Sea ice? Now you don’t!

I’ve been a fan of Green Humour aka Rohan Chakravarty for so long that I’ve been wanting to read Sea ice? Now you don’t! ever since it was published. It was as delightful as I expected! I found myself reading page after page, alternating between laughter and despair even as I admired the depth and breadth of research that has gone into the creation of each comic.

As Rosemary Mosco says in the foreword, what I love about Rohan’s work is the way it connects the natural world with the humans who are part of it. His comics are fearless and hard-hitting in their commentary on politicians, influencers and businesspeople alike. While some comics are about species we all know, like a series of comics on tigers, many are about birds and beasts about which I know nothing, from the mistle thrush to the mangrove whistler. Clever punchlines and eye-catching art come together to make us think, and to make us laugh.

On a lighter note, my favourite cartoon was, arguably, the one about birdwatching from a train as a competitive sport. If two experts were competing, that’s one sport I would love to watch! Unlike the co-passengers featured in the comic, I would be rooting for both competitors, cheering and applauding (and taking notes)!

All in all, Sea ice? Now you don’t! is a powerful read about the environment presented with the lightest possible touch. Even after I finished it, I found myself flipping through the pages, reading sections again, marvelling at the illustrations, and delighting in the humour that laces the seriousness of the themes.