P. Anuradha is a dalit writer and school teacher. With training in sociology and elementary education and a passion for writing for children, she hopes to work towards the creation of a more egalitarian culture through the stories of marginalised communities and in which issues on children and children's literature are discussed. Under the Neem Tree is a part of 'Different Tales', a project of Anveshi Research Centre for Women's Studies, Hyderabad, in which Anuradha participated.
Who should get more rotis — Ookamma or Ookaiah? A folktale about a quarrelling old couple is woven into another story about the lives of children in a village, growing up, playing, going to a government school, watching adults squabble, feeling hunger, understanding friendship and, most importantly, sitting under a neem tree and listening to stories from...
Drums, cymbals, trumpets… It is the festive day of the Ratha Jatra at Puri and Pria wonders why the idols of Jagannatha, Subhadra and Balabhadra are unlike other gods. That’s how Jagannatha looked when he lived deep in the forest, her grandmother tells her. And so starts a story of Nilamadhaba, the secret god of the Sabaras. Central to this is the dynamic...
Every morning, Ajji's village is decorated with rangolis. Also called muggu, kolam, alpona... these are dots, lines, flower designs. Found on the ground, on the wall, everywhere. Food for ants and fun for birds, dogs and children! The illustrations carry the exuberance of these earthy patterns.
