Blaze Comics

Good Morning: Bad News

A collage about how horrific world events color the everyday and become routine

Sakuk is a design based on traditional Kashmiri handicrafts, specifically walnut wood carvings. The word “Sakuk” itself is the name we give to cuckoo birds. This cuckoo bird is perched in a maple or “Chinar” tree. A tree that is largely considered a symbol of the region. The image of this wood panel was taken in a houseboat called the Lion of Kashmir on Nigeen Lake in Srinagar in 2019. It was taken during a rare time of healing and discovery where I was allowed to engage with my culture at my own pace. To be curious and questioning and being rewarded with learning gave me the chance to build my own personal connection to my heritage.

The variant with the yellow in the middle and red on the outside depicts how a lantern’s light would reflect off the wood carved panelling. The other variant with red in the middle and yellow on the edges depicts how light would shine through the design if it was made thin enough to be a lampshade. That light being the knowledge and connection gained through my experience at the houseboat.