In ‘toon with nature

Comics and pictoral stories have always attracted children. So it is not surprising that this art form is often used as a medium to communicate significant issues to this generation. Environment being one of them.

Conventional comics and comic strips have a great entertainment value. But it is difficult to maintain a balance between talking about an environmental issue and also entertaining the readers. But there are a few who have managed to take this challenge of the balance.

Spirit of the Forest

This is a perfect example of how comics can be used to familiarise children with the most complex environmental issues of the time.

It is the story of a group of friends, who accidentally reach a tribal village in rural Madhya Pradesh, on their way to a tiger sanctuary. While it is fun to be in the village, the experience gives them interesting insights into the forest management in India. They are now convinced that protecting the local tribals is actually as crucial as preserving the tigers.

Published by Viveka Foundation based in Delhi, it is an interesting reading material for young children. The Foundation has a series named Vivalife, which deals with subjects like health, war, environment, and gender.

GT spoke to Rukmini Sekhar of Viveka Foundation and found that the other comics produced by the foundation on folklore also express the inherent ethic of environmentalism in the tribals. For example, the comic book on the Santhals tells a story of how misfortune dogs a tribe, if the branch of a tree is destroyed without a reason.

Rustletheleaf.com

It is an online initiative, which uses cartoons and comic strips to create environmental awareness among people aged ‘6 to 106’. The website has interesting resources to engage in such initiatives. Ponce and Wright, the founders have created a character ‘Rustle - the leaf’, which features in their weekly cartoon strips.

They also have monthly lesson plans on environmental issues, which use the medium of cartoons and comics. This can be accessed at: http://www.rustletheleaf.com/lessonplans.html

World Comics India

It is a collective of cartoonists and media persons, who are using the medium of comics and cartoons in developmental communication. Apart from gender and health, environment also features prominently in the list of issues. The collective frequently conducts workshops for children and adults imparting skills on how to use comics for effective communication.

A lot of innovative work was generated using comics and pictoral stories to tell stories on environment. Most are currently out of print but can still be accessed from the respective writers or publishers. A few worthy works are:

The People Tree

Orijit Sen, the founder of People Tree in Delhi, was always interested in comics. He was deeply influenced by the Narmada movement and created an entire series around the issue.

The comic begins with a child interviewing his domestic help, Relku, about her origins in tribal Madhya Pradesh. Relku takes the child through the journey of a tribal who was forced out of the forests to earn a living in the city. Although out of print, it is an interesting read. Readers may visit or write to the following address to get a copy:

People Tree,

8, Regal Building, Parliament Street, Connought Place New Delhi. Tel: 23340699

The Chilka lake adventure

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has produced some children’s storybooks on environment. One of this is the ‘Chilka lake adventure’.

The book narrates the adventure of twelve-year-old twins, Ishita and Sujai, at the Chilika lake in Orissa. It describes the experiences of the twins while interacting with the local fisher folk.

The book dwells on the degradation of the lake due to silt and sewage and how the twins get influenced by the turn of events to participate in the protest march to save the lake.

There are others in the series like Naina’s village, Chipko and the Raindrop.

More to explore

There is still more to explore in the field of comics and creative art as far as environment is concerned. Sharad Sharma from World Comics India told GT that a lot of children and youth across the country have formed comic clubs on local issues. It’s high time someone launches a comic club on environment. Any takers?

An extract from Orijit Sen's comic

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