Ananya- a limited edition book

Ananya is a book conceptualised and executed by The National Institute of Design (NID). It was commissioned by the Ministry for Women and Child Development, India. It was created and launched in the year 2009.

The making of this book was unique. A workshop was organised by the core team. It was attended by an assortment of individuals like the faculty members of NID, their children, students and alumni of the institute across disciplines. From this one day workshop came ideas, illustrations, stories which became the content of the book.

Here are some images of that day shared with the participants by NID: 

Shilpa Das, faculty at NID giving the brief along with Akhila Krishnan (NID Film alumna) and Merryn John (then Graphic Design student). All members of the core team.

The workshop participants...well...participating!

Sharing the day's work with the group

The core team

The spread below is my contribution. The text is by me which has been transcribed and the illustration is by an NID alumna Navleen Kohli.

LET ME SEE THE LIGHT

My first feeling is of floating,

A comfortable, warm inertia.

But you won't let me be, will you?

I hear you. And you don't sound happy

You'll make me go 

Before I've even arrived.

PLEASE LET ME BE

LET ME SEE THE LIGHT.

So, I go someplace else,

A place where they let me be born

I wail and wail 

Till I get my lungs full of air

But before I open my eyes,

I hear your angry voice again.

I am not surprised, when engulfed in white;

My lungs no more my own, are like liquid lead

O, WHY DON'T YOU LET ME BE

AND LETME SEE THE LIGHT?

© Illustration: Navleen Kohli, NID alumna,Animation Film Design,2009.

© Text: Shraddha Sakhalkar,2009.
© Workshop images: The National Insitute of Design,2009.