Laughter lines

India-

The usual routine that most working professionals follow these days is, approximately, this-

Wake up, bathe (or feel lazy and don’t bathe), get some breakfast (or not), go to work, spend the day there, face challenges, overcome obstacles and learn something new (or have a boring day), come back home (or go to a party where you don’t actually want to go), and watch TV/go online. And, of course, you cannot miss ‘FB’. Fortunately, for many workaholics and students, literally 118k (presently), there has been a special reason to log onto Facebook since 12^thAugust2011.

Faisal Mohd, a Delhi based cartoonist, began his career at Raj Comics. While he discontinued his passion to found a game design studio called Geek Mentors, the talented artist soon started exploring cartooning further through ‘gags’, under the smelly and highly attractive banner of Garbage Bin. What began a year ago has now made the young artist so popular in Delhi, that random people at the capital’s metro stations recognize him, approach him and applaud his art!

‘Inside Guddu’s mind, an illustration’

The self proclaimed bekaar bandaa creates cartoons that exude this hilariously hopeful quality that one can’t quite jerk off and have become a staple diet, of sorts; a daily dose of laughter, for several devoted followers. In a conversation with Sapna Mathur, Faisal Mohd talks to Emaho Magazine about his art and experiences:

How did Cartooning come to you? What are its origins?

I got into cartooning because of my love for comics, and also because I used to sketch a lot. At that time I used to read the American humor magazine, MAD, which became a great source of inspiration for me. Consequently, I started working with Raj Comics, only to develop my cartooning technique further.

’Faisal Mohd’s gag, following Planning Commission’s decision to lower poverty line’

Why Garbage Bin?!

The world’s greatest cartoonists at MAD call themselves a “gang of idiots”, despite the obvious fact that they are geniuses responsible for the most influential humor that ever was created. Irrespective of their fame and brilliance, they remain extremely down-to-earth and continue to keep up that standard. Following this ideal, I titled my work Garbage Bin, and this is what it has been right from the start. I never changed into anything else.

’Roz ki Kahani’

You cover several topics in you cartoons, including critiques of the government and its policies. Have you ever received angry or threatening reactions?

No, not till now. In fact, I have received great support for all my work. Recently, one of my readers came across a post by another artist on Facebook, where they were taking credit for my work. Frankly speaking, I generally do not care if someone does that; there must be some quality to my work if they do! But in case the plagiarizer is not polite in his conduct, but abusive, I will not stop from taking action. And therefore I made a gag for that. I even received phone calls from lawyers saying that they would support me in case I have to sue the guy. My readers belong to all spheres of life, from doctors to students, and they have been a source of phenomenal support.

‘The famous jodi of MMS and Sonia Gandhi’

What is your inspiration for the hilarious cartoons called Guddu and Gang? Is the series very close to your personal life?

I started making gags as a stress buster in Geek Mentor Studios and that is how this series originated. This series is close to most people’s lives because it portrays incidents and characters that most people can relate to. Personally, characters like Shaan (we are always together, even in real life), Raja and Amit are real people. They look the same as well! My daddy and ammi, however, do not look like how I draw them. Laila too had to be introduced, as a girl character was an important one. Even Tinday Shah, the villain, is fictitious, and brings some masala to the stories. Sid, on the other hand, is a character that most people enjoy. I myself am not like that, but it was imperative to have someone like him.

Otherwise, I talk about many real people in my work, from the Indian Cricket Team to the recent Indian Olympic bronze medalist MC Mary Kom.

‘A parody of the TV show, Bade Ache Lagte Hain’

Who are your idols in the professional cartooning world?

They would be Spanish cartoonist Sergio Aragones, also known as the world’s fastest cartoonist;the creator of Calvin and Hobbes-Bill Watterson, and Albert Uderzo- the man behind the Asterix series.

‘Garbage Bin: Characters’

Cartooning is most definitely an offbeat profession. What have been the obstacles that could have swayed you away from it? Were there any?

Cartooning is my passion and while there were a lot of hurdles along the way, you have to fight them if you really wish to follow your dreams.

‘Gags of Garbagepur, a rebuttal against plagiarizers’

What are your plans for the future?

I plan to publish a Garbage Bin book, and work towards that is already ongoing. I was hoping to launch it by the 1^st of September. Of course, I have also been busy with Geek Mentors, which develops games for mobile operating systems like Android and iOS, along with providing training in the field of concept art and game design. Our game, Angry Anna, received enthusiastic reviews last year and we hope to achieve a lot more in the field.

‘MC Mary Kom’

They say humour can amuse, confront and transform you in the subtlest, and yet, the strongest of ways.Garbage Bin too, while it entertains and refreshes, weakens the seriousness that life becomes. Faisal Mohd’s cartoons are entirely local maal, wholesome with blurred (but comprehensible) hindi abuses, a character called Bulla who really has khulla at all times (really? Yes), and the veteran super hero Shaktiman.