A Novel idea

Joshi published a book called ‘Blind Man’s Buff’,a collection of short stories a few years ago,and it is these stories that are being told through Animal Palette,aided by Modak’s versatile illustrations. “We have used the word palette in the title because these stories showcase the different colours and shades of animals in their natural habitat,” says Joshi adding,“Though the setting of the story is that of various animals in the forest,each story deals with a different human genre. Readers would be exposed to a horror story,a thriller,a romantic story and a comedy,all featuring wild animals as characters.”

Modak has used a different style of art to illustrate each story,depending on the theme it is trying to project. Through various mediums such as watercolours,photo paint and pencil art,he has given each story its own unique feel.

“I saw tremendous visual potential in the stories,and this project gives me the liberty to give a different dimension to Chetan’s writing through my own art,” says Modak.

Through the book,the authors hope to do their bit for raising awareness about wildlife and nature,and the harm that is being done to them by humans.

“What activists are doing through placards and slogans,I hope to do in a more subtle manner through my writing,to make people think when they read the stories,” says Joshi.

Graphic novels are very different from regular novels in many respects,feel the two authors. “In a graphic novel,part of the story is expressed through text and part of it is expressed visually,” says Modak,adding that it is upto the writer to distribute the two aspects in such a way that they don’t overlap.

“The advantage of a graphic novel is that it familiarises the reader with the ambience of the story faster than a regular novel does,” says Joshi. “However,the drawback of using images to add to the effect of words is that it leaves less room for the reader to imagine,” he clarifies.

Animal Palette targets readers of the ages thirteen and above,and the reason behind this is something both Joshi and Modak feel very strongly about.

“There is a general cliché that any book in a graphic medium is meant for children,and we have attempted to depart from the conventional bias surrounding this genre,” says Joshi. “The stories have a deeper meaning as well as dark shades to them,which can only be properly understood and appreciated by teenagers and adults,” he adds.

“We believe that the presence of pictures in a piece of writing does not diminish its literary value at all,and adults need not be apologetic or conscious about reading something that has images in it,” states Modak.

Animal Palette is in the process of publication,and is slated for a mid-June release,though an exact release date has not been decided upon.