Illustrations for a Telugu textbook primer for first and second standard students in government schools in Hyderabad, Telangana. The project was initiated by Dr. Maxine Berntsen, who is a Professor Emerita at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad. The project was funded by Early Literacy Initiative, TISS and Tata Trusts.
The book follows the life of a migrant family that moves to the city from the village. The thumbnails introduce the family as individuals and the larger illustrations encapsulate village and city life in the state of Telangana at this point in time. It was important to illustrate the drawings as close to reality as possible so months of research into these lives through fieldwork and brainstorming and multiple iterations of the drawings themselves, helped us create this almost photo-album-like body of illustrations.
27 digital illustrations | Pen on paper + colouring w Adobe Illustrator | Urban Research & Education | TISS, Hyderabad | 2019 | Digital
© Dr. Maxine Berntsen, TISS & TATA Trusts 2019
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/0bfa73bc-66b6-4eaf-b9a5-bb094cda7440_rw_3840.png?h=13923aa888e96062093c0d28b4f19085)
Life in the village
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/dd84999f-3659-4dcd-a719-20b89bd423ea_rw_1920.png?h=ab9fab671d35ed4e40c2d53a1fce04f1)
Migrating from the village to the city
![Lalitha (Protagonist)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/19e241d6-2f50-4794-b878-0ff271f0bb5a_rw_1920.png?h=6d51f8651ddb98e3216be2baf91aa004)
Lalitha (Protagonist)
![Amma (Mother)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/0ad24f9d-90a8-40d6-a187-fe2e60656a0e_rw_1920.png?h=e6707d4939403c8ead1075396a63e0de)
Amma (Mother)
![Nanna (Father)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/96bfd6dd-4eda-43aa-ac1c-2e8e21706fb1_rw_1920.png?h=2bde5102d8a5f33b3a0368dad7c349de)
Nanna (Father)
![Akka (Older Sister)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/f00d64b1-4afe-40a4-ba1b-3ed2e215c2df_rw_1920.png?h=92338d3f609d335a0099bd74f9845351)
Akka (Older Sister)
![Anna (Older brother)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/61de7802-aef7-4856-b27e-04f94706ec97_rw_1920.png?h=527ec588517e40343d2f165aeef6f619)
Anna (Older brother)
![Chelli (Younger sister)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/127c6563-ef29-46df-8f8e-ed4dfb481627_rw_1920.png?h=e23eff906e594943f60e362d663ccd1e)
Chelli (Younger sister)
![Thammudu (Little brother)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/f327fe05-5507-4bf8-8a41-5bda436a6c30_rw_1920.png?h=15b5239a3953fa18fc5e9db8cf265edd)
Thammudu (Little brother)
![Avva (Grandmother)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/058dfd3f-7b19-4169-ab71-93c197efd0d6_rw_1920.png?h=1482f352b30e63b8f4d79b0bb2acd64a)
Avva (Grandmother)
![Thata (Grandfather)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/270dff80-2da1-4e3e-8d8d-8b095328aeca_rw_1920.png?h=c43f05e3a0edbaba08252e1b61ef06ad)
Thata (Grandfather)
![Atha (Father's sister)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/b4fb7a7f-9446-4199-b7fe-9c8eb55b3caa_rw_1920.png?h=ff50ef77ce0032e7516b010513e99d85)
Atha (Father's sister)
![Peddamma (Mother's older sister)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/3a0cfbb8-5d77-49fb-8039-9886a402f622_rw_1920.png?h=f61d89c8148a7bf014d2e4daf5e072e3)
Peddamma (Mother's older sister)
![Chinnamma (Mother's younger sister)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/1027f445-fe63-4d18-8b28-5ccb825cd2b3_rw_1920.png?h=e3b6dfb5dde03a7f6b8e36e6da06147e)
Chinnamma (Mother's younger sister)
![Mama (Mother's brother)](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/77735b32-b96f-425b-ac25-1b0a9d9c9e09_rw_1920.png?h=118788978f48a7b8688a215cb349d7f1)
Mama (Mother's brother)
![David - a classmate](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/6db659ff-4221-4dd4-92b7-2dfab2caae0f_rw_1920.png?h=bfadfb6c612cb15f6b0b6a20d5b27e17)
David - a classmate
![Mary](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/c9e5aacb-e8f1-4c84-b1ba-48f9cdfd55cb_rw_1920.png?h=77933790802c1da7aa73b63d44fb09ae)
Mary
![Sana](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/3a8af709-c901-4c02-bce0-7a12f6c1e433_rw_1920.png?h=4afde9547251b2571e827fe6479881ef)
Sana
![Raju](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/5b8f5331-e206-45f9-889e-f6b5ea785c9b_rw_1920.png?h=b29269850b923fe16b2056fde8c319fb)
Raju
![Saleem](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/30f89fc3-2d8e-4da0-b8b0-4dd7f8b1e86a_rw_1920.png?h=17db9fdb4e009ce9c271bcae5133a1f7)
Saleem
![](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/bf5856a7-e1d9-4e38-8603-9304582ded8b_rw_1920.png?h=25493a25ed38044ca93deba285f37a10)
Playtime at the school
![Clothes](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/a03610d8-e292-46c5-92ae-2011346824c1_rw_1920.png?h=4f5f6b1823a694094a7a400e16d24be6)
Clothes
![Cooking](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/c37deb6f-ef9f-42b4-baaa-64dbf5ea8c2b_rw_1920.png?h=699bccd973783e734664d4f14c1c6fd3)
Cooking
![Dish washing](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/6e535e32-8e56-41e7-a92e-7b1096353e90_rw_1920.png?h=77de3733250fa061bdcdff59951cf82c)
Dish washing
![Muggu](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/658bf081-a3ce-48ad-9631-723766199248_rw_1920.png?h=fd759a7e2905d572569eff586155fdd3)
Muggu
![My neighbourhood in the city](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/d7512355-3d2f-49a5-b762-9fd680656261_rw_1920.png?h=3414ada4aa01ca85a2cb948d244a9e19)
My neighbourhood in the city
![Chores I do with my family](https://cdn.myportfolio.com/cc0c1f2e-64a4-4638-bceb-54f4516fb64d/b4d15c87-d343-4561-906f-6caf4ec9a97b_rw_1920.png?h=ee9f09230876ba3b3baa5d611596a573)