This was a project I did for a class at Srishti Manipal Institute where I am currently a student pursuing my Bachelor's in Vocational Training. The brief I got from my mentor was for an animated children’s cartoon that was being pitched to the Sun TV Network. The story is about a few children from a village in Tamil Nadu who go to see their grandmother on a regular basis during their summer vacation. I was tasked with conceptualizing the characters as well as the village it was based in.

This is the grandmother who I had wanted to focus on while conceptualizing for this project. She makes them snacks to eat while telling them folk tales and moral stories.

When designing the children, I tried to make them as varied as possible, to let the target demographic, kids around the ages of 4-10, find some connection and identification in them. I wanted to make varied body types and not have them portrayed in stereotypical or negative ways. Additionally I wanted to express their genders beyond the binary, but unfortunately I did not feel safe in representing that for this project.

One reason why I was excited to work on this project was because it was an opportunity to show the cultural heritage of India, particularly the south. From the scenery to the traditional clothing, jewellery and food as well as the nuances in the language. In a day and age where consumerism and urbanisation is spreading rapidly, these pockets of nostalgia and culture are things to be treasured and passed onto future generations. Storytelling and folk tales have always been a significant part of our culture and often shared very deep moral values that have shaped our Indian society.

As an artist, storyteller and designer, telling the stories of those whose voices get drowned out in the rush of this world, is something deeply important for me. Additionally, imparting lessons of kindness, acceptance and warmth to the new generations is integral.