Sanctuary | Review
Walking is a Way of
Knowing
Retold by Madhuri Ramesh,
Manish Chandi and illustrated
by Matthew Frame
Published by Tara Books
Hardcover, Price: Rs. 450/-
Walking is a Way of Knowing off ers
a novel perspective. It is an urban
dweller’s account of a long winding walk through a forest
accompanied by an elderly Kadar member. An unusual
narrative, the reader is introduced to the everyday life of
Kadars and their local wisdom. The author writes of his
own limited connection with the forest – he writes of how
he stumbles through the forest ‘like a jungle fowl’, while
the elderly Kadar, sure-footed in his step, trudges on, ‘fi rm
and silent like an elephant’. As arduous as the Kadars’ life
is in the forest, it is equally transcendental. Guided by his
ancestral spirits, which take the form of forest creatures, the
Kadar, in his journey into the forest is never alone.
Throughout the narrative, the underlying thread is to
‘know’ nature diff erently, to see and learn from unexpected
contexts and teachers and to always be present and curious
in one’s wanderings. The Kadar way of walking is not just
a mode of travel, it is experiencing the forest as it reveals
itself. It involves exercising all of human senses, from seeing
to hearing, to feeling the undergrowth under one’s feet.
And deeply rooted in this ‘knowing of forests’ is the Kadars’
strong sense of identity and pride, accompanied by a
reverence for the forest and all its creatures.
The forest, the Kadars claim can fulfi l all of man’s
needs. The unexpressed sentiment is that though all of
man’s needs can be met by the forest, his greed cannot.
The tale meanders, just like the path of the forest, touching
upon traditions, folklore, the everyday life of the Kadars,
the changes brought on by modern society and larger
concepts of home and ownership. Indigenous words
blend into the text seamlessly and compelling illustrationsby Matthew Frame help the reader ‘know’ the author’s
chronicle better. Extraordinary in its context, Walking is a
Way of Knowing implores the readers to free themselves
of binaries, and look at the world with an open mind, and an
equally open heart.Speaking to an Elephant
Retold by Madhuri Ramesh,
Manish Chandi and illustrated by
Matthew Frame
Published by Tara Books
Hardcover, Price: Rs. 350/-
Speaking to an Elephant, with its
tender tales of co-existence and gratitude,
is visually delightful. The book redefi nes
reading. The art cannot be missed, as intricate drawings of
animals and foliage on small black sheets intersperse the text.
Each illustration draws the reader into the dense jungles of the
Kadars, as Matthew Frame, skillfully uses darker colours , to
replicate the raw, wild allure of the jungles.
Why is the tortoise’s shell the way it is? Why does the
kumin mushroom last for just one day? Why does the
grasshopper skip around restlessly? The Kadars have their
own answers and, in a manner typical of folklores, they carry
readers into their reticent world of totem, nature worship and
myth-making. While some tales are an alternate take on reality,
others are pedagogic in value. The creator, Kadavul, is the
benevolent father, chiding his children ever so often. Kadavul’s
lessons fi nd great contemporary relevance as he teaches the
Kadars to be careful and considerate in their living, taking
only as much as required because the forest belongs to all its
creatures. It is their common home and must be shared.
The Kadars’ sense of veneration is praiseworthy. Set
apart from the consumer-driven world of today, deep in
the recesses of jungles, the true ancient tribal way of living
can teach us a thing or two. Speaking to an Elephant,
poignant in its lessons, is a revelatory ode to living in
harmony with nature.
Reviewed by Anadya SinghBook Review
Tara Books describes itself as a publishing collective, pushing the boundaries of the physical book in an age writing its
obituary. True to its word, in the technologically-driven world of e-books and smartphones, Tara Books has been publishing
carefully hand-crafted publications, redefi ning the norms of modern storytelling for two decades. Collaborating with
storytellers, designers and artists, on India’s enigmatic folk tradition, Tara Books has not only given a voice to marginalised art
and literature but has also conferred a contemporary relevance to age-old traditions. Nature therefore, often forms the central
theme for Tara Books. Nuggets of knowledge derived from unconventional lives led in the quiet of forests, these books have
helped people gain a wider, gentler perspective. Two of their recent spring 2018 releases – Walking is a Way of Knowing and
Speaking to an Elephant embrace the folklore of the Kadars, one of India’s long-standing foraging and small-game hunting
communities from the Annamalai and Parambikulam hills bordering Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Kadars, once a forest-dwelling community, have now been relocated to permanent settlements along the edge of the
forests. Under colonial rule, some Kadars became forest guides to tea-plantation owners, others moved to the plains. But they
continued to live off forest products and were well-known for their jungle craft.
Retold by researchers Madhuri Ramesh and Manish Chandi, these tales are a way of knowing the forests as ‘the people of
the forests’, the Kadars, do.