Shalome Rides a Royal Elephant the Story of the First Jews of Calcutta

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.