Several months ago, our college hosted a two day illustration workshop. The workshop conductors were a varied bunch of people and after they talked about themselves and showed us some work, it was for us to do something. Participants were split into groups and were given different briefs on things to illustrate for children. Our brief was to re-tell an existing story. I picked the story of Airavat, but I simply could not get myself to modify it by adding modern day things like a videogame or something in it. The story was good enough I felt, and until I could tweak the classic the way Roald Dalh did, I had no right to mess with it. So I decided to make it a fun read. Having always enjoyed reading rhymes, I thought I'd try one myself. So yeah, below the illustration is the rhyme version of the story, and the illustration...well thats the only one I managed to finish..heh heh..so much for the illustration workshop!
AIRAVAT
There was once an elephant in the sky
Now he reached there, because he could fly!
He was dazzling and white like a cloud
And was talked about by all in voices loud
When floating above the mountains tall
He would rise and rise but never fall
Earthlings obviously wondered where he went
“We must know!” they were oh-so hell bent
So the next day gathered all the village clan
They tickled their brains for the want of a plan
They finally found one that seemed just right
It was simple and yet very clever and bright
The same night they all hid behind a big bush
One sneezed and everyone whispered “shoosh!”
They waited patiently for Airavat to descend
And then some more for him to ascend
And when our big guy began to rise
The bush-men decided to shed their disguise
Right into the centre jumped a male
Who deftly grabbed Airavat’s dangling tail
Another guy came in and caught his foot
Following en suit was a woman in jute
One by one volunteered forth friends and foes
They all caught onto each others smelly toes
Like a kite-string they all were lifted into the air
Not even one waited back to stand and stare
The air was full of women squeals
Irritated men sent up ‘shut-up!’ appeals
Higher towards the heavens they soared
Clouds grew darker and lightning roared
Several hours of flying without a bite
And destination X was nowhere in sight
Our weary folks thought they were almost dead
When the topmost guy suddenly pepped up and said,
“We’re there! We’re there! I see it, I really do!
The heavens are more magnificent than what we ever knew
Glittering diamonds spring on the trees
They fill up pods instead of peas!”
Now the bottommost woman was a diamond freak
And my, she just couldn’t wait to take a peek!
“The grass in meadows stands five feet tall
A pumpkin is as big as twenty footballs!”
On hearing that, a farmer somewhere in between,
Simply couldn’t wait to lay his eyes on the blessed scene!
Soon everyone was excited as hell
Glassy-eyed as if entranced by a spell
“How fantastic do the gods look?
Are any of them writing a fortune book?”
Still far under and unable to get a view
Curious questions the dangling villagers threw
“Do people in the heavens really never die?
Are there princesses in the sky?”
Our man on the tail answered all he could,
“Indeed there are princesses, and boy, they look so good!”
“And are there enough for all of us?”
“Yes, yes, sooooo many, they’d fill a bus”
(And to prove this his arms he swayed,
As they flew wide apart he figured the mistake he’d made)
All of them people came gushing down
They tumbled back into their very own town
So many of them fell at once into the mud
In the skies Airavat heard a mighty huge thud
Frightened, he snuggled into his cozy berth
And decided never again to come back to Earth
Our fallen folks never saw him again
No way to visit heaven now, oh what a pain!
Around the peepal tree they all sat
And sadly confessed, “Curiosity killed the Cat!”
“Only if we’d waited a little while
We’d have been in heaven, the entire pile!”
The town folk realised they had erred
And unanimously the lot declared,
“Patience is a virtue that’ll make all well,
There are some tales that only time can tell!”
