Doodle with dad

My Story, Aug '15
Debasmita Dasgupta’s artistic venture, mY FaTHer Illustrations, is a child rights campaign based on illustrated father-daughter stories. Started in 2014, it takes a fun step forward this month

Copyright for all artworks: mY FaTHer
Illustrations by Debasmita Dasgupta

It all started with one small step. One Sunday afternoon I came across a story of a father, who despite all odds never gave up the courage to defend the rights of his daughter. His story became the turning point in my life. I knew I wanted to do something but was caught between ‘what’ and ‘how’. That’s when my red sketchbook and pencil caught my eyes.

Before long I had taken the first step. I had illustrated my first father-daughter story and shared it online to spread some inspiration. The journey of mY FaTHer Illustrations continued as I kept looking for moving father-daughter stories from across the globe. Some I found; some found me. Platforms like Varta helped immensely to spread the word (click here).

To bring ‘art’ and ‘people’ closer, it is now time to take the next step. This month I plan to organize story camps to collect inspiring father-daughter stories from different communities. The idea is to bring a group of fathers and daughters under one roof, share some time and stories, play some interactive games and finally do some doodling together. These approximately two-hour long camps will be full of dialogues and doodles by the people (fathers and daughters) and for the people. The first two communities are in Mumbai. Luckily two non-profit organizations in India, Magic Bus and Leher, are giving full support to execute the project on-ground. I can’t thank them enough for that.

 

So am I excited? Of course I am. At the same time I am also nervous. Will people share their stories with me? Will they enjoy doodling? I don’t have the answers right away. But I am confident that every step matters. It may be a right or wrong step, but in the end it will be a learning experience. And that’s the motivation for all community artists out there. We never stop, we keep going . . .

You too can share inspiring father-daughter stories at https://www.facebook.com/myfatherIllustrations and I will illustrate them for you.

Note: Original article published by Debasmita Dasgupta on Creative Community Blog, National Arts Strategies.

Debasmita Dasgupta is a freelance illustrator from India currently living in Singapore. She enjoys illustrating for children’s books. Her illustrations are inspired by simple but special experiences in her life. They echo the spirit of positivity as she continues living life on a positive note.