Shillong, Apr 27: During a six-month fellowship programme hosted in Shillong, a group of fellows and freelance artists together brought out as many as 20 books which were released on Sunday.
The Forgotten Folklore Project (TFFP) Fellowship, launched by Sauramandala Foundation, brought together 15 writers and 7 illustrators from across the region to co-create original children’s storybooks inspired by local practices, folklore, and community wisdom.
The original storybooks crafted by the fellows and artists were based on tales from their homelands. They made an effort to preserve and reimagine traditional stories with cultural authenticity and strongly emphasising Early Childhood Development (ECD).
The event on Sunday marked culmination of the six-month course of 2024–25 cohort participated by fellows and illustrators from seven North Eastern states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.
Addressing the occasion, education minister Rakkam A Sangma said, “I believe there should be a passion in everyone of us as that shall drive us for the greater good everyday.”
Sameer Sishodia, CEO Rainmatter Foundation said, “For any action in climate change or policy we skip to action very quickly. We need to understand the place and the people better before we do something. Step like this are crucial to doing it. The stories help us understand the place, its people and its history.”
Namratha Bhat, Educator and Product Lead at Key Education Foundation said, “While drafting the handbook, very little effort had to be put into contextualising these TFFP books because they already are so contextualised and right there.”
The Forgotten Folklore Project (TFFP) Fellowship was a six-month cultural and creative cohort designed to preserve and promote the rich oral traditions of Northeast India through children’s literature.
Launched by Sauramandala Foundation in 2024 and supported by The/Nudge Institute in collaboration with StoryWeaver by Pratham Books, the fellowship builds upon two years of impactful work in Meghalaya to expand its reach across seven North Eastern states.
In addition to content creation, the fellowship provided structured mentorship, workshops, and training, nurturing each participant’s storytelling craft while also fostering a strong community of practice.
Fellows received monthly financial support of ₹25,000 throughout the duration of the programme.
The event had also witnessed the release of the TFFP Storytelling Handbook — a creative and practical resource drawn from the fellowship’s experiences, aimed at educators, cultural practitioners, and storytellers across the region and beyond.
