Where’s Gaju’s Herdij, a comic-cum-colouring book by Rohan Chakravarty, highlights the problem of eroding elephant habitat, says Chahak Mittal
While the world is busy capturing selfies on their smart phone cameras, there are some artists who are trying to showcase the world that exists beyond these materialistic attractions. Artist, cartoonist and illustrator Rohan Chakravarty is one of them, portraying wildlife in his illustrations, a heritage, he believes, which desperately need attention.
For the Gaj Yatra, an annual campaign run by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) which creates awareness about elephant conservation, Chakravarty was commissioned to create a comic book that features a story Where’s Gaju’s Herdij It is about a young and happy-go-lucky elephant who is separated from his family and the problems and challenges that he faces while straying in an urban city.
“I have a long-standing association with the WTI and have done a lot of projects with them in the past. My comic book is a silent, wordless storyboard that reflects the journey of elephants and the problems that they face in a country like India. It is created especially for kids who live in the elephant zone of conflict. The idea is to distribute the copies of this comic-cum-colouring book and make them aware about animal and wildlife conservation,” says the artist.
The story follows the journey of an elephant calf, who is really happy with his family in the jungle but is soon separated and is found struggling to meet them as they are on the other side of the city. Railway lines and busy streets act as vicious obstacles which prevent him in the pursuit and the calf is even hit by a speeding truck.
looking at such profoundly detailed illustrations, one wonders about the kind of observations the artist would have made before creating these. Rohan reveals that some research and observation was involved to make the cartoons look accurate and real. “A bit of both research and observation went in the making. I have been on the field observing elephants for sometime and I also referred to a lot of videos and textbooks. I observed the difference between the Western and Eastern Ghats and the Northeast India.” He shares his experience watching the species, “I have had some moments like observing a family of elephants in Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, and have had some close encounters with pachyderms, who are very genuine creatures. I feel that it is just about how we perceive and treat them that governs their behaviour towards us. This book is based on several years of knowing elephants.”
He shares his inspiration behind starting with such an innovative and a need-of-the-hour work. “I started the series when I saw my first wild tigress which led me to drawing cartoons about animals.”
Even though other illustrious works have been in circulation for quite a long time, and there have been debates about the topic, his motive towards an otherwise ubiquitous topic is to make the society understand and aware of environmental issues.
He says, “The focus of my work is to break the jargon around ecology and wildlife science. At the same time, I am also trying to make this information palatable to people like me and you, who are not experts in the subject. A lot of people when they try to communicate and talk about science forget that there is a lot of jargon around it which some don’t always understand. The whole point of my work is to break it down and bridge this gap and start a communication between science and dilemmas of people.”
Rohan feels that there has been a growing environmental consciousness among people, “When I started the comic series in 2010, the reader was concerned about the environmental relations, in the matter of seven to eight years, it is something that can no longer be ignored. An environmental crisis is inevitable. The elephant in the room can no longer be ignored. The problem is very much in people’s face and now they are increasingly getting proactive about environmental issues. All the readers understand the problems that I am trying to depict with my cartoons now. It is important to discuss issues like deforestation, development, and this consciousness is growing slowly and steadily. People are becoming aware and avoid plastic use while doing their bit to conserve the environment.”
The baby elephant’s story very intricately depicts how urbanisation has encroached upon wildlife habitats and is continuing to degrade the ecological balance. The illustrations highlight some of the major problems, “The Railway lines, major ones to begin with. There are others like road networks, highways, the loss of wild spaces because of industrialisation and agriculture, deforestation and urbanisation. All the obstacles that the character Gaju faces in the story are actually the problems that elephants face in India.”
As he continues to draw cartoons, he doesn’t view it as a separate entity. “Being a part of the environment is a part of leading a daily life. These issues cannot be separated and are very necessary for a healthy life, which is the biggest point of my career and life,” he tells us.
The illustrations from the book are being displayed as an exhibition at the Mandi House metro station, which is a part of the larger Gaj Mahotsav which focusses on the theme of protecting the pachyderm.
Vivek Menon, executive director and ceo, Wildlife Trust of India, expressed the urgent need to protect this majestic being, as he says, “While we are privileged to have the largest population of these majestic beings in India, our ignorance for their safety and basic right for safe and secure movement across the elephant corridors is also putting human lives in danger. In order to protect India’s rich biodiversity, it is imperative for each one of us to recognise that elephants need a right of passage.”