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As a prolific painter, illustrator and animator for more than forty years, Suddhasattwa Basu has had a huge influence on children’s literature in India. His work was crucial in shaping the development of children’s publishing in the English language at a time when it was still in its nascent stage.
In the 1980s, Basu made significant contributions to the iconic children’s magazine, Target, and later, to the magazine Tamasha. He has illustrated more than sixty books for different publishers including NBT, Orient BlackSwan and Katha. He has worked with renowned authors such as Ruskin Bond, Laeeq Futahally, Shantha Rameshwar Rao and Khushwant Singh. His illustrations add another dimension to their stories through his thoughtful interpretation of characters, landscape and cultural context. He has also written and illustrated his own stories, displaying a deep understanding of the play between text and visuals.
Basu’s artistic journey reflects his engagement with the practice of visual meaning-making. He creates an experience for the reader with his masterful use of colour, stunning compositions and incredible perspectives. His work experiments with aspects of composition within the classical framework. Each element of the book—design, cover, title page, finish— is planned and executed with meticulous attention to detail.
But his virtuosity is leavened with humour and whimsy. In a lovely dance of narrative and form, in the story of Shanmiyang the Tangkul Giant, a surprise fold-out appears right in the middle of the book. The clever device enhances the point that the giant is so large that he can hardly be contained within a book! Basu has the ability to create these moments that make one gasp, pause and absorb every detail on the page.
Suddhasattwa is versatile, both with themes and media, and has worked in pen and ink, water colours, printmaking techniques and animation. He manages to skilfully move between diverse genres and styles. In Ka: The Story of Garuda he has used his graphic skills to bring out contrasts between dark and light, with fine detail and page compositions that align with the narrative. In contrast, in Ravana’s Remedy, the page layouts, the characters and all the visual elements bring out the whimsicality of the story. In Song of the Scarecrow, colour and detail are used to create a combination of depth and lightness. Basu’s illustrations in books on the environment and ecology, such as This Earth of Ours and Water, show sensitivity and a deep connection to the natural world. His line drawings in Dear Father and his vivid ink drawings in Do Hath depict a variety of characters with a range of emotions and moods with feeling and empathy. It is this easy versatility that sets Basu apart from many illustrators practising in India today.
Suddhasatwa Basu has set a very high benchmark for young practitioners of illustration and his dedication to his craft is a huge inspiration for those aspiring to illustrate children’s books in India.
