Graphic Novel for children based on folktales from Kokrajhar ( Assam)

I am working on a graphic novel of folktales, from the Kokrajhar region (Bodo territorial Council) in Assam. This region has many ethnic groups like the Bodos, Nepalis, Santhalis, Bengalis , Rabha etc. with a rich culture of oral storytelling.The stories will also be "environmnet" friendly, and linked to themes of ecology.

In the villages that I have been working in, most people subsist on agriculture, and resources from the forests. It is also an area that has recently worked out a deal of relative autonomy within the state of Assam, after many years of struggle and violence. In 2005, the Bodo Territorial Council had its first elections, an important marker in the movement towards stability.

A lot of the history, past and present of the area has come to me through stories. Every community, every child had something to share. Working with children, teachers, volunteers and village people, I have also been treated to a host of folklore. Sometimes a story has many versions in the different communities, sometimes the same story is shared, but everybody has stories. A lot of the folklore has however not been documented or made into children’s books, and looking for story books in the market, I found very few. Which seemed a pity, considering the rich store of stories here. Slowly I began to think of collecting stories in a book for children, that would reach out to children not just from here , but all over. And to take it a step further, and make a comic book/graphic novel with them. The idea is to collect stories from the area , with the help of my sources ( including attributing authorship to sources), and prepare an unique graphic novel, with stories that will be fun and entertaining, and encourage children to read as well as serve to educate.