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What do Indira, Ambika, Murugan, Asha, Mohini, Ravi, Shashi and Ambika the Second have in common? They were all India’s ambassadors, but you will not find their names in the civil list. And who would have thought that ambassadors, diplomacy and international relations could be topics for a children’s book? Clearly Devika Cariapa did! She presents the most appealing aspects of Nehru’s ‘Elephant Diplomacy’, in a well written, easy-to-read narrative for children. Jumbos sent as gifts to children across the world who wrote asking for one. But those were different times—indeed, when letters not only got replied to, but also got acted upon!
Britannica defines diplomacy as the established method of influencing the decisions and behaviour of foreign governments and people through dialogue, negotiation, and any other measures short of war or violence. Animal diplomacy is one such measure! Symbols of power (like lions or bears), strength (like elephants or horses) or beauty (like exotic birds), wield soft power. Many nations practised animal diplomacy by gifting animals iconic to their culture and land, like India with elephants, China with giant pandas, Australia with koala bears (formerly platypus) and Indonesia with komodo dragons.