Showcasing extra-ordinary tales of ‘ordinary’ Indian women through a Bedtime Storybook

Surya Pillai — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 20:22:53 +0000

project brief

The Naari Story was a Book Design project that I had the opportunity to undertake as a part of a Design Workshop that I attended in 2023. The brief was to take up a Social Cause pertaining to the Indian society and come up with a solution to promote it, by using an Indian artform as a Design element.

These were my Choices:

Empowering Women
Warli as the art-form
Storytelling as the medium

Why a Storybook?

1

Emotional Connection: Storytelling is a powerful tool that elicits empathy, forging emotional bonds that resonate with the reader, making social causes relatable.
2

Leading by example: When women read about the stories of other women who overcame struggles or were able to achieve seemingly impossible feats, it can be inspiring and encouraging for them.
3

Memorability: Narratives are memorable as they linger in our minds and drive action. Stories have a lasting impact, promoting sustained awareness.

Empowering Indian Women

1

Elevating women in society and economy is vital for India’s post-COVID recovery and achieving gender equality.
2

41% Women aged 15-49 who have completed 10 + years of schooling
3

20% Female labour force participation rate compared to 50.6% for men
4

15% Women’s political representation in the 2019 general elections
5

15% Women have access to internet compared to 57% of their male counterparts

Why Warli Paintings?

Warli paintings, dating back to 2500 BCE from Maharashtra’s Warli tribe.

1

Women’s central role: The paintings depict women at the heart of the community.
2

Dance of unity: Warli art captures women in dance, symbolizing joy and unity.
3

Visual storytelling: They narrate tales visually, as women share history and heritage through art.
4

Empowering through art: The paintings contribute to the cultural narrative through creativity.

Creating a Moodboard

Naming the Book

Naari (noun) means: ‘Woman’ in all Indian languages

I chose ‘The Naari Story’ as it reflects inspiring Indian women’s tales and stands out as a brand for future blogs, podcasts, or merchandise. ‘Naari’ means ‘Woman’ in Sanskrit and most Indian languages, giving an Indian essence and intriguing global readers.

Identity Design

The main visual is that of the Indian woman herself. An element that I used to represent the traditional Indian woman is the ‘Bindi’ or traditional round sticker that is worn on the forehead. The imagery has a grayscale component to represent the stories set in a a mix of eras.

Creating a Blueprint

Final Book Design

Example of a Story

The stories or anecdotes about these inspiring Indian women have been converted to interesting bedtime stories. I found this challenging but extremely rewarding as well. Writing them in this format makes it easier to consume for children as well as young adults. Each story also ends with a conclusive ‘Moral of the Story’ paragraph to inspire young readers.

future Scope

The Naari Story Social Media page can be a treasure trove of stories.

User generated Content- Encourage people to nominate Inspiring women. Shortlist and showcase the best stories.
Stories from the past – Carousel posts and videos about Inspiring
women from India’s past.

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