Dr. Harvinder Mankkar in Leeds: A Pen, A Heart, A Universe.
The Most Extraordinary Interview in the World
Location: Leeds Playhouse, UK
Host: Sir Edward Hawthorne (BAFTA-winning director, renowned for interviewing visionaries)
Guest: Dr. Harvinder Mankkar – Indian legend, creator of Motu Patlu, illustrator of 22,000+ books, filmmaker, philosopher, and a soul too vast for any one title.
“Beyond Cartoons – The Man Who Drew Souls”
Sir Edward Hawthorne: (leaning forward, eyes bright)
“Dr. Mankkar, you’ve illustrated more characters than most people have met in their lifetime. But tell me honestly—when did you first realise that your pen wasn’t just drawing… it was waking people up?”
Dr. Harvinder Mankkar: (smiling gently)
“When a child once told me, ‘Motu is my best friend because he makes my hunger laugh.’ That day, I understood — I wasn’t creating cartoons. I was creating companionship for the lonely, laughter for the silent, and rebellion in the language of fun.”
Sir Edward: (chuckling)
“That’s poetry! You grew up in Punjab, yet your characters feel universal—be it a child in Uganda, a grandparent in Manchester, or a student in Tokyo. How did you make local so global?”
Dr. Mankkar:
“Because I never drew for the eye—I drew for the heart. Emotions have no passport.”
(A moment of stillness. The audience breathes slower. It’s not just an interview—it’s a masterclass in soul.)
Sir Edward:
“You’ve directed films, illustrated over 22,000 books, mentored thousands of artists, and still, you walk like a humble monk with an ink-stained shirt. What keeps you grounded?”
Dr. Mankkar: (with a soft laugh)
“Ink. It reminds me that I’m still working. The day my fingers are clean, I’ll worry.”
Sir Edward:
“Is it true that even when you travel abroad, you carry a sketchpad and draw people silently?”
Dr. Mankkar:
“Yes. Airports are my favourite museums. People walking with their dreams in a trolley… I sketch them because I want to remember what ambition looks like with tired eyes.”
(The crowd in Leeds Playhouse is silent. You could hear a pencil drop. Or a heart swell.)
Sir Edward:
“Let me go personal, if I may. Have you ever been in love—not just with your art, but with someone who saw the real you behind all the ink?”
Dr. Mankkar:
“There was someone. She said I don’t draw faces, I draw souls. I never forgot her. She was my most unfinished sketch. And perhaps… my most complete one.”
Sir Edward: (visibly moved)
“Dr. Mankkar, after this interview, I doubt I’ll ever call you a cartoonist again. You are a memory-architect, a silent philosopher, and a rebel disguised as a storyteller.”
Dr. Mankkar: (smiling humbly)
“I’m just a boy from Punjab who never stopped believing that crayons could change the world.”
(Thunderous standing ovation in the theatre. A few even in tears. This wasn’t an interview—it was a spiritual journey on stage.)
BBC Review Headline the Next Day:
“Dr. Mankkar in Leeds: A Pen, A Heart, A Universe.”
