Remembering Dad

 People who know me well are aware that I often end up bringing  people I love into my work as characters. This is true of both animation films and especially book illustrations.Sometimes these characters are full fledged roles like our friends Arvind & Kusum in The Grand Chapati Contest or Sumant Rao as 'Nature Uncle' in the recently released 'Ishaan's Treasures' if they fit the bill. They are most often guest appearances and walk by cameos. This has been so since the earliest projects.. so colleagues, friends, my own humble self and of course the family! show up in my work. 

This is not a deliberate exercise, it happens when it does and gives me great joy when doing it. It also makes the scene more real for me, the pose and posture of the character no longer needs to be imagined, but just 'seen' or merely remembered to be drawn and and is obviously more authentic... In the earlier mentioned  'Ishaan's Treasures', my late father-in-law, Tabla maestro Pt. Sudhir Sansare made an unexpected appearance on the beach coz it felt like he had gone for a stroll there... Instead of some random character it became him. I have only met him a couple of times and he passed away long before I married his daughter :)

Yesterday many people celebrated 'Father's Day' by remembering and paying tribute and notes of love to their dads... Jyotika, my sister was inspired to create an entire song which was filled with genuine feeling. The little video with pictures of her and papa was indeed a touching tribute and made one remember him intensely. 

Papa, Shri PremKumar Sharma passed on in 2013. 

Often, even as late as last week, I feel like he is back home... tinkering away with something, mostly a tune and calling my sister cute made up names.. 

Especially in my baby steps into the world of classical music, I wish he was around even more... As a parent he didn't force me to learn music tho he tried and gave up when he found his child more interested in "kaagaz kaale karna" (literally: blackening paper ie drawing)... (Its not that I wasn't interested in music, drawing and comics offered a far greater pull to my imagination.. but its a whole different story for another time)

As I was seeing her song I suddenly remembered all the times He has popped up in my illustration work, whether from the first 'role' I gave him as Nandbaba (5) in The Karadi Tales KRISHNA books from 2000, or the many cameos of him walking around (usually with Jyo in his arms) in the pages (worlds) of   1] Miss Moochie's 'FRANK GOES TO THE MARKET' 2017,  2] RAMU AT THE FAIR' (2) 2019, 3] The Mangrove Foundation's ISHAAN'S TREASURES 2021, 4] Complan CRICKET BOOK 1999, 6] Duckbill's THE GRAND CHAPATI CONTEST 

I suppose your loved ones live and breathe through you... whether in your work or in your memories, they are always alive. Today someone remarked on seeing Jyotika's video that I resemble my dad... as the years pass this is probably a son's legacy... to look into his father's eyes when he sees even himself.

Illustration Album: The Sweet & Spicy Sweetshop!! 2018

 

This book by Nandini Nayar had a very enjoyable story which had some nostalgic elements of a small time life, a delightful array of pastries and namkeen and some suspense and adventure to top it! The pictures were all in Black n white with the cover in color. Thanks to the Penguin team for giving me the opportunity!

The rough cover design

"On the Joy of Working with Children" Interview in the Hindu

Well... This interview was quite a pleasure as the reporter was actually interested in the work and asked meaningful questions... thats fairly rare.. ;)
A pleasant side-effect of the second edition of the Vizag Junior Literary Fest which I had the pleasure of participating in last month...

https://www.thehindu.com/children/illustrator-chetan-sharma-on-the-joy-of-working-with-children/article30114385.ece?fbclid=IwAR1GRV5Sr7rp5V9760TcNlQowAQ1ItYhzFiwUb1UILRHEgXjFETrXyMK7zk

Shri Krishna Janmashtami - an offering

...The baby cried as soon as the shackles were back on and the gates shut once again behind them.. The sleeping soldiers who had snored thru the entire adventure of Krishna being born and smuggled out of prison were roused from their sleep.. they rushed to their king! 

Outside the rain, wind and thunder continued their violent performance anxious and steadily moving to the climax of the events of this long night..

"The poor child!!" she wailed.. "but its a girl, Devaki! the prophecy said the eight would be a boy..."! Even though he had been out in the rain most of this night crossing the Yamuna in spate, twice, to transport the saviour to safety to his friend, Nand's house and bringing back his newborn child as instructed by the Divine voice.

