NAVRANG a lost pathway

A book by Maanasa Ganesh NAVRANGa lost pathway Acknowledgements

Thanks to Dr. Geetha Narayanan, Director, Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology Thanks to the support and guidance of Katha, Delhi & Wildlife Trust of India, Delhi This book is dedicated to Amma and Appa who have been a constant source of inspiration. Special thanks to Rustam Vania, Matt Lee, Kumkum Nadig, Arvind, Anu, Hansa Thypal, Carl Linquist, Sanjay Barnela, Mithila Mohan, Medha Gupta and Sanchit Kapai for all the support.

Copyright © Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology. INDIA my journey

This is a story of the journey of an Indian . The Indian Pitta bird is a rare migratory bird that is found across the sub- continent. The bird makes its migratory journey from the great to Srilanka. This nine coloured bird has different names as it visits many places. Navrang is on a colourful journey he loses his way and then is rescued by little Indu. 5 On a white paper, Splash! Blue, yellow and red. Add a dash of green, brilliant turquoise and grey, Some white, black and brown along the way

7 Weave all nine colours together, each feather different from the other. Navrang is his name, all set to fly, bringing magic to the sky.

9 HIMALAYAS white journey He turns his white neck high and low, towards the mountains covered in snow.

Himalayas, his home from where the rivers flow. Once the cold Winter begins, it’s time for him to go.

11 GANGES blue journey

Leaving the white behind for the crystal blue, over the swirling waters of River Ganga he flew,

13 Ganga’s waters fulfilled his thirst. Then, into a joyous flight he burst.

15 GIR FOREST brown journey

After a long journey across the Plains, he felt a longing for some delicious grubs. In the distance he heard calls of the wild, he swooped down to the branches dried.

17 Within the forests of Gir, he bobbed up and down, treating himself to a snack of worms, all juicy brown!

19 Bangalore grey journey At a crossroads in his journey was he, Tired, lonely, and unsure of where he had to be.

After Gir, to the south he headed all alone, ‘But where to now?,’ he wondered with a groan.

21 Thirsty, flying within the city of greys, he felt trapped in the heat of the sun’s rays.

23 The world turned scary and black, as Navrang realized he’d gone off his track. Unable to balance, tired and lonely, he fell down, wondering, ‘when will I be free?’

25 INDU’S HOME red journey

Like a miracle emerging out of the blue, came a girl in red to save him, came little Indu. She healed him, giving back all his colours and hues, nurturing Navrang until he was fresh as morning dews.

27 BANDIPUR green journey

The fresh breeze of Wilderness, he longed to breathe, as he saw the forest lying hidden in Indu’s brush streak. Only in Bandipur, could Navrang again happily tweet, where lived with colourful feathers, whom he could meet.

29 31 INDIAN OCEAN blue journey

He spread his wings with all his might, over the Indian Ocean he wanted to glide.

Rejuvenated, eager to fly again, Navrang tried to stay calm in vain.

33 COLOMBO yellow journey

The sky here is yellow, Navrang’s body warm, as he sits beside his family, feeling a new calm. Wheetu, wheetu, he sings all night, all day. Which one of his colours is your favourite? Do say!

35 Indu’s Rescue story, a true story

It is not every day one comes across a bird in distress. But, on this particular day, sometime within hot and humid May, lay an injured bird in front of an apartment gate, in the heart of the city. Indu, a resident of the apartment, while returning home noticed the beautiful bird. She appeared completely exhausted, as a security guard forced water down her tiny throat. She realised that time was running out for the bird. She immediately wrapped it in her dupatta and carried him home. She then called CUPA. They directed her to contact the BBMP Wildlife Rescue Team. The Wildlife Volunteer from BBMP rushed to her house, and rescued the bird by taking it to the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre. The volunteer confirmed that the bird belonged to the Indian Pitta species. Little did Indu know that she’d rescued the Indian Pitta or Navrang as it is called in , a rare Himalayan bird that visits Bengaluru twice a year. She kept a track of the bird’s progress, via the volunteer, in the following weeks. The bird survived and made it to the wild. Indu felt thrilled knowing her timely action that day saved the life of a rare bird.

37 How To Help Give some water to the bird. Don’t force feed Our Forest it. Leave it in a quiet place where it can feel Friends safe. Call a certified Wildlife Rescue Team to help care for the bird.

Build a safe, temporary home for the bird so it can rest till it gets better. Take a small cardboard box and make holes at the bottom. Place some dry leaves and twigs over the holes and gently place the bird inside it.

Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, it is illegal to harm wildlife or keep them as pets. Conserve wildlife and try to stop anyone who maybe breaching this law.

Most wildlife birds are forest dwelling creatures. They need the lush greens to live in and delicious grub to eat, which is abundantly found in a forest. Some of the migratory birds fly over cities to reach their destination. Some of these get lost in cities due to thirst and limited food. Help these exhausted birds when they visit our cities by building bird baths in parks and homes. These colourful travellers can thus, quench their thirst and continue their journey.

39 The aim of the project was to create and co-create localized, contextually relevant informal educational artefacts, awareness programs and experiences for and with children and young adults. Community & Location : Bandipur

‘Book Title’. Original text, design and illustration in English by Maanasa Ganesh

Printed by: Print Xpress NAVRANG NAThe journVRey of an ANIndian PitGta Bird aI hoplo herste and pa thereth andwa fly wiyth delight, From grey to orange, oh what a flight! Many miles across land and sea What a journey for this tiny little me!

This book was designed as part of the Undergraduate Professional Diploma Program for the academicA bo yearok 2013-2014by Maanasa under the pGanroject esWTIh : Wilderness within Project Mentors: Srivi Kalyan, Kavita Arvind, Meera Curam