David Geary
Anthropology / Buddhism / South Asia / Heritage Tourism
Bulu Imam main image.jpg

The Memoirs of Bulu Imam

Future Research

Meeting Bulu Imam is an unforgettable experience! Based in Hazaribagh, Jharkand, he is highly regarded as an environmental activist, conservation specialist, social critic, artist, poet-scholar and visionary. Bulu was born in 1942 and comes from a d

Meeting Bulu Imam is an unforgettable experience! Based in Hazaribagh, Jharkand, he is highly regarded as an environmental activist, conservation specialist, social critic, artist, poet-scholar and visionary. Bulu was born in 1942 and comes from a distinguished line of Indian-Muslims in eastern India. Prior to becoming an environmental activist, he was a famous big-game hunter and wildlife researcher throughout the ’60s and ’70s alongside his father Tootoo.

It was these early years in the jungles of eastern India that led to his longstanding interest in tribal culture and heritage of Jharkhand, especially in the face of intensive industrial coal mining in the watershed plateau of the Damodar river vall

It was these early years in the jungles of eastern India that led to his longstanding interest in tribal culture and heritage of Jharkhand, especially in the face of intensive industrial coal mining in the watershed plateau of the Damodar river valley. Since 1987, he has been the Convener of INTACH Hazaribagh Chapter (The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and has led several important conservation initiatives, including the discovery of Mesolithic rock art sites in 1991. He has since published several academic books on the vernacular folklore and cultural heritage of the region.

Bulu Imam established the Sanskriti Museum and Art Gallery in 1995 with the goal of protecting and revitalizing the arts and cultural heritage of indigenous people in the Hazaribagh region, especially through outreach activities like the Tribal Wome

Bulu Imam established the Sanskriti Museum and Art Gallery in 1995 with the goal of protecting and revitalizing the arts and cultural heritage of indigenous people in the Hazaribagh region, especially through outreach activities like the Tribal Women Artists Cooperative (TWAC). In conjunction with the Tribal Women Artists Cooperative, Bulu’s family and resident artists have participated in numerous exhibitions and cultural events in India and abroad, holding over 50 international exhibitions of Khovar and Sohrai paintings in Australia, Europe, and UK. For his ongoing advocacy work among Adivasi people and his leadership role in the Save Karanpura Campaign, he has received several prestigious awards, including the Gandhi International Peace Award in 2011, which he received in 2012 at the House of Lords in London, UK, and, in 2019, the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards in the Republic of India.

I had the good fortune to meet Bulu and his family in 2005 and we have since remained in close contact. I intend to write about Bulu’s life history and ongoing work toward two specific outcomes: 1. In collaboration with Gustav Imam (Bulu’s son), we

I had the good fortune to meet Bulu and his family in 2005 and we have since remained in close contact. I intend to write about Bulu’s life history and ongoing work toward two specific outcomes: 1. In collaboration with Gustav Imam (Bulu’s son), we are cataloguing and editing the memoirs of Bulu for a future publication; and 2. In partnership with documentary filmmaker Arun Fryer (Instructor, Vancouver Film School) we are currently looking for seed funding to create a biographical documentary on the life of Bulu Imam and his current views on a fractured country and planet. The film footage and digital archive will also be used at the Sanskriti Museum and Art Gallery in Hazaribagh.