This book came in my life at a time when I was terribly homesick (Calcutta being my hometown) and was locked away inside a room in another city due to the pandemic. I longed for the comforts and corners of the city with its endless cups of tea and banter. Some of those memories, of days gone by in a city where I spent the entirety of my student life have found space in this delightful picture book. Produced by Talking Cub, an imprint of Speaking Tiger, this is an ageless poem written by Rabindranath Tagore, translated from Bangla to English into delightful verse by Sudeshna Shome Ghosh and art directed by the wonderful Maithili Doshi.
I always like making super rough squiggles of what is going on inside my head and put it down on paper.
Storyboard to final illustrations
While detailing out each spread, I took inspiration from my daily commute through the city and the dreams I have had after having moved out of the city. On a particular dream episode, I had seen myself zip-lining across Dhakuria Bridge and I have ever since looked for such an opportunity. Wish fulfillment happened when I drew in the zip line into one of the spreads!
