Konkani lad with Bantwal roots set for Fumetto Int’l Comics Fest

Mangaluru: A Konkani lad with

Bantwal

roots who flourished far away in the state capital by cultivating his artistic talent at

Chitrakala Parishat

, Bengaluru, is set to exhibit his talent with friend

Mohit Mahanto

at the prestigious

Fumetto International Comics Festival

to be held at

Lucerne

,

Switzerland

, from April 4 to 16. Meet Anand Shenoy Basti, grandson of Basti Vaman Shenoy, president, World Konkani Centre, Mangaluru.

One of the 15-odd Indian comic artists who have been invited to Fumetto, Anand will be part of two panel discussions pertaining to emerging comics’ scenario in India. A graduate of fine arts from the College of Fine Arts (CFA), Chitrakala Parishath, Bengaluru, Anand and Mohit will also be displaying their works at ‘Mytholitics India’ exhibition of the festival. He and Mohit, his senior at CFA, have started Pagal Canvas, a collective of comic artists.

An elated Anand told TOI over phone from Delhi that it has been a dream come true to get an invite to the Fumetto Festival. “It is a global gathering of illustrators and comic’ artists from across the world,” Anand said, adding the festival has talks and demonstrations delivered by invited artists and illustrators, who will share their experience in the field of comics. “It will be a learning curve for me and Mohit, who are eagerly looking forward to be at the festival,” he said.

A regular on the ‘Indie Comix Fest’ circuit held across India, Anand said leading names in the Indian comics scene such as The Kadak collective, a self-proclaimed library of travelling zines, Blue Jackal, a platform for engaging with and creating visual narratives, comics, picture books and individual names such as Bengaluru-based Renuka Rajiv and one of India’s foremost graphic artists and designers, Orijit Sen, too will be at the festival.

Incidentally, the duo under Pagal Canvas has published over 25 comic books in the last two years. Anand showed his talent at an early age when he won the Pogo Amazing Kids Award under artists’ category, in 2008. He was 12 then. Now, a veteran of sorts in the field of comics publishing, Anand, the son of filmmaker Dinesh Shenoy Basti, currently lives and practices in Delhi. Mohit was his batch mate at CFA where the duo pursued their BVA degree.

About the festival

The Fumetto International Comics Festival is held annually at Lucerne. Established in 1992 as the Luzern Comix Festival, the festival before growing in size, renamed itself in 2003. It has helped Switzerland’s comics community unify and grow, crossing the divide between differing language barriers within the country. The festival attracts both national and international guests. Comics creators honoured or exhibited at the festival include Joe Sacco, Marjane Satrapi, Chris Ware, Jack Kirby and Lewis Trondheim.