The Panchatantra is a legendary collection of short stories from India. Originally composed in the 2nd
century B.C, Panchatantra is believed to be written by Vishnu Sharma along with many other scholars.
The purpose behind the composition was to implant moral values and governing skills in the young sons
of the king. The ancient Sanskrit text boasts of various animal stories in verse and prose. During all these centuries, many authors and publishers worked hard to make these fables accessible and readable by a
layman. The grand assortment has extraordinary tales that are liked, perhaps even loved by people of every age group.
The Panchatantra is the best guide to enroot moral values in children since its each tale has a
moral lesson in its end.
The Panchtantra is a great book where plants and animals can speak and converse with human beings too.
The etymology of term ‘Panchatantra’ suggests that it is a combination of two words, ‘Pancha’ (five) and
‘Tantra’ (practice/ principle). So, the five principles or practices illustrated by Panchatantra are ‘Mitra Bhedha’ (Loss of Friends), ‘Mitra Laabha’ (Gaining Friends), ‘Suhrudbheda’ (Causing discord between Friends),
‘Vigraha’ (Separation) and ‘Sandhi’ (Union).
The running theme of the `Panchatantra' is "Knowledge is the true organ of sight, not the eyes" and is a
practical guide to niti, or the art of intelligent living.”
Here, I’ve chosen the peepal tree as a “tree of life”, which is also known as “tree of knowledge and intellect”.
And also the panchatantra tales were the great source of knowledge in the old times as well as today. Each fables in the books depicts a moral that is a best guide for children.
Therefore, each illustrations of tree speaks of a moral based on each fable.
As an example, the very famous story “the crow and the serpent”, says, “intelligent wins over might.
Story# 1: The Three Fishes: Intelligence wins over might.
Story# 2: The Crows & The Serpent : Intelligence wins over might.
Story# 3: The mice & The Elephants: Never underestimate the people with their appearence.
Story# 4: The Peacock, Duck and the Serpent : Intelligence wins over might.
Story# 5: The Bird Pair & The Sea: Do not underestimate the power of the timid.
Story# 6: The Crane, Crab & The Fishes: We must keep our senses alive in trouble.
More than 81 illustrations were first hand drawn, all depicting different stories and morals. These 6 of them were then digitally drawn and rendered on illustrator. Further, some of them were featured in Annual diary, 2012, NIFT, New delhi. Below are few glimpse of the pages from diary.
Thank you for viewing and appreciating my work!! :)
