Pankaj Saikia

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA under Productions, will be a graphic novel tentatively titled Kookmuk set in Assam, designed for children aged eight and above. The project aims to weave local storytelling traditions into the fabric of the narrative, presenting the stories in a way that is both culturally rich and appealing to young readers. Pankaj Saikia is the Coordinator for this project. 

Pankaj is a self-taught illustrator, children’s book creator, and comic maker from Assam, with over five years of industry experience. He also works in animation as a visual developer and storyboard artist. As a visual storyteller from the Northeast of India, he is primarily interested in telling stories that are representative of the socio-cultural landscape of his region. As an illustrator he delves in the mediums of Picture books, comics, and animation and is always looking for ways to synthesise the various mediums to tell distinct stories. He has worked as a creator with Pratham Books and Comixense 2023. His work has been exhibited at Big Illustrator’s Gallery, AFCCC, Singapore 2023, and shortlisted under the Illustration category for Binod Kanoria Children’s Literature Awards 2022. Given his expertise he is best placed to be the Project Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA. 

A large part of Pankaj’s work has revolved around creating stories, narratives, illustrations that are representative of the children’s world. His intention has been to bring forth local narratives, ideas and imaginations which are reliable, associable and visually attractive to children, especially of the Northeast of India. For this project, Pankaj is developing a graphic novel, Kookmuk. Kookmuk is an imaginary nonsensical character that the writer’s mother had invented when he was a child to keep him occupied, thinking and looking for it, while she did her chores in the long summer afternoons during his holidays. Similarly, for the novel, the Kookmuk serves as a portal to a whimsical realm of folklore, acting as the link between this world and the next. In this world, foxes wed, a monsoon storm halts in awe of its own reflection, and spirits linger in the hidden corners of the jungle.

The novel will follow the journey of Beli, a little girl, whose quest for the extraordinary takes her into a realm of stories that defy logic. Along the way, she uncovers the rules of this world—only to break them when the time comes. Set in a small village of Assam bordering the forest and a river, she encounters tales, reshapes them with her own voice, and discovers that no matter how fantastical a story may seem, it is always possible to find a part of yourself within it. As Beli breathes life into her own narratives, she adds a small piece of herself to the endless sea of folklore. 

The Project Coordinator plans to print the novel in both English and Assamese. He aspires that this work will create a departure from the existing literature aimed at children within the context of Assam and Assamese as a language, as well as provide the children/readers with a story that is based on their surroundings, thus creating a visual dialogue that they can relate to. In the larger context of children's literature in the country, the project coordinator hopes that this novel will present both visual and narrative elements from the local region to a wider readership.

The outcome of this project will be a graphic novel for children, an exhibition of the artworks produced for the book, and a workshop on visual storytelling for school kids in the age group of eight and above utilising the graphic novel. The Project Coordinator's deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be the graphic novel of approx. 150-156 pages, and a six-seven min video that showcases the production process of the book from start to finish.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Practice programme in the manner in which it intends to create conversations around children’s literature in the context of Assam and in India as a whole.

IFA will ensure that the implementation of this project happens in a timely manner and funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is finished and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees.