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Indian artist Abhishek Singh’s comic books have sold more than half a million copies and been translated into Italian, Spanish, French and English. His interpretation of the Indian myth, Krishna – A Journey Within, was the first graphic novel by an Indian writer and artist to be published in American comic book history.

After growing up with the ancient myths and folk tales of India, he studied Animation Film Design at India’s National Institute of Design and began to create his own visual versions of Hindu mythology, including his graphic novels Purnam – Stories and Wisdom of the Feminine Divine, and Namaha – Stories from the Land of Gods and Goddesses. He was also the visual artist and co-creator for Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapur’s Ramayana 3392 A.D, published by Virgin Comics and visual artist for Kali and Shiva in the India Authentic Series.

Abhishek has long included environmental themes in his work, but after travelling round the mountains and forests of India, and spending time with elephants in particular, he realised that most mythic tales concern kings and queens and battles, all about humans and human activity. He decided it was time to create a new non-human mythology for a change, one which centres on our vulnerable environment and the animals who live within it. He’s calling it The Hymns of Medhini.

Paul Waters joins him in Delhi as he paints one of his pictures to include in his new graphic novel.

Presenter and producer: Paul Waters
Executive producer: Andrea Kidd

(Photo: Abhishek Singh. Credit: Paul Waters)