantime, I can’t wait to see all the success this debut will surely bring your way. Congratulations again - and thanks for all your hard work and commitment to #DiverseVerse!
Ranjeeta Raam is a children’s writer from India. She worked in different areas of writing before leaving her last job as a scriptwriter to become a full-time novelist. She writes middle-grade novels in verse and believes in the economy of words to tell a powerful story. Her first novel, If Elephants Could Talk, is a middle-grade contemporary fiction. Culture, environment, social awareness, animal welfare, and empathy are some things very close to her heart and she hopes to raise awareness about these in her kid readers.
When she isn’t writing, she can be found partying or planning a party, dancing or reading outside in her garden with her cats. Currently, she lives in Dubai with her husband, two girls and two cats.
Padma Venkatraman is the internationally acclaimed author of Safe Harbor, Born Behind Bars, The Bridge Home (a Global Read Aloud), A Time to Dance, Climbing the Stairs and Island’s End, which have secured over 20 starred reviews and sold over ¼ million copies. She is the winner of WNDB’s Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature and numerous other prestigious awards. Her books have been featured in the New York Times and Washington Post; included on ALA’s notable and several other best book of the year lists; and received book prize honors from Canada to Spain to Japan. Her poems have been published in Poetry and nominated for the Pushcart Prize. A sought-after speaker, she has presented the opening keynote address at the NCTE-ALAN conference and other teacher, librarian and writer conferences and appeared on PBS and NPR. She loves leading writing workshops and has visited schools and colleges and spoken to audiences of all ages in many countries including Mongolia, Trinidad and India, where she was born and which she left, on her own, at age 19. Before becoming an American citizen and acquiring a doctorate in oceanography Dr. Venkatraman directed a school in England, served as chief scientist on oceanographic vessels, conducted research in environmental engineering at Johns Hopkins and the College of William and Mary, and led diversity efforts. Discover more: www.padmavenkatraman.com ; visit www.diverseverse.org (which she founded) or arrange a visit: https://theauthorvillage.com/presenters/padma-venkatraman/.
