Bulu Imam (born 31 August 1942) is an environmental activist working for the protection of tribal culture and heritage in Jharkhand. On 12 June 2012, he received the Gandhi International Peace Award, 2011 at the House of Lords in London. He is also a recipient of the Padma Shri (2019). He is the grandson of Syed Hasan Imam, who was a leading Barrister and Judge of Calcutta High Court (1912–1916), and the President of the Indian National Congress (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 of Jharkhand at Isco, and subsequently over dozen rock art site 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 villages. He showed the connection between the region’s rock art and the painted village houses. By 1995, he established the Sanskriti Museum & Art Gallery in Hazaribagh along with 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), written monographs on tribes like the Birhors and the Santhals. He has made several films on tribal art and culture of Jharkhand. 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, 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 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