Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling, a Nobel laureate and popularly known for his book: The Jungle Book, was a prolific writer and he wrote till the day of his death on January 18, 1936.

His book Kim was among his famous books and unfortunately I have not read the unabridged version but I did pick up a graphic novel version, adapted by Lewis Helfand and illustrated by Rakesh Kumar; the book is published by Campfire Books.

I stumbled upon Campfire books at a Comicon in Hyderabad and picked up two books: one of Krishna and one on Ravana. Kim doesnt disappoint either. The color schemes, the illustrations and the sketches were done extremely well.The earthern colors, the seamless flow of the story and artistry shone through.

Kim is set in early 1900s and revolves around The Great Game, a political confrontation between the British and the Russians for claiming Afghanistan and South and Central Asia. The central character Kim is a young boy, a son of a late  army officer, who lives in Ferozepur and is a street-smart lad. He helps the local agents with passing secret  information. One day, he meets a Lama, who is on quest for a river of enlightenment;
Kim's life revolves around the lama, agents and the struggle to fit in at school. I enjoyed the illustrations of Kim and his travels with the lama and his conversations with the agents, Mahbub Ali, and Mookerjee. The trains and the roads evoke your senses and transport you to the early 1900s.

Kim reminded me of Ruskin Bond in a few ways--his constant need to be independent, his stubbornness and his need for adventure. And reading the graphic novel was a refreshing change.

Pick up your copy at campfire.co.in.
I borrowed my copy from the British Library.