Bulu Imam (born 31 August 1942) is an environmental activist working for the protection of tribal culture and heritage in

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

. On 12 June 2012, he received the Gandhi International Peace Award, 2011 at the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in London. He is also a recipient of the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

(2019). He is the grandson of Syed Hasan Imam, who was a leading Barrister and Judge of

Calcutta High Court The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It is located at Esplanade Row West, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. T ...

(1912–1916), and the

President of the Indian National Congress The national president of the Indian National Congress is the chief executive of the Indian National Congress (INC), one of the principal political parties in India. Constitutionally, the president is elected by an electoral college composed of ...

(Bombay Session, 1918). His daughter, Cherry, is married to Kunwar Ashish Bir Singh Tekari of Tekari Raj. Since 1987, he has been the Convenor of INTACH Hazaribagh Chapter, and in 1991, discovered the first

rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

of Jharkhand at Isco, and subsequently over dozen rock art sites in the North Karanpura Valley. In 1993, he brought to light the Khovar (marriage) art, and then the Sohrai (harvest) murals painted on the walls of the mud houses of the

Hazaribagh Hazaribagh is a city and a municipal corporation in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is also the administrative headquarters of Hazaribagh district and divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is known ...

villages. He showed the connection between the region's rock art and th
painted village houses
By 1995, he established the Sanskriti Museum & Art Gallery in Hazaribagh along with the Tribal Women Artists Cooperative (TWAC) have promoted the tribal art of the region, holding over 50 international exhibitions of Sohrai and Khovar paintings in Australia, Europe, and UK. He is the author of the book Bridal Caves ( INTACH, New Delhi, 1995)
Antiquarian Remains of Jharkhand
(Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2014), and has written monographs on tribes like the Birhors and the Santhals. He has made several films on tribal art and culture of

. He is a researcher and an authority in fields related to archaeology, tribal and rock art, vernacular folklore and history.

Recent publications

* ''Antiquarian Remains of Jharkhand-'' Documentation of 520 archaeological sites in Jharkhand; INTACH, Aryan Books International, New Delhi, 2014, * ''The Nomadic Birhors of Hazaribagh: Their Life, Art, Songs, Folklore & Ethnobotany'', Lambert Academic Publishing (LAP), Germany, 2015, * ''The Manjhi Santals of Hazaribagh: Their Hunt Rules, Songs, Lifestyle, Folklore & Hunting Dogs'', Lambert Academic Publishing (LAP), Germany, 2015 * ''Hazaribagh School of Painting & Decorative Arts,'' Lambert Academic Publishing (LAP), Germany, 2015 * ''Oraon Songs & Stories by Philomina Tirkey- Edited by Bulu Imam,'' Lambert Academic Publishing (LAP), Germany, 2015 * ''The Flowering Branch-'' Songs of the Manjhi Santals of Hazaribagh, Lambert Academic Publishing (LAP), Germany, 2015

Films and documentaries

* ''The One-Eared Elephant from Hazaribagh','' produced by Sanskriti -INTACH with support from

HIVOS Hivos (, Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation) is an international cooperation organization, with its global office in The Hague, The Netherlands. Hivos provides support to civil society organizations working in Africa, Latin America, th ...

, Netherlands, directed by Susanne Gupta, Berlin, TV feature film, 2004 * ''Tribal Women Artists,'' Feature Film (35mm Kodak Colour), with Films Division, Govt. of India, Bombay. Received National Film Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film in the 48th National Film Awards in 2001. ''Citation:'' ''For highlighting the creative abilities of the tribal women of Hazaribagh (Jharkhand) in an effective manner.'' * ''Early Creative Expressions of Man'' (Art of India Series, No.10), and ''The Eternal Dance'' (Art of India Series, No.11) produced for

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

by Benoy K. Behl, 2004 * ''Search for the First Dog'' (filmed by Working Dog productions), produced by National Geographic, and shown on Television in USA and India, 2004. Winner: Explorer's Club Film Festival "Best Documentary". * ''The Birhor- Study of a Nomadic Tribe in Hazaribagh,'' produced by Zee Telefilms, Bombay, 1999 for Television * ''The Sohrai Art of Hazaribagh,'' produced by Zee Telefilms, Bombay, 1999 for Television

Awards

(2019) * Shri Bulu Imam was given the ''Vijay Rattna award'' on 29 May 2002 in for his work in promoting tribal art of Jharkhand, by India International Friendship Society. The award and Certificate of Excellence was presented by Shri. Bhisham Narain Singh, Former Governor of Tamil Nadu. * On 31 July 2002 Shri Imam received the ''Rashtriya Gaurav award'' in for his work in environment protection "As Environmentalist of the Millennium" by India Institute of Success Awareness. The award was presented by Dr. C.P. Thakur, Former Union Health Minister. * Rajkiya Sanskritik Samman: 2006 (State Award for Culture) for contribution to culture in Jharkhand. The award was given by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, Govt.of Jharkhand * Nominated for the ''Goldman Award, 2006'' (USA) by Mr.

Edward Goldsmith Edward René David Goldsmith (8 November 1928 – 21 August 2009), widely known as Teddy Goldsmith, was an Anglo-French environmentalist, writer and philosopher. He was a member of the prominent Goldsmith family, the eldest son of Majo ...

, ''

The Ecologist ''The Ecologist'' was a British environmental journal/magazine, published from 1970 to 2009. Founded by Edward Goldsmith, it addressed a wide range of environmental subjects and promoted an ecological systems thinking approach through its news ...

