Book Reviews
The Mighty Tale of Hanuman leaps into newspapers and magazines
Sunday Tribune: art & sOUL
Learning from images By Dr B.N.Goswamy
A recent children's book tells the story of Hanumana, simply and with
conviction, through images taken from a series of paintings of the Ramayana. It teaches children how to let
their imagination soar
MUMBAI MIRROR:
Mirror loves: The mighty tale of hanuman: Introduce your children to the world of books and mythology with this Ramayana remake.
HINDUSTAN TIMES
MOCOMAG – An online children’s magazine
Celebration of Art and Story
Narrative art and storytelling is combined in The Mighty Tale of Hanuman, a children’s book that retells the Ramayana, one of India’s most beloved epics. The text is written for children from the ages of six to ten but can be read and understood at different age levels. The story is vividly illustrated by original 18th century Ramayana paintings from the collection of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur, India.
Rationale of the book
Our aim is to introduce children to Indian art through a book that uses the narrative in art in an interactive and interesting way. The appreciation of Indian paintings is not part of most school curriculums and so even though most Indian children are familiar with the basic storyline of the Ramayana, very few have seen the beautiful paintings that were commissioned by the Hindu and Mughal royal courts to illustrate the epic.
For children who are unfamiliar with the story, the combination of narrative and original illustrations will provide an exciting entry point into the world of Indian mythology.
For children who are unfamiliar with the story, the combination of narrative and original illustrations will provide an exciting entry point into the world of Indian mythology.
The Book
Number of pages: 108 pages
Word Count: approximately 8000
Number of images: 24 paintings from the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur
Designed by: Rabia Gupta Design
Supporting Chapters:
Jump into the Ramayana: An interactive chapter giving children guidelines on how to jump in and walk through a narrative painting.
About the Paintings: An introduction to the paintings and how they were created.
Appropriate for 6 to 10 year olds (to be read to and also to read alone)
Word Count: approximately 8000
Number of images: 24 paintings from the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur
Designed by: Rabia Gupta Design
Supporting Chapters:
Jump into the Ramayana: An interactive chapter giving children guidelines on how to jump in and walk through a narrative painting.
About the Paintings: An introduction to the paintings and how they were created.
Appropriate for 6 to 10 year olds (to be read to and also to read alone)
About the Paintings
Maharaja Vijai Singh of Jodhpur commissioned several illustrated manuscripts of an unprecedented size during his reign from 1752 to 1793. This monumental Ramayana manuscript that depicts the epic landscape is instantly appealing and has been beautifully preserved.
The paintings are vibrant and bold; filled with gods, demons, animals and surreal landscapes. Some of the paintings in the book were recently a part of an international traveling exhibition titled; Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur. They were displayed at The Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian, Seattle Asian Art Museum, The British Museum, London and The Art Gallery of New South Wales.
About the Authors
Saker Mistri is a Speech Pathologist and Museum Educator. She has spent 25 years living in South-East Asia, the Middle East, the US and Europe. During this period she headed the volunteer docent programme at the Museum Pusat in Jakarta, developed children’s cultural programs in international schools and led the Docent and Children's Gallery Programs at the Asia Society Galleries, NYC. She has contributed to art and travel publications. Recent children’s books: Miss Muglee Goes to Mumbai, Miss Muglee Met Mr Get (Vakils, Feffer and Simons Pvt. Ltd.)
Mamta Dalal Mangaldas has an MBA from London Business School and has participated in courses at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is passionate about whole brain learning and making art accessible to children. She has contributed to travel publications and conducted workshops to introduce Indian art to children.
Saker and Mamta have co-authored another children's book; The Kidnapping of Amir Hamza (Mapin Publishing, 2007) which retells an exciting tale from the Hamzanama, a Persian epic which was a favourite of the Mughal emperor, Akbar. The book is illustrated with fabulous paintings from the MAK museum, Vienna.
Saker and Mamta are passionate about combining Indian narrative paintings with stories, opening exciting avenues for children to explore and discover for themselves the joy of learning about their own heritage. This is their second project together.
Mamta Dalal Mangaldas has an MBA from London Business School and has participated in courses at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is passionate about whole brain learning and making art accessible to children. She has contributed to travel publications and conducted workshops to introduce Indian art to children.
Saker and Mamta have co-authored another children's book; The Kidnapping of Amir Hamza (Mapin Publishing, 2007) which retells an exciting tale from the Hamzanama, a Persian epic which was a favourite of the Mughal emperor, Akbar. The book is illustrated with fabulous paintings from the MAK museum, Vienna.
Saker and Mamta are passionate about combining Indian narrative paintings with stories, opening exciting avenues for children to explore and discover for themselves the joy of learning about their own heritage. This is their second project together.
Contact us and Buy the book
Email:
Saker Mistri: sakermistri@gmail.com
Mamta Dalal Mangaldas: mamta.mangaldas@gmail.com
Support a good cause
All profits from the sale of the book will be used to support girl child literacy in Rajasthan
Please look at The Veerni Project.
Buy the Book:
Online
Mehrangarh Museum Shop
Amazon India
In Bombay:
For institutional purchases please email mightytaleofhanuman@gmail.com with details of quantities and address.
Saker Mistri: sakermistri@gmail.com
Mamta Dalal Mangaldas: mamta.mangaldas@gmail.com
Support a good cause
All profits from the sale of the book will be used to support girl child literacy in Rajasthan
Please look at The Veerni Project.
Buy the Book:
Online
Mehrangarh Museum Shop
Amazon India
In Bombay:
For institutional purchases please email mightytaleofhanuman@gmail.com with details of quantities and address.
For retail purchase please visit
Kahani Tree
Vakils, Industry Manor, 2nd floor
A. Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi
Mumbai 400 025
Vakils, Industry Manor, 2nd floor
A. Marathe Marg, Prabhadevi
Mumbai 400 025
(Landmark: near Century bazaar, next to Mercedes showroom, above JK banquet hall)
Tel: 2430-6780, Extn: 240, Contact: Devanshi/Purao
Timings: Mon- Fri: 9.30 am to 5.30 pm Sat: 9.30 am to 1.30 pm
Tel: 2430-6780, Extn: 240, Contact: Devanshi/Purao
Timings: Mon- Fri: 9.30 am to 5.30 pm Sat: 9.30 am to 1.30 pm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)