Manu mixes clay and sunshine

Dastkari Haat Samiti has created a set of four beautiful books, which showcase the traditional arts and crafts of India. The stories are set in rural artisans' families and give a wonderful glimpse into their daily life. They have been published by Puffin Books.

Title - Manu mixes Clay and Sunshine
Author -Bulbul Sharma
Illustrator - Shanti Devi
Ages - 6 to 9 years

In this book the author Bulbul Sharma takes us through Manu's life, who belongs to a potter's family. The entire family gets involved through the various stages from the collection of clay to churning out beautiful painted pots. The children contribute in their own little ways and it is a matter of pride when the grown ups consider them old enough to handle a task by themselves! The book is very enlightening in the sense they take us through the entire process of how the pots are made but not in a boring way. The story of Manu's life and the facts are quite beautifully interwoven.

The illustrations by Shanthi Devi, an accomplished Madhubani style artist, are a treat to the eyes. Madhubhani painting is named after the district of Madhuban (forest of honey) where along with neighbouring district of Darbhanga, in the Mithila region of Bihar, it is practised.

Title - Biju Spins Some Magic

Author - Jaya Jaitly

Illustrator - Bhramara Nayak

Ages - 7 to 10 years

Biju is a little boy who lives in a small village of Orissa. They are a family of weavers, who weave some of the most beautiful Ikat saris. It is interesting to read how the grandpa of the family teaches little Biju simple maths with their skeins. As in the earlier story, we realise how each member of the family plays an important role in the complete process of weaving - collecting the cotton fluffs, spinning them into yarn, dyeing and finally the laborious task of weaving the intricate patterns on the saree. It makes us a trifle sad when Biju realises that his own mother does not wear any of these beautiful silk sarees because they cannot afford it.

Biju is taken along with his father on one of his trips to New Delhi, where they hope to sell their sarees directly to interested customers. The awe of being in a city, the shyness of the village boy, then the joy of discovering a spinning wheel (as a toy in a rich boy's house) and showing his expertise to the wonder struck city boy make a very nice story.

Patachitra, the traditional art form of Orissa, has been used for the illustrations. The beautiful big and expressive eyes seem very distinct in this art form.

Title - Mumtaz Embroiders Her Dreams

Author - Jolly Rohatgi

Illustrator - Ram Soni

Ages - 7 to 10

In this book the story takes us into the bylanes of Lucknow, so famous for the chikankari embroidery, commonly known as the "Chikan" work. In the festive atmosphere of Id when everyone is happy and celebrating with their family, Mumtaz feels sad as she is quite lonely. She has been brought here from another town where her mother and sisters live. Famed for her embroidery work that runs in her family, she is brought to Lucknow to help her aunt with the chikan work on the fabrics, which earn them some decent money for survival.

Crippled on foot, but deft with her hands Mumtaz befriends a boy Munnu. With this newly acquired friendship, magic in her hands and vivid imagination, how does Mumtaz transform her destiny ? Read the book to find it out !

The illustrations have been done in a unique style called sanjhi, which is the art of paper cutting. So the images are like various paper cuttings blended so beautifully to form the big picture. The books mentions that this is the first time sanjhi art has been used to illustrate a book. I found this very interesting and in my mind visualised lot of craft activities that can be done with the children based on this art form. Here is an article that I found on Ram Soni, the artist behind the magical illustrations of this book.

Title - Bulli and the Tiger

Author - Shalini Reys

Illustrator - Nankusiya Shyam

Ages - 7 to 10 years

Bulli's story is set in a village of Assam. With bamboo everywhere around them and in their homes too, the family is into weaving bamboo baskets. The struggles and challenges faced by their father in marketing the baskets, troubles Bulli too. Meanwhile Bulli's grandpa tells the story of how the guardian tiger of the hills helped the people to engage in a livelihood of weaving baskets with the abundant bamboo groves.

Bulli, in her quest to help her father acquire more bamboo, ventures into the forest. The adventures of Bulli in the forest form the rest of the interesting story. The lifestyle of the people in the hills has been very well presented in this book by the author Shalini Reys.

The illustrations are in one of my favourite art forms of India - Gond Art. Nankusiya Shyam is a renowned Gond artist and her signature style is very evident in the lovely paintings. (On a side note for people interested in Gond Art, I would highly recommend this book by Tara publication called Signature - Patterns in Gond Art.)

Each of these books reviewed is a gem and worth collecting for your own home library !

Pics source : Flipkart