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A fine complement

What's unique about "Mangoes and Bananas"? Ask the author and the illustrator

VISUAL DELIGHT Nathan Kumar Scott at the event PHOTO: VINO JOHN

This is a book for children but adults would treasure it too. Each page is a visual delight. The green of the henna, the rich brown of the rain scented earth, the azure blue of the sky — the colours and the texture of the art caress your senses.

The text is simple, the art exquisite and both capture a tradition of story telling and a centuries-old textile form. The well-loved Indonesian folk tale of Kanchil, the mouse deer, which has echoes of the Indian story of the monkey and the cap seller, is told by Nathan Kumar Scott in "Mangoes and Bananas".

The book, illustrated by Kalamkari artist T. Balaji, was launched by Tara Publishing and Prakriti Foundation at Amethyst recently. The book is priced Rs. 375. Of mention is the perfect printing.

Amidst the Kalamkari creations of Balaji exhibited in the hall, Nathan Kumar Scott read the story.

Charged with emotion

And what a splendid telling it turned out to be. As Nathan played out the parts of the greedy Monyet and the trickster Kanchil, the adult listeners in the audience went shoosh... right back into childhood. Pity, there were not more children to enjoy the reading, which was charged with drama and expression.

V. R. Devika of Prakriti and Gita Wolf of Tara Publishing introduced the writer, artist, puppeteer, playwright, designer, theatre director, storyteller and now, author of a children's book. Nathan Kumar Scott could not help looking pleased.

Born of American parents at Lucknow, he did his schooling at Mussoorie and then went to the U.S. for his college degree. He came to India again through a UNESCO programme "Artists across the Frontiers" and the Madras Craft Foundation presented his story telling sessions at various schools.

When Gita Wolf attended one session, the idea of the book was born. ("It took ten years for the book to be made as we didn't have the funds to bring it out like this at that time," says Gita).

The circle complete

"It feels right that an Indonesian folk tale should have Indian art illustration. For Kalamkari cloth painted in vegetable dyes reached Indonesia from here in the 18th Century and so now the circle is complete," says Nathan. But is there some exotica in offering the West the story in Kalamkari? "If this was a story from the West, one could perhaps talk of marketing ad exotica. But this is an Asian tale and so the art complements it perfectly."

KAUSALYA SANTHANAM

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