What it takes to be included in an anthology of graphic non-fiction from India

Last week, A.P. Payal, a young lecturer at the University of Delhi, became a published author. Her work of graphic non-fiction has been included in an anthology, First Hand, which was launched at a function in the capital on May 26.

On behalf of the many aspiring authors out there, among whom are my students, I conducted an e-mail interview with Payal (disclosure: she is my niece) to better understand what it means to work as a comics artist. Here is the text of the Q&A:

1. How did you get this project?
I follow Yoda Press/Yodakin on Facebook. They shared a call-for-proposals asking artists/writers to submit ideas for a short piece of graphic non-fiction. I was very excited by the fact that they were encouraging first-time comics artists to contribute. I jumped at the idea and got my proposal ready.

PAYAL WITH A COPY OF FIRST HAND

2. Did you meet the other authors before you began work on your story to get an understanding of the overall theme of the anthology?
Yes. Vidyun Sabhaney Shohei Emura at Captain Bijli (the co-facilitators of this project with Yoda Press and People Tree) organised short workshops for contributors to meet up and interact with each other. They also organised talks with published authors and comics creators so that we could learn from them. While not everybody was present at these events, the interaction with other contributors as well as established artists helped me a lot. It helped me think of pictorial storytelling in different ways.

THE TITLE PAGE OF PAYAL'S WORK

3. How did you get the idea for your piece? And how did you go about researching this story?
As a five-year-old I would listen with rapt attention to my paternal grandfather talking about the family's great escape from Burma (now Myanmar) during World War II. As he described the dense forests on the mountains of Burma, I would try to visualise their journey in my mind. This project gave me the opportunity to finally put those images to paper.

Unfortunately, my grandfather died years before I could take down his narrative formally.

My aunt (his niece), Sreedhari Soman, was eight years old when the family fled Burma and this graphic narrative is based on  her recollection of these events. By combining my aunt's memories with my research, I attempted to recreate what they may have experienced.

My research consisted of reading scholarly articles and books that I accessed via the university. I read some first-hand accounts of similar migration stories in books, on blogs, and on websites. I also searched through books at IGNCA (Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts) to collect reference images/maps of Burma from 1941-42. Specialised naval archives online and websites with photos of military gear from the time were also very useful.

4. Why did you go the graphic route (instead of telling a text-only story)?
I have grown up reading comics. Despite being a student of literature, I find myself naturally drawn to images. As a research scholar, I have spent a lot of time reading and researching visual art. This was a story that I really wanted to tell and I suppose I wanted to challenge myself by using images to tell it. As a medium, comics helped me to position this tale of survival within a historical context.

A DOUBLE-SPREAD FROM PAYAL'S COMIC

5. How long did it take for you complete your story (from beginning to end)? Which software program did you use? Or were the illustrations and the lettering done by hand?
After multiple phone conversations with my aunt, it took me a little more than a month to put together the story and the sequencing of the panels. I also collated the academic research during this period. Collecting reference images was a continual process and went on over many months. It took me about two or three months to ink the illustrations on paper. I scanned the illustrations and used Adobe Photoshop to edit them. After the images were placed sequentially in Adobe InDesign, I placed text boxes and keying in the text. The PDF and the InDesign files were sent to the designer Pia Alize Hazarika. She chose a more appropriate font for my submission and put everyone's entries together.

6. What were the problems that arose during this project and how did you overcome them?
Initially, I was to work with an artist. That didn't materialise, luckily, because I was very keen on doing the comic myself. As I am not a full-time artist and lack a certain artistic finesse, I was quite worried that I might not be able to convince the publishers about my visual style. However, they supported me and encouraged me to take my time and slowly raise my own level of illustration.

I initially insisted on working with charcoal pencils but they suggested that I shift to ink. That really helped me to give detail to the piece, which made the visuals take on a life of their own.

I suppose the fear of rejection and pushing myself to be better were the real challenges that I had to overcome. Making comics is a long process and there are no short cuts. If you make a mistake while inking, you might have to go back and start from scratch. I learnt not to compromise and that was the best part.

