The ironies of civilization go graphic

Updated on: 15 February,2011 10:31 AM IST |
PrachiI Sibal |

The Harappa Files, a humorous take on the ways of our civilization with complete graphic detailing will take you back in time with ad jingles you can croon to

The Harappa Files, a humorous take on the ways of our civilization with complete graphic detailing will take you back in time with ad jingles you can croon to

The Greater Harappa Rehabilition, Reclamation and Redevelopment Commission is in its 33rd meeting.u00a0 Findings of a decade that establish the ways and norms of our civilization will be exposed to the public, and author/ illustrator Sarnath Banerjee is the appointed chronicler. In the form of a graphic novel The Harappa Files, Banerjee takes the reader, an observer on a journey through civilization into the future of it, highlighting its many quirks with witty illustrations.

Many issues including the rather predictable Commonwealth Games and SAARC are touched upon. A futuristic state of Delhi is shown through a hilarious take on the state of the roads and traffic, with a distraught resident demanding the Delhi of his days back.

Other issues and incidents like the mad rush of IIT aspirants, the state of airports, the judiciary, martial arts contraception and popular advertisements like those of Boroline, Lifebouy and Vicco are dealt with in an interesting, humorous and graphically detailed method. The usage of art does not essentially follow a systematic style and is used as a free flowing medium.

You will see free hand pencil drawings, elaborately painted comic strips, even altered pictures to suit the context. Also a deserving mention is a section titled Loss of Fantasy that talks about the loss of enthusiasm that comes after a great victory with the example of Edmund Hillary on the top of the Mount Everest. Subtle dark humour is also visible in Banerjee's treatment of a few subjects including the class division in our society.u00a0