Leech!

Leech! written by Lanu Tsudir and illustrated by Imlijongshi Lemtur is a level-3 book (for children who are ready to read on their own). It is a fictionalised and reimagined adaptation of the story ‘U Thliem’ or The Origin of the Leech by Chaantrea Miky Lamin. The story was one of the winning entries at the Meghalayan Folktale Competition organised by the Forgotten Folklore Project in 2022.

This book was published by Sauramandala Foundation, Meghalaya, as part of The Forgotten Folklore Project (TFFP) which brings to life 65 stories from communities in Meghalaya and other northeastern states of India. The story books, developed in collaboration with local artists, aim to contribute to early childhood education and disseminate knowledge on local nature, culture, foods, garments, kitchens, and more.

The story follows Shanbor, a bossy but lazy man who keeps from venturing out even to his own paddy fields to supervise workers. After days of such absence, he has an idea and takes out both his eyes – Ding Ding and Mon Mon – and sends them to watch over the fields for him. For the next several days, the eyes do their job and return back to him in the evening. But the easy routine is broken one day when a crow spies Ding Ding and Mon Mon on a tree and snatches them away. The book narrates Shanbor’s eventual search for this eyes and how he is finally transformed into a leech.

The 32-page book, with full page illustrations, is available in English, Khasi, Pnar, Garo, Tamil – with more translations to come on Storyweaver by Pratham Books.