Shalome came to India from Syria in 1792. He was an astute businessman,
and once he started his business in India, his work took him to many parts of
the country. He wrote all about it in his diary. Now, some 240 years later, his
descendant Jael Silliman weaves a great-fun story based on this diary, where
Shalome's adventures are narrated by his little monkey friend, Chanchal.
And what a colourful story it is, of royal elephants, silks, diamonds, and lots
and lots of mouthwatering delicacies! Chanchal describes how she meets
Shalome in Gujarat and then accompanies him to Calcutta, a city that was
surrounded by jungles at the time. They spend a year in the nawab's palace in
Lucknow and meet the royal elephants there, and visit Maharaja Ranjit Singh
in Punjab to see the Kohinoor!
Funny, heartfelt, and filled with insights into Jewish life, Shalome Rides a
Royal Elephant is not just the story of Shalome and Chanchal, but also about
the great melting pot that is India where different communities and religions
have lived in harmony over the ages.