Oh, Dakuwaqa! - Shark comics and cartoons

I need to be lazy!

2012-02-21T10:27:00.000+05:30

I can't quite remember what brought about this idea but it must have been some daydream about some gadgets or why we'd need to have a gadget that would fold all your clothes and sort them. (Sometimes my mind goes into nerd mode. I'm secretly proud of it.) I can't be bothered with such tasks when I could be doing great things instead! It is amazing to see how far we've come and what might have inspired or caused it.

But it does seem that the more we invented things to make life easier, the more we feel everything needs to be effortless.

Peanuts Tribute 2: Sleepy-time conversations

2012-02-20T10:00:00.001+05:30

True story.

I didn't think that I'd do two tribute strips for "Peanuts". But then this thought just happened and then I connected it to Charlie Brown and the rest is history.

Completely fair?

2012-02-18T19:27:00.004+05:30

This is the second strip I did for the "Beauty beyond colour" campaign by Women of Worth. (My earlier strip can be found here. )

Sometimes I wonder why the Great White shark is called that when it is white only on its lower side. I guess it's because the poor little seal sees only a flash of white before it becomes a sealwich. hahaha.

Okay, onto the issue at hand.. most adverts today are so utterly nonsensical that I think this sort of lying needs to be made illegal. "Microbeads", "oil pearls", "Active fresh power cells" and such fictional ingredients go into consumer products telling people that their very real problems will be taken care of if they use their miraculous products.

They can't even truly fix damaged hair or make people age backwards or cure dandruff. So how did they manage to convince people that their products can change really dark skin into shades lighter? Don't they feel bad when they see people buy fairness creams/masks/sunscreens in hopes that they'll become more popular or super stars?

Why can't they tell people to aim for healthy (not "healdhy") looking skin instead? (Didn't we learn in school at some stage that the melanin in our skin protects us from harmful UV rays?). There are people out there who find different shades/ features attractive and that's why it is UNfair to treat certain shades as beauty norms.

How about we first demand that ad slots not be more than 2 minutes? These companies seem to have enough money to throw at airtime and don't care about my our TV watching time.

Happy Valentine's day to me!

2012-02-17T12:12:00.000+05:30

I wanted to do a different one for Valentine's day but I don't have a scanner or tablet where I am. I know it's not Valentine's day but I'm so indifferent to that day that I actually wished someone happy birthday instead. It was also another friend's birthday but thankfully I didn't wish her happy v-day instead.

Anyway, I got the idea for this from a post I'd done ages ago on my old blog. Yes, I inspire myself. It's interesting to read the emo tones on my old blog and see how wonderfully happy my new mask is.

Strawberry de-seeding

2012-02-17T11:25:00.003+05:30

I'm not one to crave fruits ever. Even though I do like mangoes, berries and apples (sometimes), I never bother buying any. Whenever my dad thinks I ought to be getting some fruit in my system, he cuts them up and de-seeds them and hands them to me (yes, I'm very spoilt when it comes to fruit). When I learnt that all those tiny eyes on the outside of strawberries were their seeds, I wanted to get him to de-seed those. But it is probably the one fruit he can't stand so he wouldn't even listen when I said "so... about those strawberries...".

How to sound wisdomous

2012-02-17T00:42:00.003+05:30

I hope I don't offend any wise people. I should probably stop talking in that case.

(But I do think some "wise quotes" just sound that way because of how they are said and not because it's some radical new thought or piece of advice).

Fairly Lovely Ad

2012-02-13T23:42:00.000+05:30

My friends at the Women of Worth (WOW) have this campaign on called "Dark is beautiful - beauty beyond colour" and asked me to do a sketch for it. India is odd in many ways - one of them is that despite being of one race, we're all of different shades. Instead of flaunting this variety filled shade card, society has (as usual) found a way to make something nasty out of it. Numerous people are differentiated and discriminated not by their personalities or skills but by something that is not in their hands.

Although, both men and women face this ordeal, I must admit that it is more strongly felt by women. I mean, women who are one shade darker than almost-caucasian are termed as "having less colour" (here, the less colour you have, the darker you are - yes, it doesn't make sense which is why this is still an issue). And yet, men who are darker than dark are hailed as superstars and heroes. It's okay for extremely dark-skinned men (also now termed as "wheatish") to demand for "fair" brides but rarely the other way round.

Anyway, the point is not to say one is beautiful and the other is not or that one is better than the other (more about the campaign here). But I must say that it is ridiculous to continue to believe that one can do things better or become more popular if only they became shades lighter. First of all, it's not really possible with fairness creams and second, if you're going to have attitude issues even if you're Snow White, you're going to lose your job and your popularity.

