New book talks about protecting the Great Nicobar through the lens of its animals

The last act of the story unfolds at the gates of Sansad Bhavan

When we first picked up Tansy Troy's new title about a spirited crew of animals that rallies to New Delhi for their future, it didn't need a disclaimer that it wasn't about cockroaches. Far from it, The Great Nicobar Journey (Talking Cub) follows the story of the Saltwater Crocodile, Leatherback Turtle, Treeshrew, Macaques, and other inhabitants of the Great Nicobar, as they march to the national capital to save their home. At the time of writing, the island faces a threat of nearly 130 sq km of its forests being wiped out for an infrastructure overhaul.

The animals display quirky placards. ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY/TANSY TROY

Troy drops us right in the middle of an SOS meeting called by the Leatherback Turtle, native to the Galathea Bay, where a massive port is coming up. An ambitious journey to the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi is their only option, the animals conclude. And thus, preparations begin; from the Macaques building a raft to the shy Civet Cat suggesting quirky placards: "Civil rights for Civet Cats", "Sarus cranes have better brains" being our favourites. "Petition who, who, who?" enquires the Nicobar Scops Owl.

Hitesh Sonar talking cub

While the Saltwater Crocodile and the Great Nicobar Parakeet get memorable nicknames such as Saltie and Nico P, Troy chooses to refer to most species by name. It might seem ad nauseam at first, but it serves a purpose: It etches these names in our memory, reminding us of what is at stake.

With Nico P flying above, the Omura's Whale swimming alongside, and the Macaques and other mammals all aboard, the journey takes us across state lines. Troy takes the opportunity to introduce readers to native species. Gripping stories of the Pangolin of Tamil Nadu, who risks being poached for its scales, and the Gharial in Madhya Pradesh who lost his brothers to water poisoning, make learning about real wildlife matters easy.

As in life, hope underlines the long journey to justice in Troy's fictional story. Along the way, the contingent pauses to tend to a sick Saltie, the wise, old turtle sings in tune with the juvenile macaques, and predators and prey walk hand-in-hand. We would have skipped the short detour the author makes to speak about shamans and supernatural coincidences in the forest, but the anecdote does offer a window into class divides in the already-disadvantaged tribal communities.

"As heartwarming as it is heartbreaking," as Pankaj Sekhsaria, author of The Great Nicobar Betrayal puts it, the tale culminates in a familiar standoff outside Sansad Bhavan. Helicopters hum in the sky, cameras flash incessantly, and politicians pull all strings to bring the menagerie to a halt.

We'll leave it to you to find out what happens next, but you'd do well to know that the book leaves you with more questions than it answers. One of them, courtesy the friendly Treeshrew, who wonders: "Do you think there are any humans who will truly get why we're even on this march?"

Well, will we?

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