Poop is a metadrive of information: Shweta Taneja

Shweta Taneja's new book explores how digestive waste tells stories of how animals live, think, feel, migrate, communicate and evolve

Shweta Taneja has always been drawn to the things that exist on the fringes of a society. “The dark spaces that people shove under the carpet or put into the closet have always attracted me,” explains the Bengaluru-based writer, whose latest book, The Big Book of Wild Poop (Juggernaut/Indian Pitta), is yet another exploration of something we do not talk about enough: digestive waste.

“Poop can be disgusting. (But) It is the most natural process in the world,” writes Shweta in the book, pointing out that it happens because we eat. And yes, it is “a metadrive of information”, something she constantly reiterates. For instance, “the wiggling invisible DNA inside the sticky, smelly stuff tells the story of how animals live, think, feel, migrate, communicate and evolve. Analysing this information, ecologists can figure out how to save them.”

Poop can tell us more about wild animals | Photo Credit: Sunaina Coelho

Like many of her other books, The Big Book of Wild Poop, which came out in January this year, is a collaborative effort between her and the illustrator, Sunaina Coelho, a process she enjoys. “When you work with an artist, for a graphic novel or a visual book, you have to give space for the artist’s vision as well, so there will be more reiterations,” she says, adding that a lot of work went into this book during the editing stage to align the visuals and text. “The reason I adore comics and graphic novels is that there is such a beautiful collaboration and trust between each other’s vision that comes together.”

The book is a collaborative effort between Shweta and her illustrator | Photo Credit: Sunaina Coelho

The book’s overall aesthetic, packed with beautiful illustrations and quirky facts about faecal matter, is certainly a testament to this collaboration, offering a ridiculously fun, detailed read. It may occasionally cause the ick, but mostly makes one laugh out loud, allowing the reader to learn many aspects of biology without it feeling too academic.