KATHA BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

Illustrators at katha
They are the ones who can launch colours into a thousand
myriad forms. They make the stories alive. They make
you turn pages. They make you gasp in awe at the sheer
beauty of the images melting through their pens, pencils
and brushes. They are the illustrators at Katha, the artists of
many images.
anahita taymourian - is an Iranian graphic artist, painter and interior designer. Her illustrations
in the book ‘Kaleh and the Singsong Castle’ published by Katha, won her the Runner Up Prize in
the Katha Chitrakala Contest 2006 – a search for excellence and innovation in illustrating and writing
for children.
Bindia thapar - is a trained architect. She loves to illustrate and has been a designer and illustrator for
various publishing houses. She is a visiting lecturer at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and
is deeply committed to peace and environmental issues. She lives in New Delhi with her daughter.
christopher corr - is an international name in children’s book illustrations. He was born in London and studied at The
Royal College of Art. He works in a traditional way, paint on paper, usually gouaches on hand-made Italian or Indian
paper. His round the world travels provide much inspiration for his work and he says that India is where he discovered
colour.
harshvardhan kadam - is a versatile young artist who enjoys experimenting in various media. He holds a wanderer’s
paint brush and has recorded several of his journeys in his unique style. He has also done graphic novels which were
critically well received. His preference remains working in real media but he enjoys painting digitally too. The traveller
also has a keen eye for photography and this vibrancy of perspective can be seen in his work.
ludmilla chakrabarty - was born in Russia. After her marriage, Ludmilla is pursuing a career here in India as an artist
and a book illustrator, as well as a writer of children’s stories.
mario kessler - He began to draw and paint while in school. He likes painting animals for children. Mario has illustrated
“Mo...aning Morris” by Franz Hubner, for Katha.
maya ramaswamy - has recently brought together her two greatest passions: painting and wildlife. A creative artist
with a talent for cartooning, she loves watching wildlife and visits the forests whenever she can get away from
Bangalore.
nancy raj - is children’s book artist and designer with an M.A in Fine Arts. She enjoys capturing people, their emotions
and involvement in daily life, through quick sketches. She likes to spread energy and laughter through her pictures -
which is why she revels in doing comic strips and caricaturing family and friends. She loves spending time with children
and her pet dog.
neeta Gangopadhya - A post graduate from the College of Art, New Delhi, Neeta Gangopadhya has illustrated several
books for children. She has represented India at the Biennial of Illustrations, Bratislava in 1995. Her illustrations are
included in the book ‘Once Upon a Time in India’, which has been nominated for the IBBY Honours List in 2006.
nimret handa - She has been writing and illustrating her own nature columns over many years. She also does travel
writing, features and book reviews. Nimret has illustrated ‘Once Upon a Moontime’ by Mamang Dai, for Katha.
paula Bossio - studied graphic design at the University of Jorge Tadeo Lozano. She teaches illustrations in a Colombian
university and loves illustrating books for children. Apart from winning the Runner-up prize for this book in the Katha
Chitrakala Award 2009, Paula was also the Runner-up in the 13th Noma Concours.
prabhjot kaur - has written and illustrated ‘Daddoo’s Day out’ for Katha, and it won her the runner-up prize in the 10th
Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations. She is presently in England working as an illustrator.
rajiv eipe - studied Fine Arts at Sir J. J. School of Art before he went to study Animation Film Design at the National
Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Rajiv lives in Mumbai where he mainly does animation and graphics for television,
and secretly wishes to drive a taxi for a living.
rashin kheiriyeh - is an Iranian illustrator. Her illustrations for the book ‘The Famous Smile’ published by Katha won
her the Grand Prize in the Katha Chitrakala Contest 2006 – a search for excellence and innovation in illustrating and
writing for children.
shweta mohapatra - is a graduate of National Institute of Design, NID, Ahmedabad, and the Pont Aven School of
Contemporary Arts, France. Currently visiting faculty at NID, she’s worked for the Children’s Film Society of India and
Sesame Street India.
sonal panse - is a freelance artist and writer based in Nashik in Maharashtra. She does realistic, imaginative and
abstract artwork in a variety of media. Her work has been featured in publications in India, Australia and the United
States. She has also exhibited her paintings in London and Mumbai, and is currently working on a novel.
sonali Biswas - is a freelance illustrator based in Delhi. She is the recipient of The Chitra Katha Award 2003 for
Outstanding Illustrations for The Lonely Unicorn, a story-counting book published by Katha. She has also received the
runner-up award from Noma Concours for Children’s Book Illustrations in 2000 and an honourable mention at the
Biennial of Asian Illustrators, Japan in 2002.
srivi - is a writer, illustrator and visualiser. She did her Bachelors and Masters from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India
and majored in creative painting, art history and graphic design. A gold medalist with a commitment to the visual arts
and children’s association with visual art, Srivi has illustrated several fiction and non-fiction books for children.
stephen aitken - has been writing and illustrating children’s books for over 20 years. He is also a botanical illustrator
and has served as the Managing Editor of Biodiversity: Journal of Life on Earth. He left his homeland Canada to come
to India and live in the Himalayas, where he maintains a studio. Aitken is a member of the Picture Book Artists’
Association and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
suddhasatwa Basu - is a renowned illustrator, painter and maker of animation films for television. For ‘The Song of a
Scarecrow’, a picture book written and illustrated by him, he won the Katha Chitrakala Award 2002 and received an
honourable mention at the Bienniel of Illustrations 2003, Bratislava. He has also illustrated Ka: The Story of Garuda
for Katha.
Vandana Bist - She has a degree in Fine Arts from the Delhi College of Art and has specialised in illustration. In
1988, she was awarded the encouragement prize in the Children’s Picture Book Competition organised by the Noma
Concours Foundation, Japan. Her works have been exhibited in Japan and Bratislava. Since 1986, her writings and
drawings have been published in various children’s magazines and books. Her first book is A Ticket to Home and Other
Stories, a collection for children (HarperCollins, 1994). ‘Surangini’ is very popular among children.
Wen hsu - was born in Taiwan and two years later moved to Costa Rica, where she grew up. She holds a degree in
Architecture from the University of Costa Rica, as well as a BFA with honors in Illustration from the Rhode Island School
of Design. Wen has previously illustrated books for children in Costa Rica and Guatemala, as well as other books in the
USA. She was granted the NOMA Concours Grand Prix in 2008.
Illustrators at katha