Some Very Folksy Etchings

The best part about the Indian graphic novel universe is the diversity of voices in it, says Vishwajyoti Ghosh of Pao Collective, a group of graphic novelists. “Thank God India does not have a single definite voice. Within this short span, look at the range we have produced—a comic on Narmada, to urban anxiety, to tales from the hinterland, the Emergency, a satirical commentary on the state of the nation, a bio-comic on Ambedkar and the list is still growing,” he says. However, even in this “diversity of voices”, folk art and stories within the graphic novel space is in sharp focus. Tara Books has worked with Bengal’s Patua scroll artists to bring out two graphic novels. One tells the story of Martin Luther King Jr’s life, while the other retells the Ramayana from Sita’s perspective. Before that came Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability, a graphic novel on Ambedkar from Navayana Publishing. Another graphic novel, commissioned by the Nagaland government’s Department of Art and Culture, is in the offing. A trio of filmmakers and graphic artists: Khulu, Assumi and Lipok Yanger, have taken on the job of creating a comic book-style retelling, in English, of Naga folktales from ten tribes.