Child

2026

GRAPHIC NOVEL

CHILD is a graphic novel set in the village of Dera Bazegar, Haryana, rooted in the complex and uncomfortable realities faced by children across India today. It explores the early and often unfiltered exposure of young minds to pornography, abuse, misogyny, and distorted perceptions of sexuality, gender, and identity.

Told over the course of three interconnected acts, the narrative examines how these themes manifest in everyday life – through the eyes of a child, an older sibling, and through the reflection of an elder. Each perspective offers a layered insight into the silent crises unfolding in homes, schools, and communities.

CHILD is a reflection of both innocence and exposure – a confrontation with the vulnerability of growing up in an environment where access to information has outpaced understanding, guidance, and empathy. It is a word that should evoke protection, yet here, it also represents neglect.

What happens when a child grows up too soon, fed by the worst corners of the internet and the silence of adults? This novel is about that child—your neighbor, your brother, your student, or perhaps even your younger self.

This work is deeply personal, based on firsthand experiences and real interviews conducted with individuals across age groups – from children in classes 5 to 9, to adults between 18 and 25, and elders aged 40 to 50.

CHILD is constructed using a mix of self-taken photographs, stock imagery, and images by original creators – layered and manipulated through image tracing, generative AI, Photobashing, filters, and juxtaposition techniques. The novel contains no hand-drawn illustrations, instead leaning into the stark realism that photography and digital media can evoke.

This graphic novel addresses sensitive and explicit themes. It includes the use of strong language and visuals that may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.