The Yellow Bird

by Patrick Redican, Priyamwada Redican Chakne

The Rhinoceros Tails books are the continuing adventures of a group of young teenagers as they explore the Maharashtrian countryside, learning about their culture and themselves. In the first book, high school students Pranav, Dorga and Madhuri and a young shepherd, Bhirav, follow a small, single-minded rhinoceros through a valley of flowers and a sacred forest and finally up a mountainside to the legendary but rarely seen Jayadri Forest where they meet some wonderful creatures, learn different ways of looking at things and, in the end, feel themselves substantially changed by the experience. I book two, 'The Yellow Bird', another boy. Philippe, is drawn into their circle by following a fascinating yellow bird. They all, along with two other new Rhinoceros Tails, find themselves in new adventures, sometimes separately, sometimes together, sometimes downright dangerous and sometimes purely joyful. Again they end up in Jayadri Forest, this time participating in its Dasara festival celebrations. The aim of the books is to tell a good story while sharing with the English speaking world the richness of Maharashtrian culture.