7. What kind of feedback have you got so far?
I have mainly heard from friends and family till now. They have all been very appreciative. The best feedback that I received has been from Orijit Sen. I am a huge fan of his work and at the book launch he appreciated my academic rigour, the attention to detail in the piece. It was surreal to hear that coming from him. I look forward to hearing more from people about the comic.

8. Now that you're a published graphic author, do you have plans for more books?
I definitely want to take this forward. I am currently working on a collaborative project with a friend. I do hope that one day a publisher will have enough faith in my story-telling (and showing) abilities to trust me with an entire book.

• Watch Payal answer questions at the launch of First Hand:

• Hindustan Times calls the anthology "One-of-a-kind". Read the article here.

• You can buy First Hand on Flipkart (the publisher, Yoda Press, is going in for a second print run) here.

• Yoda Press is raising funds "in order to compensate the contributors (artists and writers) of the comic for their hard work". If you would like to help, you can do so by clicking on this link.

• Last month, Payal was featured in The Indian Express for her unique method of teaching Shakespeare to college students by using tarot cards. You can read the piece here. 

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UPDATE (August 29, 2016): Here's a photograph showing the protagonist of "Rangoon to Vadakara", Sreedhari Soman, holding a copy of First Hand:

Sreedhari Chechi (Elder Sister) was eight years old when she trekked from Burma to India with her family. She now lives in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Babu English, anyone?

Look what I found in my e-mail archives recently:

------- Forwarded message ----------
From:                                                        @gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Mar 24             at 1:11 PM
Subject:
To: admissions@commits.edu.in

Respected Sir,

I have the honour to invite your kind attention to the submission of mine for favour of your kind perusal and necessary action. This is no doubt quite un-called-for and I am fully concious that I am intruding upon your much valuable time and patience too, requesting you to go through the following ,but my only excuse is that neccessity knows no law::

That Sir, I have applied for admission in your August institution for Masters in Marketing and Management communication which is a two years course.

That Sir, the date of entrance examination has been fixed on          &             as I have informed.

That Sir, on                     I got an appointment with my attending physician and I have to undergo some specific test which may take at least ten days time.

That Sir, in view of the above, as I am very much interested to be a student of Commits,Banglore and consider it as my honour, I appeal to your kind honour to allow me a different date either prior to                 or after                  which can only meet my dream.

I hope my August Authority will favour me with the appeal.

Faithfully Yours,

                                     ,

                                                            college,

Tel:                                                 

• Now read this post: "The book you must read to rid your English of Indlish. In other words, read this book to learn to write plain English."

• And this one: Are you guilty of using these Indianisms?j

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POST-SCRIPT:

WHOSE FAULT IS IT? Why do so many people, especially youngsters, write in this fashion? Is it their fault entirely? No, the real culprit is our education system. Read my post on the subject here.

The joy of being greeted by your student on World Book Day!

I was delighted to receive this e-mail from Sharanya Shivakumar (Class of 2017) this morning:

Almost immediately I sent her my reply:

Happy World Book Day to you too, Sharanya. I can't tell you how happy I am to receive this e-mail from you. :-)

Of course, I have read Kane and Abel. It was first published in 1979, so I think I must have picked it up in my final year of college. I'm sure I liked it, because I was a huge Archer fan at the time, but I have read a few thousand books since, so I am not sure now exactly what I felt when I put it down for the last time.

You finished it in three days? Wow! I am impressed.

My favourite book? Rabid book-lovers can never have a favourite book. I can, if I put my mind to it, name a few hundred which I absolutely enjoyed reading. :-)

Right now I'm re-reading Wolf Hall. I first read it a few years ago (and even purchased a copy for the college library) and I thought it was a magnificent portrayal of Thomas Cromwell, the man who worked behind the scenes for Henry VIII (he of the six-wives fame!). I love books dealing with history — fiction as well as non-fiction — and I am re-reading this one because my wife and I have been watching The Tudors on Netflix.

Wolf Hall has been made into a TV mini-series. Sushant has downloaded it for me and I'm looking forward to watching the book come alive on the small screen.

