The Elephants in My Backyard

A Memoir

By: Rajiv Surendra

Narrated by: Rajiv Surendra

"This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I found myself standing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff. Far below me was an incredible abyss with no end in sight. I could turn back and safely return to where I had come from, or I could throw caution to the wind, lift my arms up into the air...and jump." (From The Elephants in My Backyard)

What happens when you spend 10 years obsessively pursuing a dream, and then, in the blink of an eye, you learn that you have failed, that the dream will not come true?

In 2003, Rajiv Surendra was filming Mean Girls, playing the beloved rapping mathlete Kevin Gnapoor, when a cameraman insisted he read Yann Martel's Life of Pi.

Mesmerized by all the similarities between Pi and himself - both are five-foot-five with coffee-colored complexions, both share a South Indian culture, both lived by a zoo - when Rajiv learns that Life of Pi will be made into a major motion picture he is convinced that playing the title role is his destiny.

In a great leap of faith Rajiv embarks on a quest to embody the 16-year-old Tamil schoolboy. He quits university and buys a one-way ticket from Toronto to South India. He visits the sacred stone temples of Pondicherry, he travels to the frigid waters off the coast of rural Maine, and explores the cobbled streets of Munich. He befriends Yann Martel, a priest, a castaway, an eccentric old woman, and a pack of Tamil schoolboys. He learns how to swim, to spin wool, to keep bees, and to look a tiger in the eye. All the while he is really learning how to dream big, to fail, to survive, to love, and to become who he truly is.

Rajiv Surendra captures the uncertainty, heartache, and joy of finding ones place in the world with sly humor and refreshing honesty. The Elephants in My Backyard is not a journey of goals and victories, but a story of process and determination. It is a spellbinding and profound book for anyone who has ever failed at something and had to find a new path through life.

©2016 Rajiv Surendra (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Captivating!

One of the best books I’ve read / listened to in the last 20 years. Heartwarming, self- deprecating, humorous, and inspiring. Just what is needed at the moment. Brilliant. Rajiv’s charm shine’s through.

Well written

Excellent story, nicely written and read by the author. This should be a best seller.

Wonderful and relatable story

I bought the book in hardcover shortly after it was published. But I felt that I needed to hear Rajiv tell his story himself.
I was not disappointed having done so. Rajiv makes the story become alive and so much more relatable than when it is just words on paper.

Rajiv is a gifted storyteller

I loved listening to this Rajiv really pulls you into his mind. I felt like I was experiencing what he was.

wonderful story about dreams and disappointments

This wonderful and talented young man, ( who also has a very interesting utube channel) , tells about his early life experiences growing up and his dreams . sometimes we don’t get to achieve our dreams- and have to move on anyway. He is very talented in many things. after you read his book ( or listen) visit his on utube channel! He has a natural gift - when communicating on utbe as well as on audible!