Seeking and Sharing

Soon,he began to realise that the old arts were slipping from modern memory. “We need food for physical survival,but we also need food for the soul,which comes from these stories. But these days,architecture is more like junk food for the soul,” he says. So,Rao began to invite young architects to discuss old architecture in a series of workshops; his first brush with teaching and education.

A few years later,Rao decided it was time to return to his old,teenage passion — cartooning. He began to work on caricatures of Raj Kapoor,Rekha and Amrish Puri as Mogambo. “People thought I was a fool,giving up architecture but the important thing is that there is joy in what you’re doing. Then,everything else follows,” he says. And everything else did follow. Rao went on to draw for major publications,and for comics such as Tinkle.

Passing on his skills came naturally and he went on to teach what he had learned in cartooning and animation in workshops and academies. “Once you find what you were seeking,it is time to share it. That is the journey of the soul,” he says.

Rao was also convinced that he could use his set of skills to teach young children. So he began a cartoon project for street children,drawing a comic book that could then be used in workshops to teach street children the perils of substance abuse. The book worked well and continues to be used at workshops.

Encouraged by the response,Rao says that,for his latest project,he is developing a comic character for each of the panch kosha. “The five will become a child’s best friends. Each will be strong in their own aspect,and when they combine,they will be complete,” he says.

The idea is like the popular television cartoon series,Captain Planet,Rao admits. “It is a recurring philosophy in many movies and series. Even in the Wizard of Oz,each character lacked something — the lion needed courage,the tin man wanted a heart. But together,they achieved balance and found what they needed,” he says.