At the moment, I am on Page 463 — only about 200 pages to go. After I am done, I'm going to re-read the sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. (Both books are so, so good, author Hilary Mantel was honoured with the Booker Prize. She is the first woman and the first living British author to win the prestigious literary prize twice.) And now I'm waiting for the last book in the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light. I am hoping it will be published this year.

Oh-oh. When I get started on reading and books, I don't seem to stop, right? :-) *Stops typing now*

I am bcc'ing this to your classmates for their edification. :-)

Cheers,

RP

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ALSO READ: Good readers make good media professionals

Every writer needs an editor. Or, why subs are worth their weight in gold

I am a huge, huge fan of Poynter. In my opinion, it is the No. 1 journalism site. Which is why there are numerous pieces on The Reading Room that refer to articles that were first published on Poynter.org.

The most recent Poynter post is a brilliant example of writing that not only promotes good journalism but also offers a new way to think about some of the processes involved in putting together a good story. The post, by Alison MacAdam, is titled "Journalism has an editing crisis, but we can do something about it".

Unfortunately, the column is also a good example of the time-honoured dictum: Every writer (including Alison MacAdam) needs an editor.

Here are the comments I posted after I read the column this morning:

Ramesh Prabhu • 4 hours ago In India, too, there is an immense lack of strong editors. Which is why I tell my students (I teach journalism at a media college in Bangalore) good subs, or copy editors, are worth their weight in gold. Having said that, may I point out an editing error in this piece? "We now create far more content that any reasonable human being could ever read..." should have been edited to read "We now create far more content than any reasonable human being could ever read..."

Ramesh Prabhu • 4 hours ago Also, "...we’re 'creating content' for 25-34 year-old women or Latino millennials" should have been edited to read "...we’re 'creating content' for 25- to 34-year-old women or Latino millennials." Suspensive hyphenation, anyone?

I'm not the only one who has spotted errors in the article:

MM Greene  Hugh Vandivier • 8 hours ago Don't forget the three misplaced cases of "only." Look, editors exist!

N.B: Don't let the editing issues detract from the sound argument Alison MacAdam is making on behalf of editors. You can read the post in its entirety here.

Also read:

Suspensive hyphenation

Why subs, or copy editors, are the lifeblood of a news organisation

And this is what happens when subs fall asleep on the job

Point your mouse to Poynter... and to Roy Peter Clark

We can't ignore typos in a blog post by a sub-editor, can we?

When Commitscion Prema Sridevi's Times Now story became the talk of Parliament

Prema Sridevi (Class of 2005) interviews the former Home Secretary...

...and the next day the story is brought up in Parliament.

THE EXCLUSIVES/Prema Sridevi (Class of 2005)

I was able to get the first interview of former IB (Intelligence Bureau) Special Director Rajendra Kumar, who spilled the beans on the Ishrat Jahan controversy. And then I was again able to get the first interview of former Home Secretary GK Pillai in which he told me that the LeT reference was deleted by someone above his level.

The national media followed this story and it was also brought up in Parliament.

On March 1, we once again aired another "First Big Interview" (see below) of the man who signed off on those affidavits. Both the Congress and the BJP held press conferences in New Delhi after this interview.

I am hopeful that after all these revelations there will be a fresh probe into this entire case.

You can watch this exclusive interview by Prema here.

ALSO READ:

• What it means to be a TV news producer-1

• What it takes to be a TV news reporter-1

• What it takes to be a TV news reporter-2

• What it means to be a sub at a TV news channel

• What it takes to be a TV news anchor

• Want to know how to have a successful internship at a TV news channel? Read this post.

We can't ignore typos in a blog post by a sub-editor, can we?

A few days ago I came across a terrific blog post titled "A day in the life of a sub-editor". Everything written in the piece spoke to me because I've been a deskman all my life. But... there were two horrible typos that ruined the article for me. So I wrote to the commissioning editor of The Walkley Foundation, the Australian organisation that publishes the blog:

Hello Clare,

This is Ramesh Prabhu, professor of journalism at a media college in Bangalore, India.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this "excerpt" from Charles Purcell's diary.

​I was a deskman for many years with newspapers in India and Dubai, so I get where he's coming from.

May I point out a couple of typos, though?

