The book is about growing up in a fishing community on the southern east coast of India. The story is told through a series of stunning black and white photographs taken by Raghavendra Rao over the years. It records the relationship between the children and the sea.
Along most of India’s 7517 km coastline, beginning with Gujarat on the west and ending in Bengal on the east, fishing is still done mainly in traditional vessels. The craft used in Suresh’s village and in many villages around is the kattumaram (kattu = to tie, maram = logs of wood), believed to be at least 3000 years old and perhaps the oldest seafaring vessel still in active use.
The narrative is sometimes personal, sometimes documentary, answering several questions about the fisherfolks’ lives, fishing techniques and depleting marine resources. Through an exploration of these answers, children living in other environments get a feel of what coastal life is like.

48 pages, 7" x 8",  black and white,   soft cover,  for 10 years and above Rs 115.00 (within India)     US$ 6.00 (outside India) English ISBN 81-86895-19-1

The reader shares moments with 10-year old Hina who lives in Purani Dilli, the walled city of Delhi. She comes from a family of zardozi embroiderers. This exquisite craft is, however, slowly dying as craftspeople find fewer takers for their work or are forced to compromise on care and quality to meet the prosaic demands of the times. Along the way, we get glimpses of life in Old Delhi – its lanes, its ancient mohallas which have seen the pain of Partition. Hina loves where she lives, and warm colour photographs take us right into her world. Guides for projects / discussions and a reading list are provided at the end as further avenues for exploring.