Hatkoti Days
A Pop-up Book
Hatkoti Days is an entirely handcrafted and hand-drawn pop-up book set in a small village on the banks of the Pabbar River, approximately 102 kilometers from Himachal Pradesh's Shimla district. Hatkoti is well-known for the Hateshwari temple and the Sawra Kuddu Hydroelectric Project.
This book is based on true events that occurred when I visited Hatkoti. My mother, older brother, and I lived in the bustling city of Faridabad, while my father lived in the beautiful mountain valleys of Hatkoti. When summer vacation began, my father decided to bring everyone to the place where he worked and lived.
This book recounts the wonderful days I spent with my family in Hatkoti.
As a storyteller and illustrator, I wanted to create an illustrated book that is both entertaining and interactive in some ways. Interactive books help children to develop the habit of reading and learning new things. These books help to engage and capture their interest. There are many types of interactive books such as moving parts, pull tabs, die-cut pages and lift the flap board book.
HATKOTI
It is a small village located on the banks of the Pabbar River, approximately 102 kilometers from the Shimla district of Himachal Pradesh. Hatkoti is well-known for the Hateshwari temple and the Sawra Kuddu Hydroelectric Project. My father used to work on this project in Hatkoti, he constructs dams. Isn’t that amazing? He's been doing it for a while now. We used to visit him and his places, as he builds dams everywhere. Sometimes some projects can take 2 to 3 years to complete. On every summer vacation, my mother, older brother, and I used to pay him a visit. This book recounts the beautiful days I spent with my family in Hatkoti.
Except for the printed font, this book is purely handmade.
Each pop-up is crafted from a thick sheet of paper and afterward colored with Camlin's photo colors. Paper cutouts were used to create trees, which were then pasted onto the structure.
I’ve always been fascinated by interactive books especially pop-up books. Pop-up books are really just a subset of the broader category of movable books. Most movable books look like regular books but some of the words and images are presented by mechanical devices such as a flap, tab, slot, wheel and so on.
As a storyteller and illustrator, I wanted to create an illustrated book that is both
entertaining and interactive in some ways.
Learning the fundamentals of pop-ups was both enjoyable and exhausting.
This book would not have been possible without the help of various YouTube videos.
Education can sometimes be a daunting thing. For this project my target was to make a book that every child learns differently. In this book, I wanted to add a little something for all ages and abilities.
Illustrations are meant to tell a story that words cannot show. Human beings have long been fascinated by stories. Children have a way of absorbing almost everything that is placed before them. Therefore, it is crucial to arm them with as much knowledge as possible while they are young.
Illustrations are meant to tell a story that words cannot show. Human beings have long been fascinated by stories. Children have a way of absorbing almost everything that is placed before them. Therefore, it is crucial to arm them with as much knowledge as possible while they are young.
The next book, "Hatkoti Days Part 2," will discuss the future events in which several other puppies entered the family's lives. One of the puppies even became a member of the family. A turn of events happened when the family had to return to their normal lives in Faridabad, leaving everything behind.
This book is dedicated to my father for taking us on those wonderful adventures.
