I’m very happy to welcome author and small business owner Navjot Kaur to the blog today. Navjot is the owner of Saffron Press, an independent publishing house that focuses on creating beautiful picture books that “offer mirrors, so children may see their experiences reflected…. windows to conquer the unknown”.
Navjot has kindly stopped by to talk about her picture book The Garden of Peace.
Nestled in the lower spurs of the Himalayas, is The Garden of Peace.
An allegory rooted in the social despair of a time not too contrary to our own. With a tyrant ruler and unfair social class system, discover how a nation-building event in Sikh history harvested citizens of change.
Where did the idea for The Garden of Peace come from?
In our own home, I felt urgency for change. The holidays would be over at the end of the year, Love Day was around the corner, and then our son had his birthday. Although we were practising mindfulness, there seemed like a lot of presents in a very short amount of time, and that left me feeling uneasy. And then, I would begin planning for Vaisakhi (an event that celebrates the Sikh nation in April of each year). I became a little anxious about how to help our son understand the root values of his visible faith identity. Resources were few and far between.
What some people may not even notice is that when many people look at us, they don’t really see us. They will notice the Sikh dastaar (turban), but will often never dig deeper to learn about our truth. I’ve even heard the dastaar or patka referred to as a “hat” which it absolutely is not.
As a teacher and mother, I knew I wanted to change that narrow perspective,so my son too could see his whole self, represented in the books he saw and read.
The story of Vaisakhi was shared in schools I’d attended in England for as long as I can remember, and the same one continues to be shared today. It’s a version that has been told for centuries, but the origin was not necessarily our truth. We never really questioned how our story was being told, because embedded deep within us, was an unconscious sense of gratitude that our story was being told in our schools at all. Today, we are living in an un certain world. A world, that spreads fear of the unknown across multiple media, so our minds become numb to truth. Hate crimes have been rising, especially across our borders and that is terrifying for any marginalized community.
Recent news stories in Canada have also left me thinking about who holds power and privilege over our voices. The story of our truth needed to be told. We have been living the danger of a single story and it was time to change the narrative.
How long did it take to make the book from start to finish?
It took over 8 years to complete the process of this story since it required a vast amount of research and diverse perspectives to gain feedback.
Life also happens and as an independent author/publisher, that too takes priority. My writing began with reflecting on the celebration of Vaisakhi and attending the many parades that take place during April. I felt far removed from the core ideas of our Sikh identity– challenging social inequity and being aware of social justice issues. I wanted to share these core ideas about the celebration with my son, in a way that would make him think critically about the world around him. I wanted him to make connections to real-world issues within and outside our immediate community. We talked about Residential schools, the lack of access to clean water on First Nations reserves and we made connections to our collective responsibility to stand up and speak out when we see or hear about something that does not feel right.
My very first draft followed a very simple retelling of the Vaisakhi story that has been around for three centuries. I’ve always had many questions about this version. As I researched, many moments gave me pause to rethink the single story I’d heard over time.
Life during 17th century India was culturally diverse, not only from the perspective of India’s own cultural wealth, but also from the broad influence of persons travelling to the shores from Africa and Europe. The Arts were revered and scribes held seats in every royal court. The only first hand account that I came across during my research was written by a spy as an update to the current ruler. I began questioning. Did he take some literary license while writing this version to impress the emperor? Was he afraid of the emperor’s reaction should the version not be dramatic enough? These were thoughts and questions that inspired my writing of The Garden of Peace.
Through research, I learned about the significance of colours during 17th century India. You will see people wearing blue and saffron dastaars (Sikh turbans) during Vaisakhi parades.
People who dyed cloth for a living were considered polluted according to the caste system. The skin of these makers was constantly stained and perhaps looked dirty. Indigo was the most common and therefore affordable colour. It was designated to the lower classes and widows in some regions. The stigma of wearing indigo was challenged when it became one of the visible colours of the Khalsa nation. Royalty or the most religious members of society had historically used saffron. This too was challenged when the Khalsa nation began wearing this colour as a symbol of equity.
The caste system itself is integral to the story since the five warriors of change in The Garden of Peace (seeds) each came from a different level of social hierarchy (the weeds symbolize the lower castes). They are often seen as “the Other”. They also originated from east, west, north and south region , which shows how far spread the yearning for change was at the time. These are a few of the nuggets of knowledge that inspired every layer of this narrative. However, writing text that parallels nature and human society, with just enough space to leave you thinking deeper on each page, was the goal and invincible challenge. The Garden of Peace is a poetic response to the social inequities and injustices that existed during the backdrop of Vaisakh (or Spring season) around 1699.
It is a narrative that I hope transcends time and place so that it still holds meaning in our own socially and politically sensitive times.
How did you choose an illustrator for The Garden of Peace?
Since Saffron Press is an independent press, I have to do much of the work of an entire publishing team. Quality is always foremost in my mind when I’m sourcing illustrators. I know how much time and effort has been placed in finalizing the text, and so the art has to continue breathing life into the story.
Finding an illustrator who understands the text and is open to interpreting it responsively to a specific cultural identity is never easy. It takes many conversations and face-to-face meetings if possible. Moreover, it takes time and a clear vision of style and medium. When I came across Nana’s work, I was drawn to her unique interpretation of the world. Her work had a sense of whimsy and yet, a prominent voice, which is the balance you need in a quality picture book for children.
She is extremely talented and we were a team through the entire process.
How did you collaborate?
Given the historical and cultural context of the narrative, a lot of research was involved when considering a colour palette and overall concept. Nana was a gem to partner with. She listened and considered all the images I’d collected to inspire the time and place. I’d researched colour palettes from the 17th century and shared an abundance of ideas, along with the plants that would have been available in the regions to create dyes.
Since the styles of turbans were different to the ones we may see today, they had to be accurately crafted and Nana worked through revisions with such grace and patience. Nana offered some initial drafts and we continued to collaborate from there. The artwork truly replenishes the spaces on each page for layers of text to be interpreted fully.