Be it the prying eyes of neighbours or bossy school teachers, the creator of popular web comic series Brown Paperbag captures perfectly what it means to be a teenager in an Indian family.
Twenty-one-year-old Sailesh Gopalan has earned himself a sizeable fan following among his family and friends in just over a year through his creation teenager Kabir. Sailesh's stall at the sixth edition of Bengaluru Comic Con was buzzing with young fans seeking posters and autographs.
Brown Paperbag is about the humour in everyday encounters - aunties in sarees judging a youngster in a crop top, policemen looking for couples to reprimand them and school teachers who give too much homework. Sailesh says that it is this relatability that has helped his comics stand apart from others in the space.
Growing up in an Indian family, Sailesh says, gives him a number of humorous situations to choose from. Though he gets suggestions for comics from his fans, Sailesh likes to keep it a solo project and work on his own ideas. From start to finish, it takes him about three hours to finish one comic strip, he said.
The final-year animation student at Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology plans to bring his characters to life, too. "I want to eventually start making animated videos based on the comic series. But I am in no hurry to get there because I don't have a lot of time right now, what with college projects," Sailesh said.
Jatin Varma, founder of Comic Con India, said that the platform intends to feature more up and coming comic writers from India and give them a chance to showcase their work. "In India, the audience is very niche. Here the artists get to test their work. We look for comic writers who are consistent in their work," he said.
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