Conservation through fictional schoolboy

The Assam Forest Department is banking on a fictional schoolboy who communicates with animals to strengthen its conservation drive.

The Assam Forest Department is banking on a fictional schoolboy who communicates with animals to strengthen its conservation drive.

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Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain on Tuesday evening unveiled the first of a series of storybooks titled Paltu aaru Sonali Bandor (Paltu and Golden Langur). The central character of the 36-page book is Paltu, a 10-year-old son of a farmer.

"Paltu has been conceived as a child conservator who can talk to and understand the feelings of animals, birds and reptiles. A farmer's child, he is given the power to communicate with animals by a golden langur," said author Narayan Mahanta, divisional forest officer of Assam State Zoo.

The story unfolds when Paltu chances upon an army of primates devouring crop in his father's farm in a remove village. As he confronts the golden langurs, they tell him how they were compelled to raid the farm after the forest behind the village was destroyed.

"Paltu and his family subsequently shift to the city, and they are appalled by the lack of greenery. He ventures into the zoo where he meets primates who tell him how they came to be behind bars," said Mahanta.

Paltu's ability to communicate with animals comes with a rider - he will lose the power if he, even unwittingly, harms any creature.

Mahanta told Hindustan Times Paltu would keep cropping up in storybooks with a different creature in each book. Paltu aaru Sonali Bandor has illustrations by Utpal Talukdar, and is available in four languages - Assamese, Bengali, English and Hindi.

The Assamese and Bengali versions have been priced at Rs 50 each while the English one costs Rs 75 and the Hindi Rs 100.