ANUSHREE PODDAR | FOUNDER, SAMAJDHAR SINTU AND SINTUICS
Put a brick into the water tank to prevent excess water from being flushed out. That’s what sevenyear-old Samajdhar Sintu tells you through this comic series created by Ahmedabad- based graphic designer Anushree Poddar, 24. The character and series, Sinutics, won a mention in the Limca Book of Records in 2012 for being the country’s first comic to create awareness about environmental issues. Poddar launched the comic series in 2010 along with school friend and environment engineer Saurabh Pacheriwala, 23. “The series brought together the expertise of both our professions,” she says. In 2011 Poddar launched flea market fairs at Mallika Sarabhai’s Natrani Café to showcase arts and crafts by local artistisans. “There’s so much craft in Gujarat but there was no platform to showcase them,” she says. With Sinutics, she created “India’s first 3D foldable comic” in February 2013, a single large paper filled with quizzes, puzzles and organic recipes that folds into a 20-page booklet. “The tips given in the comic can be adapted to suit any Indian family. It’s easy to understand through the eyes of a seven-year-old child,” says Poddar. After circulating it in various cities of Gujarat for a few months, the duo is now in talks with government agencies to take the comic series to schools in the state and across the country to teach environmental awareness in a fun and simple manner.