Baanki Bitti : A new and relatable Himachali comic

An interview with the creator of Baanki Bitti – Anjali

Baanki Bitti is with over 2000 followers on instagram. People love her for the relatable comics about life of Pahadis in general. With such a love showering on the character and such relatability of character, it was inevitable for us not to cover her on our website.

While searching for the creator, we discovered the real Bitti behind the character baanki bitti. So here is an interview with Anjali, the creator of Baanki Bitti

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First of all, kudos, Baanki Bitti is doing rounds on social media. Where did you get the inspiration from?
Thank you team We Are Himachali. It has come to me as a surprise that people are liking my comics. The content of my comics is generally inspired by my family’s day-to-day life and pahaari slangs thrown at us by our parents that my brother and I laugh about. We honestly didn’t expect that so many other people will find them relatable too.

Why it’s named as Baanki Bitti? You could have chosen any other name. Also, tell us what other names cropped in your mind before settling for this one?
Baanki (Very Nice/ Beautiful) and Bitti (Daughter/Girl) are typical Pahaari words that are known in every Pahaari Home. I was sure that I wanted to give my character a Pahaari name. I also considered ‘Chhail Bitti’ but ‘Chhail is a difficult word to write in English. Some also spell it as ‘Chhel’ while others as ‘Chhayl’. ‘Baanki’ seemed easy to write and recall.

If you could, please share, who is the creator of this character? Tell us about yourself.
A lot of new followers assume that I am a boy. They send me messages like -“O badka ji, bada kharaa kam kamaa de tussa. Keep it up broooo!”. Sorry to disappoint you all, but I am a real Bitti and my name is Anjali. I did my Bachelor in Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology. I have been working as a designer for two years now. I started doodling for fun only after my graduation. This is one of my initial characters.

I take a keen interest in Art, Culture, History, Mythology, Sociology, Philosophy and Design. I also like to read, travel like a local and learn languages as I go. I have come across illustrators from around the globe who draw about their native place. It surprised me that nothing of that sort comes out of Himachal yet. Maybe that is why when it comes to Himachal, people can’t look at it more than just a tourist place. Our state is rich in culture and heritage and we should all take pride in it. Baanki Bitti is just a small step towards it.

So will other characters will be joining Baanki Bitti soon?
There are already a lot of comics about ‘Ammi’ and I have recently introduced ‘Baanka Bittu’ too. Moreover, my vision for my comics is not character-centric, but culture-centric. So you can expect to also see other characters living the Pahaari Life!

What vision do you have for the comic in coming time?
I want to bring our people together and help them realize that their childhood in the Dev Bhoomi has been as fancy as of a child in the countryside of Texas. By talking about things concerning the Pahaar Life, I hope I influence enough people to go back to their roots, if not physically, then at least emotionally. That’s my only vision for Baanki Bitti. I mean, I am overwhelmed to see so many people commenting on my posts in Pahaari. A lot of them also write me messages in Pahaari. I remember having a conversation in pure Kangri with a Desi sitting in Melbourne. Now that is the kind of influence I am talking about. 🙂

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Any message you would like to share with our audience who loved your creation?
Art and Design are still not considered as a career option in Himachal. Consequentially, we are slowly losing our culture and heritage as a lot of talented people move to the cities ‘to get a job’. I was one of them. Though we can’t compare the opportunities one is exposed to in the cities to in the mountains, regardless, I would encourage the youth of the state to also use their skills and talent for the benefit of the state.

 I would also like to mention that I have been flooded by the love and support that I received from the people in a very short time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each one of them for their support! Every time someone shares my comic, I get introduced to at least 5 new people. Now I know a lot of people. So thank you all for helping me build this community! 🙂

We at WeAreHimachali wish all the best to Anjali and hope that she brings more and more of such comics.

To connect to Baanki Bitti on Instagram click here

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