Cartoonist for conservation

Rohan Chakravarty, cartoonist, illustrator, author and the creator of the Green Humour series, on his journey to becoming an advocate for wildlife conservation.

While jobs in engineering, medicine, law etc have been popular with Indian students, challenges such as climate change demand a new skillset. With a growing green economy projected to add 3.7 million jobs by 2025, students should not only be exposed to green career options but also understand how popular choices such as artists, content creators, lawyers, photographers, architects, entrepreneurs, and so on can be green. Beginning a new fortnightly series by that highlights niche and unconventional green careers through the stories of wellknown personalities from the field of environment and conservation.

don’t consider myself a wildlife conservationist. I am merely a cartoonist and illustrator who draws about wildlife and conservation. I have always loved both wildlife and cartooning but, in my initial years, I drew everything from politicians to celebrities, never really getting anywhere. Only after I started drawing about wildlife did my cartooning find its identity. Naturally, every day when I set out to draw, I feel like I owe my muse a debt!

My career has been a like a meandering tree snake. After graduating as a dentist and realising it is not for me, I worked as an animation designer for a film studio, while developing my comic series on the side. When my series got picked up by publishers, I quit my job and plunged

IWWF-India

teacher employed in a government school in Tamil Nadu was recently suspended by the School Education Department (SED) for allegedly posting content on social media criticising the department and its policies. An education activist, the teacher has been writing about the rights of teachers and students in both social and mainstream media. The SED alleges that she sought to incite other teachers by sharing content critical of the state administration. However, critics argue that her social media posts and articles were intended to enhance the quality of education.

In our democratic country, every citizen has the right to critique government policies and advocate for necessary reforms, as guaranteed by the Constitution of India. Unfortunately, governments and private educational institutions often attempt to silence critics, even when their criticism is highly constructive. Whenever governments and institutions try to suppress responsible and reformist voices, some rightthinking people take sides with victims by expressing their

Ainto cartooning fulltime.

The turning point that drove me into the field of conservation was my first wild tiger sighting at Nagzira, a tiger reserve in my home state of Maharashtra. This inspired my wildlife cartoon and illustration series, ‘Green Humour’. Now half of my day goes in ideating on paper, and the rest in executing the idea. As with any other creative profession, a lot of coffee is also involved.

What excites me most about my work is the fact that Nature is an inexhaustible canvas, and that there is a new subject and a creative challenge every day. It’s all about the thrill of making my own little explorations. I could be drawing the Tickell’s blue flycatcher in my yard today and an Arctic ground squirrel I have never yet had the pleasure of meeting tomorrow!

During a field visit for one of my recent projects, a habitat illustration of the Great African Seaforest, I got the opportunity to snorkel in South Africa’s False Bay with the team behind the Oscarwinning documentary film ‘My Octopus Teacher’. I had two justices inflicted upon their colleagues or any segment of society?

Not outspoken

It is exceedingly rare for teachers and academics in India to criticise government policies or raise their voices against injustices affecting common people. Seldom do we encounter academics sharing their views on or writing about issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) or farmers’ protests. Many academics believe that their mission is only to teach the subjects they specialise in and refrain from discussing national issues.

Recently, I met an academic who was highly critical of certain issues such base in classical music, semiclassical Indian music has subgenres that include Thumri, Dadra and also folk music forms like Chaiti, Kajri, Saawan and Jhoola.

Light music:

This inlifechanging experiences during this adventure: one was when I put a snorkel on and jumped into water that froze every strand of hair on my body into icicles; the other was when I held in my hands a Mermaid’s Purse: a shark’s egg case!

Apart from these exciting projects, I derive inspias One Nation – One Election and the National Education Policy. As he was quite knowledgeable and his views on the issues were remarkable, I asked why he didn’t write about these issues. He responded, “Do you want me to lose my job? Do you know what will happen to me if I comment critically on such matters?” Disturbing questions, indeed! Does our democracy not allow us to be truly democratic? Our leaders and policymakers extol the virtues of ‘critical thinking’ and emphasise the importance of promoting critical thinking among students. Unfortunately, teachers are not afforded the opportunity to apply critical thinking in reallife situations. cludes folk music, bhajans, ghazals and film music.

Western classical, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Pop and more recent forms resonate with Indian listeners and musicians.

Western music:

ration from innumerable artists, storytellers, and conservationists. As an artist, I have been heavily influenced by the work of Genndy Tartakovsky, Gary Larson, Bill Patterson, and Nina Paley. A lot of my work relies on science journalism, and I must name young Indian science journalists who

If teachers are not allowed to express their critical views on matters that matter to the nation, how can they teach critical thinking? In our modern society that faces numerous complex challenges, teachers are expected to be knowledgeable citizens and express their views fearlessly. They should play a key role in the intellectual development of students, creating opportunities for students to reflect on various issues, raise questions, look at things critically, construct knowledge, and disseminate it.

Although all teachers are expected to be proficient critical thinkers and express their views on issues that impact the na

Diverse options

Pursuing music as a profession, especially as a vocalist, involves hard work, as perfecting of the craft requires years of training and practice. Even after this, singers need patience have inspired so much of my work: Aathira Perinchery, Vaishnavi Rathore, and Supriya Vohra. Dr. Nandini Velho, a prolific conservation biologist, has been a guiding light throughout my career. As an illustrator, I derive inspiration from the work of Charley Harper, Brendan Wenzel, Priya Kuriyan, Rajiv Eipe, and Kripa Raghavan.

But no matter how widely you are published as a cartoonist, one faces a blank page when you start work every morning! The creative block is a daily challenge and singing, cooking, long walks with my pets, and birdwatching always come to my rescue. What also helps me to keep going is saying no to uninspiring works, trusting my instincts, and drawing a lot of circles!

When I think of evolving in my career, the most important thing I plan to do is to slow down and prioritise the kind of projects and endeavours with respect to the storytelling that I believe in but I have been neglecting investing time and effort due to my freelance commitments. In the near future, I hope to tell more stories that explore the intricate links between human communities and wildlife.

To all readers, I would just like to say: making an environmental contribution is possible no matter which line of work you’re in, EVEN if you are an official in the MoEFCC!

tion, many lack the ability to analyse things critically. Teachers who are accustomed to blindly following orders from authorities often lack the capacity for creative and critical thinking. Consequently, they may not take the necessary steps to foster critical thinking in their students.

Teachers who possess the gift of critical thinking and have analytical skills have the potential to provide constructive criticism. Only such teachers can instil critical thinking in students and catalyse change in the system. Governments and institutions should recognize such teachers as valuable resources and utilise their intellectual contributions to reform the system.

In How We Think, written in 1909, John Dewey highlights the importance of ‘thought training’ and shares his views on the role of educators in training students to think well. He advocates for curiosity, openmindedness, and professional responsibility. Educators who possess these qualities can be effective thought trainers, equipped with analytical minds, innovative ideas, and intellectual courage to engage with society democratically. The question remains: will authorities encourage such teachers to spread their wings and fly freely?

Views personal and perseverance to make a mark.

Performing artist:

As a performing artist, one can either join a band or be an individual performer. Once they establish their names, performing artists get lucrative opportunities at numerous domestic and international tours and music festivals.

Vocalists can train aspirants as tutors and trainers. This can be done privately or as faculty in an institution that offers music as a subject. Today, one can also conduct classes online.

Tutor:

expressed

Music critic:

are

This is an emerging career option and allows those with technical knowledge of music to write or speak about it.

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