Giving shark tales a funny twist

Anju’s interest in sharks started at a pretty young age. “Thanks to the movie Jaws and also partly because of a Reader’s Digest book on sharks,” she smiled, recalling the first shark she doodled. “I created a little shark character while in school and it came back to bite me in my 20s while I was dying of boredom at a regular job. So I started drawing comics under the series “Oh, Dakuwaqa!” featuring this shark and other creatures as a way of expressing my thoughts,” explained Anju, who has degrees in engineering and business. 

When she began, this cartoonist confessed that she hadn’t considered the conservation side of the story. “I didn’t know how much sharks were being hunted and how drastically their numbers were reducing. Art can help expose the issues and help reveal the wonder of these creatures to those who have never encountered them. Comic art appeals to all ages and can be used to illustrate points quickly and effectively,” she pointed out. 

This inspired her to create ‘shark’ versions of pop-culture, apart from regular toons. Sharks replace the key characters in Central Perk or Monica Geller’s living room in the famed series Friends. Then, there are sharks with lightsabres (Star Wars) and even a shark-y interpretation of the iconic Lunch atop a Skyscraper photograph. 

Anju said she hopes to remove the fear factor associated with sharks, adding that she is keen on reaching out to children. “Kids (probably more than adults) see that sharks are incredible creatures that are worth fighting for and I hope the generations to come will get to enjoy them without fearing their extinction,” she concluded.