In the first paragraph​, there's this line: "...educate them into the correct use of 'myriad'."

Shouldn't that be "...educate them on the correct use of 'myriad'"?

Of course, I understand "...educate them into..." may be a colloquialism in your part of the world. But in the second paragraph there is surely a typo:

"Passenger accuses me of vandalism, until I point at that I am, in fact, a sub-editor..."

That should be "Passenger accuses me of vandalism, until I point out that I am, in fact, a sub-editor..."

Regards,

Ramesh

***
Not too long afterwards, I received this e-mail from Clare:

Hi Ramesh,

Thank you for your email, it’s wonderful to know we have a reader in Bangalore. Glad you enjoyed the piece, and thank you for pointing out the typos – I knew it was only a matter of time before someone spotted something!

We’ve corrected those now.

Thanks again,

Clare Fletcher

Program Manager
The Walkley Foundation for Journalism
Commissioning Editor
The Walkley Magazine
T: +612 9333 0925 | M: +61432 616 810 | E: clare.fletcher@walkleys.com  |  www.walkleys.com

***
Now I can happily recommend "A day in the life of a sub-editor" to everyone. Read it here.

RE CORRECTING TYPOS, ALSO READ:

• An e-mail interaction with author Dinty Moore — Why American writer Dinty Moore is all praise for Indian speakers and writers of English

• An e-mail interaction with The New York Times — In 8 minutes, a response from The New York Times to my e-mail pointing out a typo in a headline

• An e-mail interaction with author Mardy Grothe —  It all depends on the telling, sure. But surely who does the telling matters?

Two top-notch TV news bulletins...

...produced by the AVC (Audiovisual Communication) Batch of 2017 were screened at Commits on Friday, March 4.

One of the guests commented after the screening: "I did not expect this quality." But then this is the AVC Batch of 2017, for the first time in Commits history, an all-female AVC batch. They worked so hard to make this day happen — we are all very, very proud of them.

Watch the news bulletins here:

Commits TV-1: Produced by Sreya Chatterjee, Sudeshna Dutta, Sriparna Ghosh, Ria Nag, Ritika B.S., Sahana S., and Moumita Basu

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Commits TV-2: Produced by Shristi Thapliyal, Shreesha Ghosh, Sneha Rudra, Sudeshna Bardhan, Meghana Khare, Soumya Matham, and Dona Dey

***

Also, MMC (Marketing and Management Communication) students Rima Tandon, Ankita Sarkar, and Abhishek Biswas, who had worked on a documentary together with Debashree Sengupta in January, were very keen to produce a TV news story too. So, over a few days last week, they put together this report on a play being staged in Bengaluru as part of the Deccan Herald Theatre Festival. This is an excellent effort. Congratulations to Rima, Ankita, and Abhishek! Watch their news clip here:

• For details, read The Commits Chronicle, No. 151.

Once a journalist, always a journalist

Commits alumnus Ayushman Baruah (Class of 2008) on why, after a brief stint as a corporate communications professional, he has returned to his first love, journalism:

AYUSHMAN BARUAH

Journalism is unlike any other profession. The great Gabriel Garcia Marquez has gone on record as saying a journalist has the best job in the world. I am in complete agreement. It’s a rare profession in which a salary is immaterial. If I were making enough money through other sources, I would be willing to work as a journalist for free. I can’t think of any other profession that one would be willing to do for free. (Sure, there are exceptions to every rule!)

There is a reason why journalism can be, and most often is, a great profession. And I am talking about good journalism here — that’s the assumption I am making throughout this article. Journalism gives us an outlet to voice our opinions and share it with the larger public. As human beings, we all have an inherent desire to express our feelings and be heard and here is a profession that allows us to do so in a professional way with the added elements of style and context. What more can we ask for?

Journalism also keeps you away — mostly — from the corporate rigmarole of preparing and maintaining unnecessary Excel sheets and PowerPoint slides, and attending routine team meetings, which often don’t serve any good purpose. To me, Excel files and PPTs are good-to-have tools in an MBA class. Beyond that, a waste of time and effort. Journalism, on the contrary, is more real and grounded. You write articles based on first-hand interviews with the people you meet and these pieces have interesting stories to tell, stories that often have an impact on the people, the company, or the issue concerned.

