On today's episode of Stateside, author and illustrator Supriya Kelkar has two books that hit the shelves this year: Kamala Raised Her Hand (Little, Brown, and Company), a picture book biography about the Vice President, Kamala Harris, as well as And Yet You Shine: The Kohinoor Diamond, Colonization, and Resistance (Candlewick).
"Kamala," Kelkar noted, "is an Indian word which means 'lotus.'" The importance of that connection is not only in making the Vice President's roots legible but also in illustrating, in the very fabric of the book, that those roots, too, are fundamentally American. From the red, white, and blue patterns that predominate the palette, to the lotuses that decorated VP Harris's saree, Kamala Raised Her Hand is about connecting, rising, standing out, and standing up. It is also about taking the time to grow. "It was really important to me to have that lotus in there. A Lotus blooms underwater and rises."
Kelkar's other book, And Yet You Shine, is another example of her ability to make clear and meaningful what is otherwise complex for young audiences. The Kohinoor diamond is both a useful metaphor and a lasting, though broken, artifact representative of the impacts of colonization. The diamond might be centuries old, but, as Kelkar noted through the experiences of her direct family, "We see the effects of colonization every day."
And Yet You Shine uses the example of the Kohinoor diamond, a centuries-old heirloom of the Kakatiya dynasty, as a symbol of the violence and erasure of colonization. From kidnappings to forced transfer, once the diamond fell into the hands of the East India Trading Company, it was given to the British where "Prince Albert had it cut down to nearly half its size. Queen Elizabeth wore it as a pin, and it later became a part of the crown jewels." Stolen shine, Kelkar reminds readers, is not a reason to forget one's own.
Both books can be found (or ordered) at your local bookstore. For the full interview with Supriya Kelkar, look to the link above.
GUEST ON THIS EPISODE:
- Supriya Kelkar, author, illustrator, and screenwriter
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