Jamshedpur: A stray cat with an injured paw that you may have brought home to heal. A starving old dog that you may have fed and comforted. A bird hit by ceiling fan blades that you may have nursed to health. Maybe even an ant or a worm that you saved from being crushed underfoot.
Engaging with animals in the concrete jungle can be a wonderful experience. And, Jamshedpur's The Gerald Durrell Initiative, a voluntary group of environment enthusiasts who also love reading the books of the famed British animal writer and conservationist born in Jamshedpur on January 7, 1925, will now publish 40 shortlisted stories of schoolchildren who have engaged with animals in some way or the other.
The "heart-warming and original book" is the outcome of a contest titled Jamshedpur Writes last year in April, said academic Lalita Sareen, who is a part of the initiative. The members of The Gerald Durrell Initiative had approached 12 schools last year out of which students from six, Loyola School, Little Flower School, JH Tarapore School, Motilal Nehru Public School, Gulmohur High School and Kerala Public School (Kadma) participated in the contest. Of over 150 entries, the best 40 stories were shortlisted and edited by a group of five academics and professionals from GDI to get it ready for publication. Members have spoken to a couple of publication house for getting the book published.
"Students expressed themselves beautifully," she said, adding they had been stringent while short-listing the stories.
"We stressed on personal experiences and of course the way they expressed themselves, the quality of language and grammar. Some wrote well, but as they wrote essays and not stories, the entries weren't considered for the book. We checked plagiarism the best we could," she said.
The book will not only have the stories, but also pictures shared by Lee Durrell, the writer's wife, and some details about the Durrell family's stay in Jamshedpur.
Well-known businessman and philanthropist Ronald D'Costa, one of the GDI members, called the upcoming book their "commitment to students".
"This book is an extension of storytelling sessions we organised under the Durrell initiative. The whole exercise is to make a new generation realise the simple joy of compassion towards every living being. The stories are based on humanity, thoughtfulness and kindness. As any Durrell lover knows, those are what his books are about too, with a generous dose of humour," D'Costa said.
