Visit the Bhil Carnival

People of the Bhil tribe from Madhya Pradesh in central India

live on the edge of the forest, and work hard at farming, fishing,

and gathering firewood. But they also love to have a good time.

Each year, in July, they celebrate a wonderful carnival called

Bhagoria, which takes place in a village of the same name. The

word ‘Bhagoria’ in the Bhil dialect literally means ‘Run!’

We asked Subhash Amaliyar, an artist from the Bhil community,

to paint this busy carnival in his traditional colourful style. We

then developed his painting into a one-of-a-kind activity book,

which combines the features of a map, a fold-out and a story

book. Children interact with it in different ways: some in a more

linear fashion, and others who make – and then follow – the

connections among the elements in a more tangential manner.

Here are some ways of extending and exploring the book – we

leave it to the adult to match the activity to suit the age group.