Illustrator brings Kargil veteran’s indomitable spirit alive in graphic novel

It was on July 15, 1999, when now retired Army Major Devender Pal Singh was fighting for our country during the Kargil War. While stationed at the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Akhnoor region, only a few metres away from a Pakistani Army post, a mortar shell was fired injuring his body. The accident led to his right leg being amputated. Singh, who was taken for dead after the injury, not only overcame it, but has turned into an inspiration for many. The war veteran began running using a prosthetic limb and earned the name of the country’s first blade runner and one of the first Asians with disability to skydive solo. Singh’s moving story is full of valuable life lessons.

Nearly 20 years after his injury, US-based tech executive and the founder of India Inclusion Foundation (an NGO which hosts inclusion summits in the country), VR Ferose, decided to bring out a book on the retired officer’s life to help others learn to appreciate life. City-based illustrator and visual designer Sriram Jagannathan recalls being approached by Ferose last year to turn Singh’s story into a graphic novel. “After going through a graphic novel I had done on bomb blast survivor Malvika Iyer in 2018, Ferose introduced me to retired Major Singh. By narrating the story through visuals, our idea was to get children and adults, irrespective of their ages, to read and be inspired,” recounts 41-year-old Sriram.

Retired Major Singh says he had a gut feeling that his story would one day turn into a book, but always felt that he had more to do in life before penning down his story. “Upon Ferose’s persuasion, we decided to work on a book on my life so far. I’m glad that we chose to use pictorial representation for the book, as pictures leave stronger impressions on minds than words. Pictures also help in going beyond language and reaching as many people as possible. The idea of the book is to help provide a perspective towards life and that all barriers can be surpassed. The candidness with which the story is presented makes it inspirational,”45-year-old Singh tells DT Next.

For the novel, Sriram conducted many interviews with Singh, which go right back to his childhood days till his recent National Award win for empowerment of disabled persons. After 10 months of hard work, Grit: The Major Story took shape. The book was published by Hachette, just in time for the Kargil Diwas on July 26, which marks India’s victory in the war. “Since the subject was touchy and difficult, it was necessary that I developed trust. Since Major Singh is also a motivational speaker, he was comfortable opening up. I would ensure with him that my narratives and visuals were conveying the right meaning. As a storyteller, I needed to get all my facts right — like the Army ranks, uniform etc. However, I didn’t want to show any gruesome images, but would use special design effects or text in their place,” he elaborates.

The novel, which has a foreword by Indian Army General Bipin Rawat, has the retired major narrating his life story himself. “The book highlights how the major had several challenges thrown at him throughout his life — but he continued to face them all bravely,” remarks Sriram.