Tree Matters

by Wolf, Gita; Geetha, V.; Bai, Gangu

• ISBN13: 9789383145232
• ISBN10: 9383145234
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-11-10
• Publisher: Tara Pubns

Summary

The Bhil people of Central India are amongst the oldest indigenous communities in India. To them, the natural world — of trees, creatures that inhabit them, and the forest of which they are a part — is not ‘out there’, but rather exists in a seamless relationship to their home and the everyday.

Gangubai, Bhil artist, explores this relationship through her memories of food, work, festivals, illness, medicine, and much more. Her tales center around trees, and so each of her memories has a tree as its focus. Illustrated in vivid and cheerful colors, the paintings in this book foreground a universe of brightly colored dots, and lines and shapes that encompass and hold all living creatures, including human beings.

Author Biography

Gangu Bai belongs to an indigenous community called Bhil, whose members live in villages across western and central India. Her rich repertoire of stories is steeped in the community’s lore. The award-winning artist has been painting for over two decades, and her work has been exhibited both in India as well as abroad. Gangu works with the National Museum of Mankind in Bhopal.

Gita Wolf was born in Calcutta but educated in different cities in India, including New Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore. She received her Masters degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Erlangen/Nuerenberg, Germany. In 1994, she started Tara Books, as an independent publishing house based in India. Beginning with The Very Hungry Lion in 1995, she has written over 20 books for children and adults. Several have won major international awards and been translated into multiple languages. One of her latest books, Do!, was honored with the prestigious BolognaRagazzi New Horizons award.  

A writer, translator, social historian and activist, V. Geetha is a freelance editor and a leading intellectual from Tamil Nadu, India. She has been active in the Indian women’s movement since 1988, organizing workshops and conferences. Geetha has written widely, both in Tamil and English, on gender, popular culture, caste, and politics.