Mara and the Clay Cows
Art and Story: Parismita Singh
Ages 8 to 12
Mara and the Clay Cows combines
two things that Indian publishing still doesn’t see enough of – one, an
original graphic narrative (as opposed to the innumerable graphic retellings of
classics/popular international series and
TV series spinoffs currently weighing down the shelves at a bookstore
near you), and two, a story set in the
North- eastern regions of the country. Drawing
from a Tanghkul Naga folktale, it tells the story of Mara, a young orphan with
strange powers. Lonely and friendless, Mara fashions himself a couple of cows
out of clay, only to have them come magically to life. The cows, Rocky and Areiwon, are chatty and
wise, and help Mara set out on a quest to discover himself and the purpose of
his powers . Before long, he meets Shiroi,
who agrees to take Mara to meet her teacher, the Chief Magician, in
return for a small favour. But before he can find the magician, Mara is
assigned a series of chores by a strange old woman who lives on a floating rock
(‘Avatar’, anyone?). Are these merely chores, or tests of some kind? Will Mara ever
meet the Chief Magician? And what exactly is Mara’s destiny?
Author and illustrator Parismita
Singh has a very distinctive style of drawing I have enjoyed in her earlier work
– ‘The Hotel at the End of the World’, an acclaimed graphic novel that came out
in 2009, ‘Joro’ (a comic serialized for a while in a Tamil newspaper
supplement) and her contribution to the ‘Pao Anthology of Comics’. In Mara..,
the author moves from dramatic black and white art to softer pencil colour
illustrations. I enjoyed the textured art; however, handwritten
text might have been a better choice to the rather cold font used throughout the book.
Mara… moves along at a brisk
pace, and is easily read in a single sitting. The panels in which the illustrations are set are played with in innovative ways, making the first half of the book very dynamic – tight insets, artwork occasionally seeping to the corners of
the page, and lovingly depicting the region’s hilly terrain. The book is driven
almost entirely by dialogue, and I enjoyed the way subtle shades to a character
are revealed entirely through the banter between its human and magical
characters. The author has a good
ear for background noise, and some entertaining Aiees, Mhrruus, Hhhnnngguus and
Shweesh’s punctuate the narrative.
The mild, open- ended finale might leave some readers a little dissatisfied
– I know I was expecting the book to end with more drama. But Mara.. is a
layered story and I found myself discovering facets to the book long after I
had finished it. It is, of course, a story of magic and adventure, and a child’s
quest for family. It also humorously questions gender stereotypes, asserts the need for non
violence and environmental preservation – oh, and reminds you never to
underestimate the powers of a really
good burp as well. I found myself
smiling at the way the book’s main
characters , despite being powerful magicians, nonetheless keep it real – the greatest of sorcerers must
still finish their household chores the
hard way (unlike Mrs. Weasley’s
enchanted dishwashing brush) , and flying girls walk when the weather turns.
And even young boys on the threshold of
a bright, magical future must first go home and make sure the cows are secure.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. The views expressed here, however, are my own.
Image courtesy
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. The views expressed here, however, are my own.
Image courtesy
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