2023, Web-Based Interactive Folktale
Aami & the Mangrove is a modern folktale about the ties between man and nature, and the unseen balance that keeps both alive. It explores and collects elements of folklore from Assam, Nagaland and, most importantly, the Sundarbans delta.
Aami's tale shifts between two stories - the first is that of a girl with a dying mother, born in a world where her mangrove has already been stripped and her fields already flooded, and the second is that of another girl, just like the first, with a mother dying of a similar ailment, who is able to turn to the mangroves for help.
The story explores elements of loss, codependence, and the give and take that keeps our world running. It is a tragedy that aims to show the beauty of the bonds that we forget.
Aami was my thesis project for my Masters at the National Institute of Design. It was written and illustrated by me, developed for web by Shrivathsa M.S using P5 js. and features a soundtrack composed by Alita Dharmaraj.
process
1 . Research & Writing
I began by reading into the soil erosion and flooding that had, by 2023, led to incredibly destructive flooding in coastal regions, along the Brahmaputra river, and the Sundarbans delta.
From here, I read more into folklore from regions included and around my research area and began to compose my folktale. This story was then edited and refined by Alita Dharmaraj.
2 . Sketching
Once the story was written, I started to sketch out what it might look like. I decided on an art style that incorporated elements of Dhokra art and Gond art.
This was also when the goddess of the story, Malati, was named and created, inspired by Bonbibi of the Sundarbans.
3 . Prototyping
The folktale was now storyboarded and prototypes were made on Figma in order to aid our developer, Shrivatsa M.S.
Once he had the prototype and the opening scene of the story, he began to build the aamismangrove.in website.
4 . Iteration
From here, we began iterating on various aspects of the interactions and effects such as the firefly trailing the mouse, or the scene in Aami's kitchen where she cooks her kheer,
