"I want to use it as a form of activism"
From the last conversation we had with nature artist Manya Cherabuddi in 2019, these are the words that stayed with us. And today, when we spoke to the now 30-year-old, she seems to have internalised her words even more.
Back then, we were talking about dyeing with natural colours, but what we were really talking about was connecting with nature. A connection which she has honed and nurtured throughout the years by conducting several natural dye workshops and taking the movement to over 5,200 students.
Tomorrow, February 25, the Hyderabad-based natural dye educator and consultant will take her activism to the next level by launching Rebirth — a plant-friendly trilingual poetry book. The description packs a punch, doesn't it? "People call it eco-anxiety, but it's actually just something that is good for the conscious, with no guilt attached," says the "colour witch", as she refers to herself in her Instagram bio, when she talks about her labour of love, the book.
Happening at Saptaparni, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, the launch will feature an interactive book exhibit. At 5 pm, activities involving natural colours like mud play, natural tattoos and more will ensue followed by the launch. A very inviting natural colour bazaar with natural paints and crayons will also be open. Also, natural colours, just in time for Holi!
With 28 poems in English, Telugu and Hindi, this time, Manya has deep-dived into her own psyche to reclaim her own creativity. "Healing", "affirmation", "powerful expression of authentic self", "personal manifesto", there are several phrases she uses to describe the theme but what she ultimately decides on is: "Reconnecting with your lost voice in a way..."
Surprisingly, the writing of the poems was wrapped a year and a half ago. But it was the publishing that took time to fall in place. "For all this while, we have been thinking about only one kind of cost-effective — monetary. What about the ecological costs?" she asks poignantly. She then started the long journey of finding the answer to it.
Manya's connection with nature is the most important to her, and everything else, from her workshops to this book, is an extension of this love. Hence, it was very important for her that she publish the book, but in a way that nature doesn't bear the brunt of it.
While the handmade paper was sourced from the good people at Bluecat Paper, Bengaluru, it is the ink which took some serious time. This is where her expertise in working with natural colours came in.
Soot — that was the answer, but not the complete solution. "Basically, the idea was making ink from pollution devoid of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), which give paints and ink that horrible smell," says the educator who has a dual degree in Business and Arts from the University of Virginia, USA. The biodegradable ink they have formulated now is a result of prolonged research and development and the process of screen-printing has been used to print on the tree-free paper.
The cover of the book is printed with grey soil and the illustration is Manya's own. This is how the 200-pager 8.25 inches by 8.25 inches ("a perfect square," as Manya calls it) handmade book came to be. This makes the book an experience, a multi-sensory one, wherein, people can question, touch and smell everything. QR codes will also help one experience the poetry in spoken word format.
