Speaking to an Elephant : And Other Tales from the Kadars

This collection of unusual folklore features the world of the Kadars, a small indigenous community in south India. Originally narrated to the authors by Kadar elders, these stories recall ways of living in forest habitats that hold important lessons for all those interested in regrowing our forests. Textured and evocative illustrations by Matthew Frame bring alive the world of animals and foliage in a tropical forest.

Madhuri Ramesh is an ecologist who first met the Kadars when she went to study the secretive Travancore tortoise in the Anamalai Hills. At present, she is completing her doctoral thesis on the political ecology of marine turtle conservation in Odisha, at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore.

Manish Chandi studied Economics in the Madras Christian College, and went on to work on a doctoral thesis on the Nicobar islanders after spending two decades in the islands. He worked in the Valparai plateau on the Anamalai Hills along with the Nature Conservation Foundation during which he collected folktales from various Kadars he lived and worked with.

Matthew Frame is a London-based illustrator. Since completing his Masters at Central St. Martins, Matthew's practice has focussed on how illustration can address the issues surrounding social cohesion in the globalised world. Matthew's intricate drawings play with texture and pattern to explore his passion for film, politics, trash culture and science fiction.