Dotted Lines
by Bhuri Bai Bhil with Debjani Mukherjee
“Dotted Lines” by Bhuri Bai Bhil with Debjani Mukherjee. Published by Katha. A visual autobiography of Bhil artist Bhuri Bai who has made the Bhil Folk art form known throughout the world.
The book starts off with Bhuri Bai taking us around her house in the village of Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh. She introduces herself and her family. She reminisces about her childhood. She tells us about their daily routine, their customs and festivals.
As a child, she would curiously observe the badwas or priests painting and wonder why girls like her were not allowed to paint. When she grew up, she worked as a labourer in the city. Over time she ended up painting the traditional Pithora art herself. Quite an extraordinary journey described through exquisite art.
The book gives us a peek into the life of the Bhil tribals. Bhuri Bai overcame many obstacles before she could fulfill her dream of painting. She created an identity for herself. She also started training others to practise their traditional art. Overall a story of inspiration, courage, determination and hard work.
Given his liking for true stories, my seven year old loved the book. He had already read a Hindi book “सो जा उल्लू” illustrated by Bhuri Bai and was happy to know about her life through this book. The book is apt for children aged 6+.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Katha here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.