The tyrant wasted no time in getting to the dungeons... this was the moment of truth.. the moment he had been waiting for... the moment for which he had his sister and her husband imprisoned... the birth of the eight son! The son who was foretold to be his doom! His eyes bloodshot with the anxiety of years he looked at the child... a girl?... brushing away Vasudev and Devaki's pleas for mercy, he held the infant by her leg like he had all her seven elder brothers... and raised the wailing child up in the air to dash her to the ground like he had the rest...
but she slipped from his fingers and became light.. before he could blink, she laughed!
She was MahaMaya- the goddess of illusion herself and she teased him "your slayer is alive and well...!!
Kamsa's life was now of a man waiting for his death.. he would fight his fate ofcourse... but his every living moment would be consumed with the vision of the avenging child.. his nightmares were the dreams of deliverance for the people of Mathura...and indeed his own... though he knew it not.

art & retelling (C) Chetan Sharma 2018

Hathman sketches & Layouts

Just sharing some sketches & roughs from the Super Hathman, launched last saturday by Karadi Tales..

These are almost a year old.. The retelling by Kaushik Vishwanath is quite fun and the reading by Jaaved Jaaferi entertaining.. tho we hadn't heard the audio till the book was ready, infact didn't even know who was doing the voice! Given that, I feel that there is quite a Jaaved'ness to the character, dont you think?

Hathman trying to meditate.. what do you think he is bothered by?

The story, an old tale about spiritual aspirants hankering after super-powers without having the necessary self-control and humility, is a cool one.. When asked to focus on a simple prayer with a warning not to think about monkeys, the aspirant finds that monkeys start to dominate his thoughts.. he is unable to get a single line of the prayer thru without thinking about monkeys...A hard lesson for a mind that wants to 'own' superpowers! It doesn't even own itself!! Try it yourself!!

Hathman surveys the monastry..

Below kids final sketch for the same layout..

Hathman harassed by the monkeys in his monkey mind

Super Hathman learns his lesson! We may or may not be able to calm our minds from the endless chattering we are so used to now.. We do however have a choice to be humble and thankful about the gifts we do possess.

Just as we may not be able to trace the roots of 'God-given' talent (it is obviously not just dna or nurturing...), we will do well to remember, that's exactly what it is.. a gift from the supreme creative energy.. it is grace and we are instruments of expression for that creative source.

Karadi Tales: Super Hathman Launch!!

So its finally going to be out.. On the 9th of Jan, SUPER HATHMAN, narrated by the inimitable Jaaved Jaaferi ( thats how he spells it) and illustrated by us, releases at an event at Landmark book store at Andheri. Jaaved himself will be there to read from the book apart from the karadi gang, and yours truly, of course.. See ya there! Buy the book, its great entertainment..meanwhile here are a few images from the book.. and a few roughs..

Do check out the recently set up Karadi Tales blog as well..

Hathman meets the Lama in this beautifully colored page by Deepa Chordia.

Karadi Tales..Bakasura & Bhasmasura

 Just wrapped up 2 children's books for Karadi Tales.. should be out in a while..watch out for 'SUPER HATHMAN' & 'THE TALLEST TALE!!'

Meanwhile 2 books we did last year for them are very much on the shelves. Do check out 'BAKASURA & BHASMASURA' available as a set.. they are audiobooks so the books are accompanied by a CD which contains the stories narrated by Girish Karnad along with great music and songs composed by Three Brothers & a violin. The text is in the book.. so buy it!! 

 

The Karadi series is easily one of the best products in the Indian market for children. check out all their stuff, its ideal gift material for the young people you know. We've done 3 other books for them in the past, THE MONKEY KING (1998), THE BIRTH OF KRISHNA & KRISHNA'S CONQUESTS(2000), of which the monkey book won the NAPPA 2000 Award by the National Association of Parenting Publishers,USA. It also contains really fun songs!! We animated one of these, Bandar Bindaas Bandar which was India's first fully cel-animated music video.. sadly didn't air too much.. but was good fun nevertheless. :)