Leaf Life: Relating to Nature
Alliance Francaise de Chennai, August 1998
National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, February 1999
Leaf Life: Relating to Nature widens the theme of Tara’s book, Leaf Life, taking the leaf as the central point of its focus. In simple, interactive ways, the exhibition connects the leaf to larger natural processes, ways of seeing and our daily lives. The topics it touches on are varied, from the botanical structure of leaves, to the place of trees in the wider ecosystem, to the leaf as inspiration in art and literature. Leaf Life is also intended as a model for a nature exhibition with and for children of different ages. With plenty of material to touch, taste and feel, this exhibition is truly a playful sensory experience.

Forgotten Traditions of Play
Manasthala, a center for art and craft, Chennai, January 1999
National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, February 1999
Forgotten Traditions of Play is based on the experience of making the book Toys and Tales with Everyday Materials. The book came out of workshops with children in Chennai conducted by Prof. Sudarshan Khanna of the Toy Centre at the National Institute of Design. The exhibition is designed as an exploration of one of the book’s main concerns: what can today’s children gain by making and playing with folk toys? Tracing the process of how the book came about, Forgotten Traditions of Play talks about the nature of play, both traditional and contemporary.

Playing with Type: Designer as Author
National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, February 1999 Playing with Type: Designer as Author is an exhibition based on Tara’s book Anything but a Grabooberry, which uses typography in a unique way—as illustration. This exhibition demonstrates how a designer can generate new and unexpected meanings in a given piece of text. It is designed to introduce the area of visual communication for those unfamiliar with it, and is likely to be of interest to graphic designers and illustrators who are serious about communication.

To All Who Enjoy Hills
The British Council, Chennai December 1998
National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad February 1999 To All Who Enjoy Hills came out of the Himalayan adventure novel Real Men Don’t Pick Peonies by Sirish Rao. The exhibition explores the spirit behind this book by placing it in the context of Himalayan exploration. It is designed as a tribute to Frank Smythe, an early British Himalayan climber who argued for a deeply felt and personal relationship to nature, a theme which is echoed in Real Men Don’t Pick Peonies. The exhibition is divided into two parts: First, a brief history of Himalayan exploration, linking it to larger social, and political and movements. Second, a look at Frank Smythe, his vision, writing and photography.