Interview with 10-year-old Adithya - Author of 8 Comic Books

Adithya Iyer is a 10-year-old who lives in Palakkad, Kerala. He is in his 5^th standard, but he has already written, illustrated, and published 8 comic books. Let us hear from Adithya about his comic books writing journey.

Hi Adithya. Which was the first book you wrote? How did you get an idea for that?

The first book I wrote was "The Ghost Breakers." My cousins Sreeram and Sreenidhi are always scared to go alone inside a room, even during the daytime. They both are scared of ghosts. One day Grandmother told us a story about ghosts being scared of lights and why they do not come when there are enough lights or during the day. It inspired me to write the story.

How do you get ideas for your new books?

I read many books and watch YouTube channels about plants, forests, and animals. For my book “Doctor Grandmother”, I got information from my grandmother about the different medicinal plants, spices, herbs, and trees. My book “Amma’s Helping Hands” is about how I helped my mom during the summer vacation.

Out of the 8 comic books you wrote, which is your favorite and why?

My favorite is “Kathakali” as I love to watch them dance with all the colorful makeup and dress.

How long do you take to complete a book?

I draw 5 pictures a day. For a book, I draw according to the scenes. For my recent book, "When an Egg Falls", I had to draw 200+ pictures. So, I took almost 2 months to complete it

In publishing a story, which part is easy and which part is challenging for you?

I find the story writing part easy. I find drawing more challenging as I need to draw a character and how they emote according to the scenes.

What type of colouring do you use?

I use crayons, pencil colours, and watercolor brush pens. I am eager to learn different types of drawing and painting. Once I learn them, I will try digital applications for my books. Now, Sreenidhi helps me to color some of the pictures. 

Do all your stories have the characters Ram, Aadhi, and Nidhi?

Yes, all my books have these three characters except “Amma's helping hands.” Ram and Nidhi are short forms of the names of my cousins Sreeram and Sreenidhi. Aadhi is the short form of my name Adithya.  

Can you tell us something about your India Book of Records Recognition?

My parents read about the India Book of Records in an advertisement. They applied for it by sending all the physical copies of the books. They validated it and sent a recognition certificate. I was so happy!

Please tell us about the recent story calendar you published.

I wrote the story "Thara is a Star" when I was 8-years-old. The story had 12 pictures. So, we made a story calendar with the 12 pictures for the year 2022.

Who are your favorite authors? Do you have any favorite painters whose work you admire?

My favorite authors are Sudha Murthy Mam and Reena Puri Mam, editor of Amar Chitra Katha. I do not have any specific artist as a favourite, but I watch a lot of YouTube videos about painting and works about flipbooks.  

How do parents and teachers encourage you?

My parents listen to my story and make corrections. After I complete writing, illustrating, and coloring all my scenes, they also help in making them like a comic page layout and give it for printing. My school Bhavans Vidya Mandir teachers and Principal always support and encourage me a lot. In 2020, they gave me the Virtuoso award for writing books. All my books are kept in the school library for other children to read. They also recently made a story about me and my books and published it on our school’s YouTube page.

Do you have a website for selling your books?

Yes. My cousin Sreeram is studying in class eight. He is interested in coding. He helped to design and develop the website https://theflyingcowbooks.co.in/ to sell all my books online. I also sell at my Instagram handle adithya_comicartist