AYUSHMAN BARUAH'S NEW HOME

During my recent short stint as a corporate communications professional with a software company in Bengaluru, I spent most of my time coordinating and following up with regard to routine tasks such as pending payments and approvals for a press release. To make things worse, I had hardly any control over what I wrote or said, which is the norm for a communications employee in the corporate world: Everything has to be first approved by the company and everyone has to follow a process. Nothing wrong with that, one might argue and I might agree, but if you are a journalist at heart, it will prick you; somewhere it pains.

Not surprisingly, I got out of that role to become a journalist once again. Yes, once a journalist always a journalist. I am hoping I will now write more than coordinate, and use more MS Word instead of MS Excel.

• On March 1, Ayushman Baruah joined Business World as Associate Editor. Before becoming a corporate communications professional with a software firm in Bengaluru, Ayushman was Senior Correspondent — Equities with Cogencis Information Services (formerly NewsWire18). He has also worked in senior editorial roles with InformationWeek and The Financial Express. 

ON OCTOBER 4, 2013, AYUSHMAN, WHO WAS THEN THE PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENT OF INFORMATIONWEEK, RECEIVED THE POLESTAR AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM, ARGUABLY THE HIGHEST AWARD AS FAR AS BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY JOURNALISM IS CONCERNED. HE RECEIVED THE AWARD FROM TATA SONS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR R. GOPALAKRISHNAN AND POLARIS CHAIRMAN AND CEO ARUN JAIN AT A CEREMONY AT THE ITC SHERATON PARK HOTEL IN CHENNAI.

• READ Ayushman Baruah's insightful piece on what it takes to be an IT journalist here.

Why you should listen to this spellbinding podcast interview with the mother of one of the Columbine shooters

On April 20, 1999, when Sue Klebold heard about a shooting incident at Columbine High School, her thoughts immediately turned to her 17-year-old son, Dylan, who was a senior there.

"In the very beginning, I didn't know what to think," Sue tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross [in this podcast interview]. "I was aware that there was a shooting incident occurring at the school. I didn't know if Dylan was in danger, if someone was trying to shoot him, if he was doing something."

Gradually the truth emerged: Dylan and his friend, 18-year-old Eric Harris, had gone on a shooting rampage at the school, murdering 13 people and injuring 24 others before killing themselves.

If you're a media student and if you aspire to become a journalist, here are six reasons why you should listen to this interview:

1. To understand how to ask questions
2. To understand how to listen to the responses and ask follow-up questions
3. To understand — in this case — what questions to ask a woman whose son and a friend shot dead 12 students and a teacher and then killed themselves
4. To understand the importance of diction and intonation
5. To understand what it means to be a popular radio host
6. To understand what works on radio — if you're a media student it is quite likely that the production of a radio feature is part of your course curriculum (as it is at Commits)

So go on over to the NPR website and pay careful attention to how Fresh Air's Terry Gross conducts this interview (recorded earlier this month to coincide with the launch of a book written by Sue Klebold): "Columbine Shooter's Mother: I Carry Him 'Everywhere I Go, Always'".

TERRY GROSS

You can also read a transcript of the interview here. If you have learnt how to "write to pictures" (TV news scripting), reading this transcript will give you a good insight into how "radio copy" works.

Speaking of radio copy, you should also read the transcript of a wonderfully descriptive podcast review on Fresh Air of singer-songwriter Sia's latest studio album, "This Is Acting", by rock critic Ken Tucker. Study the structure: Intro by host David Bianculli... SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "UNSTOPPABLE"... Beginning of review by Tucker... SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BIRD SET FREE"... Tucker again... and so on till the end.

You can read the transcript as well as listen to the review here: "Sia Reclaims Songs She Wrote For Others On 'This Is Acting'"

• ALSO READ: You can learn so much from listening to these fascinating podcasts

Golden words of advice for journalism students

Earlier this month Commits student Sudeshna Dutta (Class of 2017) began publishing her blog, Journalism 101. Her first post is titled "Why I want to be a journalist".