'', UK. * Nominated for ''Padmashri, 2006'' by Dept. of Culture, Govt. of Jharkhand * Nominated for '' Indira Gandhi National Integration Award 2007,'' by INTACH, New Delhi * ''Rotary Club Silver Jubilee Award:'' On 30 August Convener Bulu Imam was presented the Rotary Silver Jubilee Award for Lifetime Achievement "For His Outstanding Contribution to Tribal Art, Poetry, Literature, & Nature Conservation". * ''Doordarshan Golden Jubilee Award:'' The award was presented by His Excellency, K.Sankaranarayanan, Governor of Jharkhand on the evening of 15 September at the Doordarshan in for his contribution to Tribal Arts in Jharkhand. * Gandhi International Peace Award 2011 by Gandhi Foundation, on 12 June 2012 in the House of Lords, London

Research papers

*
Changing Intellectual and Spiritual Expressions of the Nomadic Birhor in Jharkhand
', Expression No.4, April, 2014, Burgos-Spain, pp. 11–12 *
The historical perspective of Prehistory through a study of Meso-chalcolithic rock art and contemporary tribal mural paintings in Jarkhand, Eastern North India
', XXV Valcamonica Symposium 2013, Italy, pp. 243–246 *
Comparative traditions in village painting and prehistoric rock art of Jharkhand
', XXIV Valcamonica Symposium 2011, Italy, pp. 70–81 *
The Temple Sites at Telkupi
("Bhairavasthan") - Jaina Architectural Remains Submerged by Panchet Dam in Jharkhand and West Bengal-'' ''ICOMOS, Heritage at Risk, World report 2006/2007,'' pp. 88–90 *
Threatened Jaina Heritage Route in Jharkhand and West Bengal
'' listing 38, Updates- The stone/sand mining of rivers, Stone mining of megaliths, Destruction of Adivasi Villagers religio-cultural landscapes and archaeological sites in the North Karanpura Valley, for mines, dams, and Super Thermal Power Stations. ''ICOMOS, Heritage at Risk, World report 2004/2005,'' pp. 94–103 *
Hazaribagh and the North Karanpura Valley
'' Traditional vernacular architecture and cultural landscapes; indigenous heritage; the living prehistoric mural traditions of Khovar and Sohrai art of the North Karanpura Valley; cultural lifestyle and the basis for the preservation of cultural heritage tradition- ''ICOMOS, Heritage at Risk, World Report 2002/2003'', pp. 109–113 *

'' Heritage at Risk from coal mining, pre-historic rock art sites, monuments and archaeological sites including megaliths, Natural and Sacred Sites, Cultural Landscapes, Burial and dancing grounds, nomadic sites- ''ICOMOS, Heritage at Risk, World Report 2001/2002'', pp. 107–112 * ''Maluty Temples,'' ''Context'', Vol.4, issue 2, Autumn/Winter 2007, pp. 87–90 * ''Traditional Village Architecture in Hazaribagh Today,'' '' Indian Architect & Builder,'' Vol.20, no.3, Nov., 2006, pp. 96–100 * ''Development and Tribals in Jharkhand,'' ''Journal of Social Anthropology'', Vol.3, no.2, Dec., 2006, pp. 19–196 * ''Painted Houses of Hazaribagh,'' ''Context'', Vol.2, no.1, Spring/Summer, 2005 * ''Some Thoughts on Local Art Forms in Indian Villages''- ''Journal of Social Anthropology'', Vol.1, No.1, pp. 41–57 (June 2004) * ''On Rockart'' – '' Man in India,'' 83 (3&4): 453-461 (July-Dec., 2003) * ''Tribal Culture in Jharkhand : An Interface between Ecology and Tradition'' - ''Folklore Research Journal'', No.12, Dec., 2003 * ''Tribal Civilization in Jharkhand'' – ''Man in India,'' 82 (1&2): pp. 211–222, (January–June, 2002) * ''Some Thoughts on Rockart'' – ''Man in India,'' 82 (3&4): pp. 419–26, (July-Dec., 2002) * ''Some Thoughts on the Culture of the Past'' –''Man in India'', 79 (1&2): 161–171, (Jan-June, 1999) * ''Story of Kamli: A Birhor Medicine Women'', ''Man in India'', 1993, 73 (40), 377-385 * ''Cultural Spatial Concepts Implicit in Tribal Art and Identity in Hazaribagh District'' – ''Man in India'', 73 (2), pp. 163–172, (June 1993) * ''Cultural Spatial Concepts Implicit in Tribal Art and Identity in Hazaribagh District'' - ''AURA- Newsletter of the Australian Rockart Association'' (AURA) Vol.9.No.2, November, 1992, pp. 15–18 * ''Cultural Spatial Concepts Implicit in Tribal Art and Identity in Hazaribagh District'' – ''Indica'', Vol.30 (1993) No.1&2, Heras Institute of Indian History & Culture, St.Xaviers College, Mumbai * ''Communication- Cultural Ecology'', ''Man in India'', 1992; 72 (1): 121–122 * ''Ecological Background of Chotanagpur- Its Imbalance and Tribal Communities,'' ''Man in India'', Sept. 1990, pp. 266–277 * ''Significance of Primitive in the Context of Modern Art'' – ''Roopa Lekha,'' Vol.LV, No.1&2, Jan. 1984 (Ed.Dr M.S.Randhawa), New Delhi, pp. 56–64

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Imam, Bulu 1942 births Living people Indian non-fiction environmental writers People from Hazaribagh Indian male writers 20th-century Indian linguists Writers from Jharkhand Indian folklorists 20th-century Indian social scientists Scientists from Jharkhand 20th-century Indian educational theorists Indian social sciences writers Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work