Jaaduyi Machchhi
- Publisher : Tulika Publishers
- Binding : Paperback
- ISBN : 9789350464113
- Imprint : Tulika
- Age Group : Early Reader
- Language : Hindi
There was a time when happiness began to leak out of the world. Everything dried up. No colour, no food, no smiles only ...
There was a time when happiness began to leak out of the world. Everything dried up. No colour, no food, no smiles only hunger, sadness and quarrels. One old dukariya decided that something had to be done and she heard from the wind about a magical fish that lived in a green-green lake...
Gond storyteller Chandrakala has a gift for telling stories and one of her favourites is about a magical fish that lived in Adhar Talab in Jabalpur. Having worked as a daily labourer building houses and ponds, much of her own strength and determination is reflected in the spirited old woman of this story. Shakunlata too is a Gond, who paints in the style of the Gondi Bhitti Chitra paintings done by her community on the walls of their homes. The old woman striding across the pages, the dry landscape of an unhappy world, the lush valley and jewel-like lake and the stunning fish with its beautifully patterned body create a world of magic and beauty on every page.
Chandrakala Jagat is from the Gond tribal community. Working as a daily labourer, she travelled all over Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh digging ponds and constructing buildings. She now lives in Bhopal, telling stories to her children and to anyone who wants to hear them. One of her favourites is about a magical fish that lived in Adhar Talab in Jabalpur, who wore a nose ring and granted wishes. The story was made into a film in which she herself played the narrator. The Magical Fish is a now a published book with Tulika.
Shakunlata Kushram is a Gond tribal who paints in the style of the Gondi Bhitti Chitra – the highly detailed art form done by her community on the walls of their homes. Her interest in painting started when her husband, also an artist, encouraged her to fill in outlines of pictures in her free time through the day. She quickly grew into an artist in her own right, and has taken part in art workshops and shows across the country. She lives in Bhopal with her husband and two children.
