In 1992,when the Babri Masjid demolition rocked the country,it sowed a seed in cartoonist Sharad Sharma. He was then working with a local daily in Rajasthan and knew his illustrations would be put to good use someday. Twenty years later,Sharma,the founder of World Comics India,along with Ram Puniyani,writer and social activist,have released their second book Terrorism Explained a graphic narrative on the rise of terrorism against the backdrop of communalism.The book is a sequel to their first book Communalism Explained (in collaboration with Arth Prakashan Publications; Rs 200),and was launched at India International Centre on Wednesday evening. The launch also commemorates a four-day exhibition with excerpts from the book.
I met Puniyani five years ago and we decided the only way to bust myths about religion and terrorism was to make information more accessible and fun, says Sharma. The exhibition has over 40 posters on view,with a mix of information and comics,and a step-by-step account of the rise of communalism and terrorism in the country. Each poster tries to achieve a sense of harmony even as it talks about various theories,political events that reign our mindsets as a society. They include themes such as the two-nation theory (the partition of India and Pakistan,preceded by the divide-and-rule policy),Muslim communal politics and its link to global terror,and issues involving minorities. A simplified graphic account,followed by ample interactions with the public is the only way to start healthy debates on these issues, says Sharma.
World Comics India was launched in the late 90s as a collective of grassroots activists,cartoonists,artists,development journalists and students,who planned on using comics as a communication tool. They toured the country with workshops,after the release of their first book .
The workshops convinced Sharma that nobody was talking about religious and terror issues enough. I invited people to draw their own personal stories,and have included those in the exhibition, he says. Many amateur artists,illustrators and performing artistes attended his workshops,and Sharma has used their examples as comic strips. One such poster on display,by development journalist Yadhwan,based in Ahmedabad,talks about the double standards that people of a particular area in the city have against non-vegetarian food. Another poster by activist and dancer,Mallika Sarabhai on display talks about media intervention and politics in Gujarat. The posters have a humorous element in them,including one by Sharma. It is a surreal depiction of how a fact gets broken down and reaches the public ear as a myth. Mixing an educational message with comic strips was intentional,says Sharma. The idea was to promote comic books,or graphics as an equally important mode of communication, he says.
The exhibition will be held at India International Centre,
Lodhi Estate,till July 14.
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