Jayshree Diwakar has been writing short fiction in Kannada for many years. Her work has appeared in almost all the leading journals in Karnataka. Her first collection of short stories, Thanthibeliya Onti Kaage, won the award for the best book of the year by the Karnataka Women Writers Association, Bengaluru. Jayashree has introduced Kannada readers to the short fiction of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Maria Dermout, Jamaica Kincaid and Olive Senior. She has also translated into Kannada many children’s books for Tulika.
Every day, Basava goes to the forest to collect firewood for his mother. But one day it grows dark and he can't find his way home. That is when Basava sees the glowing dots of fire that light up the forest... A gentle story with a touch of magic and dramatic illustrations.
Amminikutty Amma picks out the last peppercorn from her spice box to make some tasty onion chutney. But little Kurumolagu has no intention of being ground and eaten just yet. With a desperate Amminikutty Amma hot on his heels, he hops, jumps, skids, brakes, revs and races his way away. This “beautifully told and very charming story” was chosen for an...
Sometimes a circle, sometimes a slice and soon not there at all... This picture book in easy verse urges a child to look out of the window each night to watch the 'moon show' in the sky – its waxing and waning. Echoing the text, the illustrations are deliberately childlike and capture the grand sweep of the night sky.
The famous storyteller, Gorannagaru, is in the village to recite the Ramayana. Bangaramma forces her husband, Penchilayya, to attend. Tired and sleepy, he goes quite unwillingly – and finds the stories sweet one night, salty another! Bangaramma is intrigued... A gentle folktale from Andhra Pradesh about the magic of stories, with pictures in the style of...
Big, burly Tarlochan is a champion wrestler, eager for a real challenge. So when he hears of Paramjit, reputed to be unbeatable, he sets off across the Sutlej river to take him on. The two begin their bout with gusto and become so absorbed in it that they literally get 'carried away'! The pictures for this folk fantasy from Punjab imbibe the spirit of its...
In the beginning, the Bhilalas believed, there was only water. The harassed and wet subjects beg their lazy god to create land so that they can get dry and stay that way. The poor god is put to all sorts of trouble before this wish can be granted. With a fantasy element that reflects the unfettered nature of the oral tradition, this zany folktale from...
