If you ask yourself, ‘What is your idea of becoming?’ The answer might seem subjective or ever evolving. For curator Richa Jha, “Becoming is not simply about growing up — it is about the constant transformation of the self and the world around us.” This idea forms the core of Becoming, an exhibition tracing 130 years of illustrations in children’s books in India, curated by Jha and designed by Ayesha Goel.

The journey begins with an 1896 illustration of Abanindranath Tagore’s Kheerer Putul, one of the earliest Indian children’s books created specifically for recreational reading. “Before this, illustrated books for children in India, particularly in Bengal, were largely educational, including primers and language textbooks produced by missionaries and Bengali writers as an inspiration to inculcate nationalism,” explains Jha. The exhibition also touches upon the influential Ray family by talking about the magazine Sandesh by Upendrakishore Ray, paternal grandfather of the legendary filmmaker, Satyajit Ray alongside other illustrations.