Secret Wild Vet Kalyani (English)

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Back Cover

The extraordinary N Kalyani, a secret wildlife veterinarian with a heart as wild as the creatures she protects, is back on the job! This jaunty poem whisks young reaaders into the Nilgiris, where Kalyani swings on vines and partners with wild animals to outsmart trouble. Bursting with jungle antics, this adventure celebrates courage, friendship, and the magic of one woman’s mission to save her wild neighbours!. 

 

Author: Geeta Dharmarajan

Illustrator: Boski Jain

ISBN: 978-93-94185-75-3

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Reviews

Reviews

Secret Wild Vet Kalyani is a book inspired by N Kalyani, Tamil Nadu’s first woman veterinarian who graduated from Madras Veterinary College in 1952, challenging gender norms within the profession. Through a cheerful poem set in the Nilgiri hills, the author and Katha’s Founder President Geeta Dharmarajan imagines her Irular protagonist as a kind of superwoman who helps rescue animals, birds and reptiles in danger. Filled with everything from guns to ropes and jungle antics, this adventure story truly comes alive with the help of lively illustrations by designer Boski Jain.

According to the book, the DNA analysis (2018) of a skeleton from the Indus Valley Civilisation found in Rakhigarhi showed greater affinity with the Irula people than any other ethnic group in India. “A study by Yelmen et al (2019) found that the Irula were the closest likely proxy for the indigenous “AASI”, or Ancient Ancestral South Indian, one of the presumed founders and autochthonous original populations,” informs the book.

Hindustan Times