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Unravelling India through the cartoon strip

"SHOESHINE": An illustration by Christian Cailleaux

He came over to India to "hone his creativity". However, French illustrator and comic strip artist Christian Cailleaux ended up unravelling the country in his own way and producing some memorable works. Revealing that he knew that India would entice him so much that he could produce a new book, Christian says: "In fact, I knew nothing about India; all I had were some half-baked ideas. But an illustrator travels light and I knew the slow train that was going to take me from Chandigarh in the North to Thiruvananthapuram in the Southern tip and then up to Kolkata in the East would not let me sleep without having filled a couple of pages."

Stating that comics have a "special" quality in them, Christian says they manage to convey a sense of shared laughter and coming together. "Comics also know how to keep quiet and let pictures speak through colours, new landscapes, human expression and silent emotion," he adds.

Desiring to move beyond the initial contact, he was keen on having a rendezvous with Indian artists, illustrators and authors. So, he organised workshops. "I had a wonderful opportunity to share technical and professional experiences at these workshops. Beyond this, I am convinced that a simple, almost universal medium such as the cartoon strip can be a formidable tool for communication."

The result is 20 pages of script, some 10-odd paintings, a project for an illustrated book to be co-published in India and, lastly, the birth of an exhibition titled "The Flying Saree and other Adventures" that opened at Alliance Francaise de Delhi here on Monday. The exhibition is open till December 5. "From one end to another, India never ceases to surprise me. She was in every way far from being what I had expected and this is just what I wanted. What is most impressive is this great urge to look to the future which I found in all the big cities I visited and the determination of a magnificent youth. I hope they will be able to appreciate the story of the tribulations of a humble French comic strip illustrator in their country and laugh," he says. -- Madhur Tankha

-- Madhur Tankha

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