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History goes ha ha in India as cartoonists shape indie ethics

A new crop of politically informed webcomics that rely on old world imagery are shaping indie ethics in India, says Amrita Madhukalya

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Royal Existentials, The Daily Outpour and Adarsh Balak have taken social media by storm for their wry takes on critical issues—Aarthi Parthasarathy/ Falana Dhimka films
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Priyesh Trivedi's adarsh (ideal) boy is a Sphongle-listening, pot enthusiast who won't hesitate to visit a sperm bank to be a part of a Bhayanak Maut concert. The fun imagery, which has now reached cult status as Adarsh Balak, caught on with thousands online soon after he came out with a poster that read 'T for Toke' in Devanagari script. Stylised in the retro-themed India Book House (IBH), Trivedi hand-draws them prior to scanning.

"I wanted to redefine 'adarsh' from someone who needs to be obedient or fit in to someone who lives as he chooses. If he smokes pot, he should be assertive about it," says the reclusive Trivedi.

Trivedi, an animator inspired by Spanish cartoonist Joan Cornellà, did not expect Adarsh Balak to gain such popularity. "I feel people connected hugely to the extinct style of the comics. That the context was so contemporary was helpful," says the 24-year-old. Trivedi has observed that most commentators of his comics are in their mid-20s or early-30s. "These people were in school when the IBH posters were used."

Trivedi's work, which he sells online, is part of a new crop of webcomics that build on an intelligent, complex and politically-informed aesthetic. Mostly adult in content and usually for the discerning comic enthusiast, they do not shy from talking about pertinent issues. Feminism, politics, offense — critical issues are airbrushed with wry humour. What you get is imagery appreciable not just for visuals, but also for deft handling of the subject.

Aarthi Parthasarathy of Falana Dhimka Films, which produces Royal Existentials — a weekly webcomic that "uses Indian vintage art and imagery to tell stories of historical (and contemporary) angst" — says she conceived it to explore a different kind of humour. "I did not plan a humourous webcomic. It evolved over time," says the filmmaker-writer. "The opulent imagery I use in contrast to the social inequalities I speak of has made it popular."

An alumni of Bangalore's Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, 30-year-old Aarthi earlier worked with the Kabir Project, dabbling in folk music and mystical poetry. She feels that nostalgia is a factor, but the content is driven by contemporary angst. "Our art resonates with the now-grown up '80s generation. As the graphic novel exploded in India with the works of George Mathen, Parismita Singh and Amrita Tripathi, it opened many creative opportunities for illustrators like us. There's no longer a need to dumb down a comic anymore," she says.

Earlier, in January this year, when a design student from Srishti college, Furqan Jawed posted a picture of his work on Facebook, he was taken by the popularity of the post. Designed with fellow students Jaywant Pradhan, Sparsh Saxena, Stuti Kothari, and Roshan Shakeel, the project was an illustration of what it takes to be a bad girl in India. Wearing a bra, smoking and roaming out Kate at night were some of them. The project was commissioned by their teacher Allison Bryne for a course titled 'Visual Culture' in The Vernacular.

Furqan, who was "very surprised that the posters went viral in India and abroad", says that the popularity was mainly because of its humour. "And the fact that we were not preachy," says the 23-year-old who dropped out as an engineering student, and worked for a year with a designer before joining art school. "The comic art space today is a very exciting space to be in. And it helped that we did not follow any particular ideology," says Furqan.

The most recent to have found online acclaim is Aneesa Chisti, the person behind The Daily Outpour. Angsty and relevant, the comic has spoken about a Modi-themed Mount Rushmore, sexism at the workplace and the Vogue Empower video. The 27-year-old, who had a degree from NIFT Delhi and four years in apparel design before she went to pursue a management degree from ISB Hyderabad, says that she had always kept an illustrated journal to pour out her emotions. When friends suggested, she release some of them, she had no idea people will love her work.

"I met with a lot of differing opinions at B-school with regards to feminism and patriarchy. Even though I respect them, they opened up a huge world for me," says Chisti. "B-school also gave me a lot of time and space to explore my art."

Chisti likes to send out strong messages through her work. "Visual imagery is powerful, and also leavers the viewer guessing. It makes me confident, because the s**tstorms on social media over small issues make me nervous," says Chisti. She says that she had no commercial intent from her work, but that she is happy that her strong opinions now have a eager window.

Trivedi, feels that the timing could not have been perfect. "I got into this by accident. But this resurgence of intelligent comic art had to happen; it had been waiting in the wings for a while.

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