The young and the restless

Be forewarned, Bechain Nagri's sketchbooks are so good that you might not want to doodle, draft or write in them

If restlessness can lead to such awesome results, we hope every other illustrator develops the trait. Conceptualised by 23 year-old animation student Manasi Parikh along with budding entrepreneur Anuj Gosalia in March this year, Bechain Nagri (or a bunch of fidgety people), was started to pay for their electricity bills and create tons of quirky sketchbooks with digitally printed illustrated covers.


Padayappa Muthu

Their logo, which is a doodle of intertwined wires that keeps changing design on every book, depicts the constant motion and the restlessness that the brand associates itself with. Parikh who is a student of National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, along with fellow designers created the covers. These don't have a particular theme but make for a refreshing take on most things Indian. Many of the cover designs continue across the back cover as well, so if its 'Moti Aunty' (see image) looking into the mirror, the back flap has various reflections of her in the mirror.

The books have an open spine design. This means when you open the book both the sides merge and you can use it as a single page as well. "We worked hard on these designs. The paper has been tested by students at NID and is great for sketching or writing. Also, because of the open spine, the quality of the cover had to be such that the pages don't tear easily. So, we have used imported cardboard, which is light and sturdy," explains Prannay Shetty (23), who quit his job as an engineer and now handles the marketing, web layout and other responsibilities of the company from his pad in Mumbai.

Inspired by the success of their sketchbooks they intend to take their zesty designs to ruled books, tees and posters, which can be bought off their website.

Email:u00a0 bechainnagri@gmail.comu00a0facebook linku00a0
https://www.facebook.com /bechainnagri
Log on to: https://www.shopo.in/shop /bechainnagri
Cost: (near A5 size sketchbooks), 192 pages Rs 250
Call: 9819090371
At: Granth bookstore, Juhu Tara Road, Santacruz (W).