Bhimayana- Unveiling Reality of Caste System in India through Gond Art

ABSTRACT

The genre of the graphic novel has opened a new way of communication with the reader. The artistic freedom of the medium that makes use of words, pictures and typography has encouraged marginalised communities to set forth and write about their dysfunctional way of life that can’t be easily articulated through words. Srividya Natarajan and S. Ananad’s graphic novel: Bhimayana enjoins incidents from Ambedkar’s life with contemporary instances of caste oppression in India to present a layered understanding of the Indian caste system. The use of Gond Art to illustrate the text invites the reader further to become a witness in the caste-based oppression undertaken by the society thus encouraging the reader to put forward their role in the discriminatory matrix. Taking the idea forward, the following paper attempts to read Bhimayana as a ground-breaking text that initiates a unique narratorial practice to offer a wholesome reality of its substance to its readers. Special attention is paid to the use of images and text, fusion of colours, and incorporation of elements of Dalit existence in the text with the use of Gond Art.

KEYWORDS:

• Graphic novels
• Dalit existence
• Bhimayana
• Gond art
• reader’s experience

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. The particular information is taken from an article that can be accessed here http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/caste-in-gond/740177/.

2. This quote has been extracted from an interview of Alan Moore with Barry Kavanagh on 17^th October, 2000. The interview can be accessed online at: http://www.blather.net/projects/alan-moore-interview/northhampton-graphic-novel.

3. The case mentioned was the September 2006 rape and murder case of members of a Dalit family by dominant caste in Bhandara district of Maharashtra. Their becoming economically independent and assertive of their rights as humans leads to their killing by upper caste men of the village. The whole case can be accessed online using the following link www.saciwaters.org/CB/water%20and%20equity/water%20and%20equity/IV.%20Readings/3.%20Social%20Differentiation/3.5.%20Case%203%20water%20equity%20training%20programme%20-%20mani.pdf.

4. The ego formation theory referred in drawing the proposition is given by Jacques Lacan. According to him child’s formation of subjectivity begins when he/she can see themselves as an entity in relation to the outside world. The child reflecting his/her image in the mirror begin to perceive his/her self in separation to mother as an individual subject.

5. Mahad Satyagraha or Chavdar tank Satyagraha was a satyagraha led by Ambedkar on 20^th March 1927, to allow untouchables to use water in a public tank in Mahad, Maharashtra, India. The day is often celebrated as social empowerment day in India or Dalit Independence Day where Dalits for the first time rise in collective action against state discrimination of Dalits.

6. Hindu Code Bill is an attempt by Ambedkar to codify Hindu laws which were regressive and bring Hindu citizens under a uniform civil code whereby people would be equal in all respects. The code gave women equal property rights, both men and women get right to seek divorce, widows and divorcee can remarry. The bill also legalises inter-caste marriages, Ambedkar in section 5 and 6 of Annihilation of caste argues how for social reformation in society, inter-caste marriages are a must. As caste has no scientific origin, caste system should not bind people to marry within a particular community. Such intermingling will lead to social equality among the masses regardless of caste superiority.

7. Gutter space is the space between two panels of comic strip, graphic novels use similar format to create their stories.

8. Ashoka chakra is the wheel of duty representative of 24 qualities necessary in a person to drive his country towards progress. Some of these are peace, friendship, fraternity, equality, co-operation which seems missing in Indian citizens who are still following caste system.

9. The above-mentioned interview can be accessed at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0973184915581932.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bhavya Rattan

Bhavya Rattan is currently working as an Assistant Professor of English at Dyal Singh College,Karnal. She has completed her masters in English from Miranda House, University of Delhi and has presented at paper conferences on a range of topics from Feminism to Dalit Literature. She worked on women autobiographies and memoirs for her postgraduate dissertation and plans to research ahead in the field, researching about the modalities of female self and various roles women has to adorn during her lifetime. Why do women choose to write and how they wish to influence their readers by portrayal of their lives experience in writing are questions that interest her. Other areas of research interests include gender studies, narrative theory, graphic representation of life narratives and reader response criticism.