Graphic Reflections

A simple graphic to illustrate the feeling of struggle (the mountain that comes in the way of your reaching home).

A simple graphic on the new Indo-US nuclear deal. One does hope that the deal will help to alleviate India’s acute energy crisis in the long term and result in even better political relations with the United States. Besides representing the four flag colours, the colour blocks also symbolise difference of opinions (on both sides) that were regular features of discussions relating to the deal. The deal hasn’t come easy and has a long way to go..

At almost every traffic intersection and road in India, one can see traffic rules being violated, yet, most errant drivers are not caught owing to inadequate numbers of traffic policemen, and those few who do get caught often easily get out of it by paying insignificant fines or petty bribes. So on Indian roads, a driver is pretty much free to drive the way he wants to. The tremendously chaotic traffic situation (or ‘Traffic Anarchy’), at least in big cities like Delhi, is living proof of the absence of an effective and strict traffic management system.

Come October and a great many indistinct trees in the plains of India seem to come alive with sounds. Warblers arrive from the hills and countries up north to set trees abuzz with their constant, muffled calls. One of the most common warbler to visit the plains of India in winters is the Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca, the call of which has been portrayed in this animated graphic. Lesser Whitethroat continuously moves and hops around the tree it visits, it also utters its call almost non-stop. (Sorry, this animation is a bit heavy, 524 kb)

This graphic attempts to depict the skewed equation between driving skills and road skills amongst a majority of drivers in India (I believe they are different skills). While most drivers may have good driving skills (which are also the main focus of driving schools across the country) to drive or ‘handle’ their respective vehicles well, when it comes to road skills (eg. being patient while driving, wearing helmets, stopping at red lights, negotiating roundabouts properly, parking the vehicle properly), most drivers in India would fare poorly (fail, I would say). With the traffic situation in Indian cities becoming worse by the day, its time the authorities and driving schools start laying stress on developing road skills of Indian drivers.

This graphic tries to portray man’s increasing dependence on machines. One of the characteristics of progress or advancement as we know it is increasing involvement of machines in our day-to-day activities. (This was one of my earliest graphics, made almost 8 years ago. It does look dated and gives an indication of how much machines have evolved in just a few years.)

One wonders how many times we realise that every indian currency note and coin contains an image of the father of our nation. When we use, abuse or spend money incessantly, do we remember the values Mahatma Gandhi stood for?

This graphic tries to portray the humiliating treatment given to public property in India by the general public. Property that is provided for the convenience of people is littered, scratched, abused, plastered by posters, sometimes destroyed, etc. The most worrying fact is that destruction of public property has become a symbol of protesting, causing huge losses to the exchequer, inconvenience to masses and a setback to the development process. India desperately needs strict laws and massive fines to check destruction or abuse of public property.

This typographical graphic attempts to portray the situation on urban India roads, where a variety of vehicles struggle, even jostle, for their share of the road. In many cases, the situation defies logic and one wonders if there can ever be a solution to streamline traffic on India’s roads.

This graphic attempts to reveal ‘highways’ used by two animals: Squirrel (yellow), Cat (Orange) and one bird: Pigeon (Blue), as observed from a terrace in Jaipur. So busy and lively these animals and birds keep our surroundings, isn’t that wonderful?