Drawing the reader in

While Devangana Dash has worked on a range of award-winning book covers, she finds much joy in writing and illustrating her own books for children

How were you drawn to visual art?

DD: It happened very organically. I was that kid who draws and paints and spreads out her bucket of crayons on the floor. Art was a part of my family and I was perpetually looking forward to art and craft periods in school. My art teachers were encouraging, and that interest led me to opt for fine arts in senior school – the space where I spent hours painting, understanding forms, color, composition and light. When I was studying Sociology at Delhi University, the longing to make art stayed with me. I found myself opting for extracurricular activities where I could indulge in photography and painting and crafts for college festivals.

How did your tryst with children’s literature begin?

DD: Before I went to design college, I had an interest in the field of education and volunteered with an organization to assist in teaching kids in a slum area in Delhi. It was in design college however where it all began; I was a part of a project on storytelling and environment education where we were creating educational artifacts for children through research. I researched picture books, and then there was no turning back. Over the years I have discovered so many fantastic children’s authors and artists, and am always in awe of their work.

How do you approach storytelling?

DD: I believe it is the other way around – stories find you! I often say that a story demands equal parts sincerity, authenticity, and play, in order to be out of your head and heart. It involves lots of listening and paying attention to the world and you’ll find plot, humor, suspense, and tragedy everywhere you look. In that regard, isn’t storytelling just some careful attention to the world, translated with love? The medium you choose could be through words, pictures, songs, movement and much more. So much of storytelling is just how you engage an audience…there has to be a receiver to the story to give it life.

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