A Bhil Story

Kuk.. Kuk.. The poor rooster can't KUKAROOKOO because his throat is so parched. There is not a drop of water left in the village pond. The only hope is to find a badwa who can ask the gods to send rain. What does the badwa tell them to do?

Go home and paint! The adventure-filled origin myth about Bhil art revolves around the thirst for rain and water conservation – important for the people living in the dry western and central parts of India.

Their close interaction with the natural world finds an abiding expression in their art, called pithora. Painting is like prayer for the Bhils, and each dot in the vibrant and colourful patterns represents an ancestor whom they invoke for the well-being of all forms of life.

A Bhil Story was developed during a workshop at the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay, supported by the Tata Centre for Technology and Design after which Nina and her team travelled with Sher Singh to his village. They recorded the story in the voices of the villagers for an animated film called Ek Bhil Ni Varta, from which the book evolved.

The entire collaboration has created a stunning picture book that is humorous and dramatic.