Book Cover: Cinema Bhojpuri

It was a lot of fun doing the cover for "Cinema Bhojpuri". My cover brief of course was to make the cover lurid. This is one of the most gaudy designs i've ever done.

Even reading the titles of Bhojpuri cinema gave me laughter bursts. Some examples are Tu Hamaar Hau, Uthayele Ghunghta Chand Dekhle, Naag Naagin. Not to say, I appreciate the locals who watch Bhojpuri cinema.

The Pink has come out perfect after production.

Book Cover: Chef

I was always tempted to do a book cover with just one word as the title. It gives you the freedom to go abstract and explore...I read the entire book and fell in love with the writing. The story is set in the Siachen glacier and deals with core issues of Hindus and Muslims..I tried shooting cloves, dry figs but finally ended up with a simple illustration.


This is also one of my explorations...




This is the final cover that got printed. A chinar leaf, mountains and a lake by your side, and a chef....does one want more? I wonder...

Book Cover: Traitor

"As i live my days locked up in a wretched prison in this frozen country, i start to write the story of my beloved child, Nirami. The story begins with the birth of God." Traitor gives voice to the testimonies of millions of refugees of a war-ravaged land. The option above went for print..however i prefer the one on the bottom right..i love the way type sits on the texture of the wall. A shirt, a shadow of a man, a wall, all in one...an embodiment of a story behind a story..

Book Cover: Nautch Girls of the Raj and Love Stories from the Raj

'To see her is to fall in love,and to drink a cup of wine from the flask of
her lustrous eyes is to be transported to the cosiest corner of heaven.
To be with her even for a moment is to taste immortality'

I enjoyed doing this series of Raj books. The British Raj in India has always fascinated me
where Britishers could afford to have 2 or more wives. Over the centuries female dancers have appeared in various incarnations, frequently as temple dancers dedicated to the Gods, for dance is believed to have divine approval. Her mystique continued during the Raj and her popularity flourished amongst the English sahibs.

Book Cover: Making India Work

'What's wrong with this country?' is a question we often ask ourselves in spite of the fact that India is one of the world's fastest growing economies. We know the answers too: poverty, mismanagement and corruption. William Bissell in Making India Work puts forward his ideas that, if implemented, will make India a great nation.

Working on Making India Work has been no less than a journey for me. I tried all options from boatmen pulling a boat to an aerial view of fishermen to an attractive portrait of a farmer's wife on the cover but none worked. There definitely was a problem in understanding the target audience. The final cover that went to Press turned out to be a simple palette of Green.


Though, yes it reminds me of my experience when i stop by FabIndia and see it displayed at the counter. I often smile then...