Personally, I'm extremely bothered by the distastefully ghastly fairness cream adverts out there that basically tell people that creative agencies must think they're so stupid to buy this crap. I know (thanks to ad agency experience) that these products don't work and that they simply play on people's insecurities. If you want to use them anyway for their advanced skin healing technology, go ahead but don't do it because you think that guy/girl will like you if you do.

ps - You can also check out the Facebook page for "Dark is Beautiful"

pps - Don't miss the "Fairly Lovely" product. I won't be surprised if a fairness cream company actually made an ad like this.

Killing off creativity bugs one media attempt at a time

2012-02-09T11:17:00.000+05:30

I've been trying out a series of strips for a campaign next month and this is one of them. The other two are a bit more specific so will post them later. I think most of the ads on TV these days are mind-bogglingly bad and some are just appalling. I mean, if people are going to censor kissing, swearing and drug references on TV, they should insist that several of the ads be censored for stupidity and exploitation. Every channel seems to run their ads at the same time and some of the ad slots are about ten minutes long and this is why watching TV shows online or getting the DVD is so much more appealing (if TV ever becomes obsolete, ads will be the cause).

This message is something I'm quite passionate about because I've seen first-hand how companies contribute to and then exploit poor self-image. I've seen how it's not about values or being memorable.

When making money becomes the driving force, then worrying about quality ideas and cultivating people's minds becomes obsolete (true for any sort of media).

The worst part is that I hardly notice what the product or brand is anymore, which is usually the purpose of advertising. There's this new SUV vehicle ad - I forgot the company and model so had to google this (Mahindra XUV500). This is one of the worst ads ever - I mean, hasn't anyone sent out the memo that using women as savages around one man is and old and un-clever idea? Or is creativity no longer mandatory when it comes to advertising. Sadly people have commented that this is one of the best commercials ever and it reminded me of this quote I heard in one of Ravi Zacharias' speeches:

"At first, art imitates life. Then life will imitate art.Then life will find its very existence from the arts" (Fyodor Dostoevsk). It's very true and it would be good if people were a bit aware of why they have certain opinions or passions or what's shaping them today.

ps - Yes, one of the "ads" I've shown is a dig at the awful Fast track ads. Making both boys and girls shallow and loose doesn't make it okay, you know? Most teenagers crave relationships - trying to convince them that one day stands are better will just mess up the dynamics of love, you fools.

pps - Watch out for the campaign ideas soon - would love to have you all contribute.

Sharkfin soup for the soul??

2012-02-02T18:30:00.001+05:30

Cheesy but true. Stop shark finning. It's cruel and wasteful.

Anti-social vs Unfriendly

2012-01-26T09:04:00.001+05:30

This is me justifying my statement "I was being Anti-social not unfriendly. There's a difference." Not many seemed to see that there's a difference. Now you do.

Follow me and I'll make you a fish among men

2012-01-26T08:59:00.001+05:30

I probably should stop talking.

ps - I just noticed that I seem to have done quite a lot of strips with laptop/internet themes. I really need a life.

Tribute #12: Peanuts

2012-01-26T08:49:00.001+05:30

I've wanted to do a "Peanuts" tribute for a while now. It would have been fun to draw the whole gang but I went with the subtle one showing the iconic doghouse because this story is more relevant (and the Peanuts gang is harder to draw than you think!).

Until we meet Facebook to Facebook

2012-01-26T08:35:00.001+05:30

I do love forbidden cake.

This strip was probably done just for the "Facebook to Facebook" line. Also, I can't make up my mind if I'm needy for some web communication or could not have less of it.

Forgotten to have remembered

2012-01-25T11:52:00.002+05:30

Every now and then I have thoughts like this. I don't always write them down and then I'm left with a ghostly remnant of a pointless thought for which I have no use. It's a good thing our phones have little notepad apps which help you jot down the ridiculous thoughts that you may have during the day (and sometimes in the middle of the night when you can't really type so you end up with some garbled nonsense which can never be deciphered).

The Art of Listening

2012-01-25T11:10:00.001+05:30

This is true. I can appear to be listening very intently. This skill was very handy in school. I'm guessing now I'd have to face several "Are you really listening questions?" but I can appear to nod in acknowledgment as well.

This comic is available for a short period of time only. View today!

2012-01-24T22:04:00.001+05:30

Yes, limited or collectors' edition/ stickers/captions make me want to buy items more than I would otherwise. It's a clever ploy to lure people like me. I own several (some embarrassing) memorabilia simply because I believed it was my last chance to own something that I'd someday wish for a chance to get rid of. The worst is when they bring out DVDs and CDs and after you've bought them, they bring out collectors' editions or Director's cut edition or some special editions. I own 3 different versions of Shania Twain's "Up!" album. True story.

