The Finding
Written by Arundhati Ghosh | Illustrated by Ruchi Shah
'The Finding' is a short story written by Arundhati Ghosh - Executive Director of India Foundation for the Arts.
This was a writing experiment where she wrote a short synopsis and shared it online. When people expressed interest
in read the completed version of the story she wrote it out and it was published online by Scroll.
This illustration is for a short story about a discovery that stunned the world which was reeling under a pandemic. Set in Bengal,
it highlights the huge gap between different sets of people; be it economic, casteism, hierarchy, bureaucracy or mentalities.
As the story focuses on vicious cycles that repeat frequently I’ve created the illustration in a circular format, where visuals enclose each other. Interwoven lines, dull gray hues, and muted colors add to the complexity of modern day society.
I’ve further layered the visual with symbols of capitalism like piggy banks, bread, currencies, chimneys etc.
When I read the completed story, I was compelled to create an artwork for it. This was a commissioned piece
of work I created for Arundhati's story which was initially designed as a web banner for Facebook and her blog. Later
I redesigned it for a book cover and a poster for an international talk.
The Finding - Book Cover.
Rough sketch on paper with pen and ink.
Facebook cover photo / Web Banner.
Social Media Posts for 'The Finding'.
