Awesome tales of animals in action

If animals and their adventures interest you and you are a graphic novel enthusiast, then ‘Animal Palette’ is the book for you. Joshi’s book has animals aplenty — each true to character.

There are the brave, the bold and the beautiful, in their natural habitat. The animals are melancholic, menacing, meek and mighty. And they successfully transport you to a totally wondrous world.

Joshi weaves tantalising tales which, as he puts it, “explore, engage and entertain”. The illustrations by graphic artist Tejas Suresh Modak are fabulous. They provide visual drama corresponding to the mood and drift of the stories.

Each of the four stories in the book has a message. I wouldn’t want to call it a ‘moral’ because there is no urge to ‘lecture’ the reader. The narrative technique is reminiscent of the Jataka Tales and the Panchatantra.

The story ‘Just One Flaw’ is about an avaricious, arrogant and ambitious wolf called Landga. He wants to be the leader of his pack. His over-arching ambition kills his better judgment. He wantonly kills those who refuse to let him terrorise them and he pays a steep price for his folly.

‘The Harbinger’ is the sweet but sad story of Bedook the frog and Masoli the fish. Blinded by love and vanity, Bedook wills the destruction of his clan. Masoli swims to freedom while Bedook ends up lonely and heartbroken.

‘The Chase’ centres around a ravenous and raspy crow who believes he is a cut above the rest till he meets Ghubad — the owl. It is the story of the struggle between survival and sure death — a war between prey and predator.

‘Animal Palette’ ends on a jolly note with ‘The Big Bully’, the story of a fearsome and ferocious bull called Bail. Saying anything more about the story would be giving away all the fun, so go get your copy of the book.
 
Animal Palette
68 pp, Rs 195, Aakruti Books
Subrahmanyan Viswanath