Totally different note: Would anyone like to buy a few collectors' editions DVDs?

Can't believe the year flew by so quickly!

2011-12-30T13:28:00.002+05:30

Maybe this is why people run away to the hills or the woods to "find themselves" or become "better". It's easy to be good when there isn't anyone else around to be bad to or be better than. The trick is to be as good as you're meant to be while in whatever situation you may be.

This concept would have worked with either the human or shark deciding to be a nicer person. It would've been funnier if it was the latter and that was my first choice but I was on a drawing spree at an unearthly hour and when I woke up in the morning, this was what I found. I shall have to do the other version some other time.

Happy New Year, everyone! May this coming year bring more wit, laughter, humour, sarcasm and silliness!

PS - And vote for me on all the blog awards possible :D

Merry Christmas 2011!!

2011-12-24T16:18:00.000+05:30

This is my very first self-made Christmas card. I hadn't done/sent cards in so many years - I wasn't very organised though. Hopefully next year will be done better.
Anyway, I hope this reaches all the people I wasn't able to post cards to.

"May God fill your life with love, joy and peace this Christmas and all through the New Year!"

Have a wonderful Christmas!

RIP Thom Petty of Sparky's Diner

2011-12-12T12:07:00.000+05:30

Thom was a good friend and a great chef. He was funny, interesting, unique and fun to be around. His battle with cancer finally took him home. He will be missed by us all.

It won't be Sparky's without you.

ps - This is an old sketch that I'd done some years ago.

Let's make some chilli Angels!

2011-12-07T21:23:00.002+05:30

I once made snow angels with a friend. Recently I had a chat with said friend about snow angels which she wanted to make but I couldn't even if I wanted to. I said all we have is sand and chillies. And hence the chilli angels came to be. It was a HUGE task to paint these chillies on the computer - but they do look a fiery and chilli-like.
Also, you'd notice my first attempt at panels. A friend showed me that panels don't have to be boxy and straight to look alright. Anyway, if people like this sort of layout better, I could change the format of my comics. I wanted to make it linear but would have to change the layout of the blog completely and shift all widgets to the bottom. Let's see how it goes!

Once upon a time sharks and humans coexisted peacefully

2011-12-03T09:44:00.000+05:30

Once upon a time there lived a princess and she had a magical hourglass that could...
See? Those stories are way more interesting than the usual rubbish I write under each post. Some fairy tales are a bit annoying but it's nice to get an occasional dose of fantasy. I'm also really enjoying the new TV show "Once upon a time".

ps - Maybe mermaids existed once upon a time and then sharks ate them all.

Bite guards for sharks

2011-11-11T09:43:00.000+05:30

I saw this particularly difficult looking exercise on TV and almost died just trying it out. And then I remembered that scene in Spiderman where he's all toned the day after the spider bite and I'm thinking "that's not fair!". Also, I have to wear a bite guard now (which gives me a lisp) because I have what the dentist called a "traumatic bite". Yes, all those who know me have something new to laugh about. I live to give you such moments.

Conspiracy theories and ideas to rule the nation: Population Control

2011-11-10T11:58:00.004+05:30

Today's post is of a grave nature (despite being made to look humorous). It took me a while to draw, write and think about posting it for fear due to what I've said on the last panel. And before you accuse me of portraying my country in a "bad light" to the outside world, allow me to say that this message is for us, my fellow country-person.
Anyway, I hear so many complaints (and contribute to the complaining) about various things that are wrong with the nation but it just seems to be getting worse and I'm starting to think whether maybe this is the plan after all.

Road accidents cause a huge number of deaths in our country. I'll get you the exact figures.
I've heard of 2 cases this week of people falling into manholes and dying.
I've heard numerous poorer women cry about their drunken husbands beating them up and spending all their money to drink more. This last month one of their husbands died because of this.
Still not something to be concerned about?

ps - more such theories to come
pps - if I'm killed or thrown in jail, it's because I care. So there.

Musical Gym Shoes

2011-11-05T11:02:00.000+05:30

There's an old pair of gym shoes at home and for some reason, it squeaks when used. It's impossible to wear them because the sound would annoy everyone. It reminds me of those light & sound shoes that kids wear. There's no way I'd wear those shoes out in public, let alone a zumba (sounds much funnier than aerobics) class. Not that I'm in any such class.

Angry Birds: (d)evolution

2011-11-03T10:08:00.000+05:30

I think I may have a small Angry Birds addiction problem.