Already the post has attracted comments. The feedback (see below) offered by three veteran journalists is especially worth noting for the frank evaluation of Sudeshna's aspirations and for the advice that is sure to be valuable for every young person out there who is keen to be a journalist:

1. FROM PATRICK MICHAEL
Former executive editor of Khaleej Times, Dubai

Dear Sudeshna,

(A few thoughts from a vet, all my very own.)

Enthusiasm. Check. Passion for reading. Check. Writing skill: Check, but could do with a bit more sharpening that will come with experience. (My editors would often tear up my first submission and ask me to write it again, and again, till I got it perfect!)

Welcome to the world of journalism.

The thirst for news has never been greater, the news-gathering tougher, and the competition stiffer. So get ready for a rocky ride, but I promise you it will be one you will enjoy. And cherish.

Sudeshna, you’ve learned the ropes and honed the basic skills of news-gathering and dissemination. It’s time now to put what you’ve been taught to practice and I’m quite sure you can do it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

When I started out way back in the early seventies, it was said journalists were jacks of all trades, masters of none. Few had the privilege to specialise in a particular beat. Today, the approach to knowledge-based journalism (which is quite different from basic beat reporting) is more demanding. You need to specialise. At least that’s what I think. If it’s investigative reporting, then you need to be the best investigative reporter and work towards it. Be confident, work hard, and you will hit mother lode.

A WORD OF ADVICE: Read, read, and then read some more. I cannot emphasise this enough. Look at issues with many eyes, always do your homework before you go out on those deadline-driven assignments, AND don’t ever be afraid to ask questions or question someone.

I wish you the very best as you take the plunge. Feel the pain, bask in the glory. Enjoy the craft…. And the ride.

2. FROM SHAGORIKA EASWAR
Editor, Desi News and CanadaBound Immigrant, Toronto

Full disclosure: I love hearing about/from young people who want to become journalists, and so I am already sold on your dream. For I have always believed that journalism is a vocation, much like medicine. While anyone can get the marks (if they try hard enough) to make it to med school, a mere degree does not a doctor make. It takes passion and the drive to go above and beyond. The same qualities that distinguish a true journalist from a hack.

Your passion has led you to the right place to learn the craft. Honing it is something only you can do. From the books on varied subjects that you have listed, I can see that you have followed the advice of your journalism professor. It is truly the best advice. Read everything you can lay your hands on. Even the bad ones teach you something – how not to write!

I do have to add a cautionary note, though. Journalism is not all glamour and adventure. There’s a lot of grunt work involved, too. A lot of plodding through material to research the background, to get the details right, to uncover the unexpected angle. A lot of rewrites to finesse your work. Well before you get the 3 am call, you’ll be up nights, fighting to meet deadlines.

That said, I can also assure you that you’ll have so much fun doing it, you’ll never “work” a day. You’ll meet the most amazing people from all walks of life and have the privilege of telling their stories. Every day will bring a new story idea, the opportunity to make a difference.

I wish you all success. I am sure you will make your mark and your journalism professor proud.

3. FROM KOKILA JACOB
Former reporter and columnist, Khaleej Times, Dubai, and Gulf Daily News, Bahrain

Dear Sudeshna:

Congratulations.

As a journalist who has never regretted becoming one and enjoyed every single moment of being one, I can assure you that you have made a remarkable career choice.

My love affair with journalism started when I was in Standard VIII when we had to write an essay on our career choice. My mother advised me to consider journalism noting "you like to read, have a flair for writing and you are always curious about everything". That was an astute observation.

Curiosity is what underpins great news stories, if you have that you will never be short of story ideas.
Just writing well is not enough, you have to develop a "nose for news".

Fact checking is also extremely important. Remember what you are told in journalism class – "When in doubt, leave it out" – I can’t emphasise this enough.

Patrick and Shagorika have covered all other relevant points. I wish to repeat one of them: "Keep an open unbiased mind". It is harder than you think, we are all humans after all, but you have to try your best to do so.

You are launching from a strong base – a reputed institution such as Commits and the best mentor a student can dream of in Ramesh.

So belt up and enjoy the journey with all our best wishes.

Kokila