Where Has the Tiger Gone?

By Dhavat Singh Uikey 

There was a time when tigers and human beings lived close to each other, says Dhavat Singh Uikey, an artist from the Gond tribe in central India. Gond villages were often located close to the forest, where tigers roamed freely.

Familiar yet wild, the tiger played a compelling role in people’s lives – and in their imagination. Ferocious and magnificent, it was revered as much as it was feared. In this book, Dhavat offers us a glimpse into this forgotten world, through a retelling of traditional Gond tales about the tiger, illustrated with richly symbolic art. In the process, he captures not only the mythic and iconic status of the great beast, but also a time, place and relationship that is lost to us.

Tara Books, hardcover with diecut cover (offset-printed), 11 x 8.5 inches, 32 pages.

Tara Books is an award-winning, internationally-recognized independent publishing house made up of a collective of writers, designers and book artisans who favor a non-hierarchical mode of functioning, informed by feminism and other movements for social justice.

Founded in 1994 by Gita Wolf and based in Chennai, India, Tara Books runs its own print shop, employing over 25 bookmaking artisans on a fair-trade basis. Known for their handmade books, they use handmade paper and non-toxic inks to create numbered artists’ books, as well as art prints and unique stationery (we also carry their wonderful Flukebooks!)

They collaborate with a range of writers, artists and designers from lndia and elsewhere, and an integral part of their publishing is a pioneering engagement with the rich diversity of Indian folk and tribal art.