Brown Paperbag is the name of a series of comics about what it's like growing up in an Indian family. They were created by Sailesh Gopalan, a 21-year-old design student from Mumbai who studies at the Srishti School of Art Design and Technology in Bangalore, and since the comics first appeared in June 2016 they've already amassed a collective following of over 150k people.
The artist describes his comics as "a slice-of-life comedy webcomic aimed at highlighting the ironies and exploiting the stereotypes that prevail in Indian families and society in a satirical fashion," and as you can see from the collection below, they touch upon everything from traditional weddings and clothing etiquette to superstitious moms and embarrassing fathers. Don’t forget to vote for your favourite!
“I've always been interested in drawing comics,” Sailesh told Bored Panda. “I used to fill up my drawing books with my own comics as a kid, and that interest never died out. My biggest inspiration is the manga artist Eiichiro Oda, author of One Piece. When it comes to webcomics, it's Shen, author of Bluechair and Owlturd Comix, as well as Sarah Andersen of Sarah's Scribbles.” When asked what sort of advice he’d give to anybody thinking about starting their own webcomic, Sailesh said “Upload! Don't let your inhibitions keep you from sharing your work with the world. I had no idea my comics would receive the response it did, and the only way I could know is if I put it up on the internet.”
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Play the Blame Game, Blame the Game Play
Appa-rel
Cop a Feel
Empathy-patnee
Bargain or Loss
This is sad.. We don't bargain when it's about branded expensive objects but for sellers on the streets we will bargain even when it's cheap compared to what we buy in the malls...
Pee-dee-ay
Practise What You Teach
This happened in my school too. The teacher said "class time is my time". Ehhh
Can't Be Left Alone
Escapegoat
Omg I do this to my dad all the time! Anything to save myself from mom's wrath.
Blooperstition
That's an odd superstition. A lot of people do grooming at night where I live (Canada).
You've Goatee Be Kidding Me
Shareolder
I'd rather have the grandma. I got my sister as my roomate and she never let me sleep!
Maidriarchy
Maid 'Fore Each Other
Lies and Receipt
I bought one of those bags back in my hometown and the next time I went to the store with my bag, they wouldn't let me get in with it 😒 They gave me everything in plastic bags and I had to put them all on the green bag that the security guard kept for me back at the entrance. Stupid af
Passive-Aggressive
true.. and then they even throw them on the ground when they are done. The police should arrest people like that.
Crossroads
Days of Feature Past
Stray Hungry, Stray Foolish
Late Night Shenanigans
Mint Money
Same in Iran 😒 I always ask for chewing gums. At least they don't taste like chemically flavored sugar.
Priorities
I never realize how little people care about cricket in much of the west until I hear the Indians talk about it.
Diplomadness
my dad got his nose broken by his friend on accident when he tried to stop a fight
Happy Birthday
Birthday. Before - you get presents, everybody buys you sweets, you are a happiest thing in the Earth. Now - You have to invite and entertain guests, buy them sweets, take care if they get drunk or if they vomit. (Atleast you get presents.)
What a rollercoaster. These comics are.... interesting and funny and sad and surprising and depressing and hilarious.
Am I the only one who is reading this with an Indian accent :)
I hope that accent is of Raj from TBBT and not of Appu from The Simpsons. Because we surely don't sound like the latter.
Raj talks in an "Indian accent" too, FYI.
No XD
No
and when they started calling those mispronunciations an accent?!
Haha very accurate ! Especially the ones about the parents.... Im actually from Pakistan but its same here as in India.... well done mate...
What a rollercoaster. These comics are.... interesting and funny and sad and surprising and depressing and hilarious.
Am I the only one who is reading this with an Indian accent :)
I hope that accent is of Raj from TBBT and not of Appu from The Simpsons. Because we surely don't sound like the latter.
Raj talks in an "Indian accent" too, FYI.
No XD
No
and when they started calling those mispronunciations an accent?!
Haha very accurate ! Especially the ones about the parents.... Im actually from Pakistan but its same here as in India.... well done mate...