Song of the Asunam (HarperCollins India) written by CG Salamander and illustrated by Rajiv Eipe is the story of a boy named Vetri, who encounters a mythical creature called the Asunam one day. Afraid of its enormity, the villagers insist that he kill it, but Vetri decides to take it back to its home safe. The book explores their journey together.

Sangam literature (the earliest group of texts of Tamil literature) notes the Asunam as “formidable creatures with just one weakness — their love for music,” Salamander tells us. They were said to have existed in the Kurinji region. “The Asunam would venture out of their nests to listen to the birds chirp and dance to the tunes of nature. They were also sensitive to loud noises. A loud enough noise could startle or even kill them.” Salamander adds that our ancestors are believed to have hunted the creatures to extinction, “by playing a loud drum beat after luring them out with melodious music.”

A panel introducing Vetri