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As the Olive
Ridleys made their slippery way up the shores of the Coromandel Coast
for their annual nesting, so did Tulika’s latest offering, hot off the
press, to join its ranks in bookstores.
Riddle of the Ridley,
by award-winning film-maker Shekar Dattatri (below, left), was released on
the 5th of January at the Odyssey bookstore at Adyar, Chennai. The
jostling-for-space audience was held captive by the articulate author’s
talk and slide show. He presented the first copy of the book to Arun
Anna, an avid turtle enthusiast who organises the local turtle walks. |
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The
book, full of photographs, is a fascinating exposé on the mysterious
lives of these creatures, and also addresses issues of conservation.
The launch sparked off a new chapter in ongoing initiatives to create
awareness of and respect for these gentle sea-dwelling animals. |
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The
Night Rider! — Tulika at the Kala Ghoda Festival
Two of Tulika’s books featured prominently in
the menu of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai, amidst a
sumptuous buffet of activities against the charming setting of the David
Sassoon Library Garden.
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As an
adaptation of Jaya Madhavan’s book
Kabir the Weaver Poet,
the show Rocking n Rolling with Kabir was refreshingly
unusual. Coordinated by theatre person Ramu Ramanathan and presented by
the young group, Out of Context, this olio of music, verse and drama
left the audience (and the author) first dazed, then clapping and
foot-tapping. The allusion, however, was deeper and more serious, going
back to rock-and-roll as a medium for social reform and awakening. It
was a comment on how powerfully this book for young adults about the
famous saint-poet had impacted and inspired the performers. The show is
still on at different Mumbai venues – with more music, more guitar, more
bongo, pictures and images blown up on a huge screen . .
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Mukund and
Riaz
has beeb published in Pakistan by OUP
(in English) and
in France by
Syros (in French). |
The release of
Mukand and Riaz,
a picture book for children, had a screening of the film from which
the book evolved, followed by a reading and interaction with the
author. Based on memories of her father’s childhood, Nina Sabnani
(senior faculty at NID,
Ahmedabad) had produced the sensitive animated film for the Big
Small People Project, Israel. This is perhaps the first time that
the Partition has been shown from a child’s perspective. The book
uses in its unique design, the rich visual metaphor of appliqué
work, a shared craft of Sindh in Pakistan and Gujarat in India.
Mukand and Riaz
is available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada,
Telugu and Bangla.
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When
Gaana Ulaganathan whipped out his sunglasses (just as he does in the
film Chithiram Pesudadi) and began singing his hugely popular
Vaalameenukkum Vilangameenukkum Kalyanam, the 100-plus children
danced, clapped and swayed as with a pop star! This was the launch of
three innovative Tamil picture books by Tulika. The event was organised
along with the Swedish Consulate and Aid India at the Anna University,
Chennai, on 4th February, as part of the Eureka Children’s Festival, for
children from towns and villages outside Chennai.
The book
Vaalameenukkum Vilangameenukkum Kalyanam
was a Tulika
experiment. Could a chartbusting song spur an interest in reading if
transplanted into a book? Would children find it easy to connect song
and written word? Would the informal ‘gaana’ lingo draw in new readers?
The concept was untried and exciting. And if the response that day is
anything to go by, the idea seems as much of a hit as the song, with
book and song as marriageable as Vaalameen and Vilangameen! Children
took to it like fish to water, poring over ‘Artist’ Amirthalingam’s
bright
pictures and identifying lines from the song. This, as it happens, is
the first such book published in India – and the first, we hope, of
many. |
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The other two books released that day,
Gasa gasa para
para
and
A vilirundu akh varai,
are alphabet books designed to bring the zing back into language
learning. Authored by internationally renowned storyteller Jeeva
Raghunath (also in performance that morning), they have zany
illustrations by Nancy Raj and Ashok Rajagopalan.
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How do we
enrich the language skills of children in a classroom setting in a way
that takes the chore out of reading? To address this very pertinent
question, a discussion – Words and Pictures:
Language learning in the classroom – was organised on
language teaching at the primary level, at Bookpoint auditorium,
Chennai, on 23rd February. It was an exhilarating exchange involving
teachers and authors, illustrators and translators, and was led by an
eminent panel of language experts. In focus was the range of 20 or so
bilingual books published by Tulika so far, especially the 10 new ones.
Bilingual classroom settings, access and availability of books, and the
significance of visuals were some of the points touched upon. The
session was enlivened by the brilliant storytelling performances of
Cathy Spagnoli and Jeeva Raghunath. |
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