A merry launch of My Elephant Secret and other stories
Prof. Neluka Silva and Dr. Shermal Wijewardene at the launch. Pix by Ranjith Perera
In a glittering Royal Colombo Golf Club decked with boughs of holly and robust seasonal cheer, Prof. Neluka Silva unwrapped an early Christmas gift to stuff the stockings with.
It was the merry launch of My Elephant Secret and other Stories- Neluka’s first collection of short stories for children.
The delightful anthology is, as Shermal Wijewardene, author and colleague, noted, remarkable for being “less stories for children than they are stories that children find are important to tell about themselves-… (enacting) precisely the politics of discourse that subjectivize children- from appearance, to accomplishments, to independence….They are an important addition to Sri Lankan books for children.”
The stories- compelling with depth and wisdom and cheer- were toasted with readings by Neluka’s young students.