Melem Keezhem: Comic Book Series

Team members: Al Badush, Rajeswari B.T., Safair Ali Jereesh, Arifa Beegum, Irfan Mubarak, Rohan Arthur, and Suri Venkatachalam

Alumni:  Kevin B. George, Somesh S. Menon

Timeline: 2021 - present

Melem Keezhem in Malayalam means Above and Below, which follows two protagonists – a fisherman and a butterfly fish. It's a bilingual (Malayalam and English) comic book series exploring island life from above and below water. It includes history, geography, society, economy, ecology, and the realities of climate change. Written for islanders and mainland readers alike, it combines sketches and photographs to make Lakshadweep vivid and visible. There are major editions as well as explainer editions, which explain difficult concepts and information that are otherwise difficult to understand. 

1. Melem Keezhem

2. Melem Keezhem: El Niño edition

3. Melem Keezhem: Billam

Project objectives:

• Have sustained communication with communities throughout the year

• Engage islanders in discussions about sensitive local topics, such as reef fishing, development, employment and tourism 

• Make use of online tools such as WhatsApp and social media to engage in two-way conversations 

• Have a repository of information about the Lakshadweep island that is aesthetically pleasing and informative

Enjoy Reading...

Through this project, we conceptualised and created a series of standalone comics in an easy-to-read format. Each panel, available in Malayalam and English, was circulated on a bi-weekly basis via WhatsApp, while simultaneously creating a repository of the same on Instagram. In parallel, we compiled these panels, along with snapshots of the islands’ life above and below the water, into a print edition for distribution.