Two years ago, IWB spoke to Illustrator Debasmita Dasgupta discussing her artsy initiative, “My Father illustrations”, that’s dedicated to all the fathers across the globe who never let their daughters give up and support them with their pillar-like strength. For this reason, “My Father illustrations” has long been narrating the stories of real daddies in cartoon-form.

On the occasion of International Father’s Day, let us make you revisit her brilliant artwork that’s not only empowering girls but is also inducing hope in the hearts of so many fathers about drawing a better future for their little ones.

Debasmita recently drew some inspiring stories of papas from various states of India, check out a couple of them below:

Inspired by a true story: “Patachitra” or “Patua” art is a folk art form of scroll paintings that come from eastern India. Traditionally, this art legacy was passed down from father to son. However, contemporary “patua” artists like Mantu Chitrakar, are breaking this stereotype. Mantu has inspired his daughter, Sonia, to take this tradition forward.🐤 ● #myfather #handdrawn #artforchange #arte #artsy #instaart #instaartist #artoftheday #artistsoninstagram #illustration #artwork #nofilter #handdrawn #picoftheday #folkart #illustratorsofinstagram #patachitra #india #artisan

67 Likes, 1 Comments – Debasmita Doodles (@debasmitadasgupta) on Instagram: “Inspired by a true story: “Patachitra” or “Patua” art is a folk art form of scroll paintings that…”

“Patachitra” or “Patua” art is a folk art form of scroll paintings that come from eastern India. Traditionally, this art legacy was passed down from father to son. However, contemporary “patua” artists like Mantu Chitrakar, are breaking this stereotype. Mantu has inspired his daughter, Sonia, to take this tradition forward.

Hardships & challenges are part of everyone’s life, however, life is more difficult for those millions of girls who are still fighting for their basic human rights. A good father can make a difference in their lives! He can teach his daughters to live with dignity & care for others. This #myfather illustration is inspired by the life of one such inspiring man, Gul Hathiramani, father of Lakhsmi Gul Hathiramani, Rakhee Mirchandani Hathiramani & Sherina Nandwani Hathiramani. A loving father, Gul, instilled humility & care for others in his daughters.🐤 ● #artforchange #artforgood #artforgoodcause #artistsoninstagram #illustration_best #illustratorsoninstagram #heforshe #fathersfordaughters #dadsfordaughters #kidlitart #instaartist #instaart

38 Likes, 5 Comments – Debasmita Doodles (@debasmitadasgupta) on Instagram: “Hardships & challenges are part of everyone’s life, however, life is more difficult for those…”

Hardships & challenges are part of everyone’s life, however, life is more difficult for those millions of girls who are still fighting for their basic human rights. A good father can make a difference in their lives! He can teach his daughters to live with dignity & care for others. This #myfather illustration is inspired by the life of one such inspiring man, Gul Hathiramani, father of Lakshmi Gul Hathiramani, Rakhee Mirchandani Hathiramani & Sherina Nandwani Hathiramani. A loving father, Gul, instilled humility & care for others in his daughters.

During our last conversation, Debasmita also mentioned her community-based art project called “Doodle with Dad” that engages father-daughter duos from underprivileged communities to doodle their dreams together. Remembering one such incident, she said, “I always say that fathers and daughters are equal owners of “My Father illustrations.” I say this because I have seen that they both can inspire each other. This relationship is not just about how a father wants his daughter to learn and grow. It is also about how a girl sees her father, what she expects from him. During one of the #DoodleWithDad sessions, a 16-year old mentioned how she felt proud of her father when he let her participate in sports despite all odds. I won’t ever forget the sparkle I saw in the father’s eyes when he heard his daughter sharing this with a group of other fathers and daughters for the first time.”

Talking about expanding her work, she said, “My Father illustrations” is an illustrated series to promote girl child rights by engaging fathers and daughters through artistic exchanges. These fathers and daughters are not just those who are internet/Facebook savvy. They also include fathers and daughters living in remote corners of the world and who come from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. #DoodleWithDad is the way to reach out to those unheard grassroots stories. Therefore, one of the primary objectives of “My Father illustrations” will be defeated if I cannot scale-up #DoodleWithDad.”

As far as the self-taught artist herself is concerned, she thinks it’s the strong bond that she shares with her father which inspires her to take this project ahead with so much enthusiasm.

(picture source)