Q: Not everyone writes, nor can everyone write. Tell us what inspired you to pick up a pen and start writing, along with a brief introduction of yourself.

A: I am a cartoonist, illustrator, and the creator of Green Humour, a series of cartoons and comics on wildlife, ecology, climate change, environment, and nature conservation. My first encounter with a wild tigress prompted the idea of merging two of my foremost passions, wildlife, and cartoons, laying the path to the creation of this series.

 
Q: As one correctly said, every writer has their own reasons for writing—who they write for and why. How has the feedback from your readership been?

A: The most exhilarating and satisfying feedback for my series has been that it has brought in people from all walks of life into the environmental discourse, which, when I had started out, was largely restricted to people who were science or environment professionals. To have played a small role in bridging this gap feels humbling.

Q: Our readers would be interested in learning more about your work. Could you elaborate on the story behind this book?

A: Sea Ice, Now You Don’t is an anthology of my comics published across various columns in the last few years (The Hindu, Roundglass Sustain, GoComics, and DW Environment). The comics deal with themes of environment and nature conservation, taking the reader from the discovery of an unknown species on one page to COP 28 negotiations in another, and everything in between.

Q: The writing process is unique to each writer. After all, it is dynamic. What is your writing process?

A: The process of creating cartoons for me is quite random. Even though I’d like to have a method to it, the method itself has always escaped me. It is probably because the scope of my canvas is endless- it could be a bird I met on a morning walk that could prompt the next cartoon, a polar bear, or Donald Trump’s executive orders slashing climate funding! Whatever the subject may be, watching birds from the terrace every morning over coffee, and reading lots of cartoons are the only consistent parts of the ‘method’.

Q: Writer’s block is often discussed. Has it ever affected you? If so, when, and how did you deal with it?

A: The creator’s block is something I dreaded early on in my career, then tried to wrestle, and then made peace with eventually. It strikes every once in a while and is a sign that your grey matter needs replenishment. I duly oblige by getting back to the book I am reading, listening to some music, or focusing my energy on giving my best shot to my cooking on the given day. When the block simply refuses to budge, I beg my two pet dogs, Srishti and Saksh,i to ghostwrite the cartoons for me.

Q: “Fiction is the reality of the fiction we live.” What is your take on that statement?

A: In times when fiction itself is stranger than reality, and when governments themselves often write better cartoon premises and gags than cartoonists can, who is to dispute that?

Q: Three decades ago, one could sit and read fiction without much concern for facts. Today, readers are obsessed with accuracy due to their information-driven mindsets, often making it difficult for them to fully enjoy a piece of fiction. In your opinion, how has this overwhelming access to information impacted readers’ literary appreciation?

A: As much as the act of fact-checking and being particular about accuracy, historical or otherwise, is critical, I like to look at reading fiction as going on a romantic dinner date with your book. You’ve got to be a good listener, invest your time, effort, and being into making the evening a special one, and absorb and relish the glee of the moment. Obsessing over the details of the dinner bill can wait!

Q: What are your thoughts on the digitalization of books and its impact on readers, literature, and overall human well-being, which literature ultimately aims to enhance?

A: In an era when gadgets and media are conspiring to shorten the attention spans of readers, turning human beings into cyborgs, or even worse- living, breathing AI models, I see the act of sitting in your favorite spot with your favorite beverage and sinking into your book as an act of silent rebellion. I have been paying no heed to suggestions to digitize my cartoons or make them more interactive by animating them or creating web games out of them, precisely because I would like my readers to sit and read those cartoons in print, even if those kinds of readers are far and few. Sure, call me a grumpy old misfit!

Q: Would you mind giving us a hint about your future work?

A: I have just secured a column for my cartoons with a global environmental news platform, and that will be the primary focus of my work for the next few months. Hopefully, soon, the cartoons will be compiled as an anthology to follow ‘Sea Ice…’ up with.

Q: Any parting words?

A: If reading my work has made you take a closer look at the spider in your kitchen, and then marvel at the patterns on its back, instead of swatting it with your slipper, you may have paid me my best compliment ever, and I’d like to thank you for that in advance.

By Dhanuka Dickwella