Publish 471

Expressio: BSSS Journal of English Language and Literature E ISSN
2583 – 8679, Vol. 1 (1), April 2023, pp. 179-198, Rounak Gupta:
Drawing Is a Way of Fighting: The Comics of the Indigenous India
https://doi.org/10.51767/JEN010113
DRAWING IS A WAY OF FIGHTING:
THE COMICS OF THE INDIGENOUS INDIA
Rounak Gupta, Banaras Hindu University, Email Id: rounak.arka@gmai.com, Phone

Number: 9836086819
Abstract
The tribal arts of India have traditionally held a significant cultural and historical
place. Despite the unique visual languages seen in contemporary American or Franco-Belgian
BD and Japanese manga, the Indian tribal art, predominantly created by tribal women for
generations, is often neglected in the context of Indian comics. This study aims to examine the
visual language inherent in tribal art and how it has been employed in two specific comics:
Sita's Ramayana and Bhimayana. Both comics are drawn by tribal women, Moyna Chitrakar
and Durga Bai Vyam, respectively, and showcase a unique visual language in Indian comics.
These styles bring to light issues related to the ‘other’, such as casteism and reservations, and
challenge patriarchal narratives through an ecofeminist perspective. Being in part a distinct
language in comics- these styles are not that much noticed in popular culture of the mainstream
for that matter. This paper asserts how artists of these specific tribes have moulded the
language of comics in a way to be able to speak for themselves while using their own methods
at disposal. This paper also tries to probe whether this is just a symbolic resistance forged by
the publishing houses to exploit the women artists from the Indian tribal communities as a
machinery to provide for a new taste to the Urban audience. All in all, this article tries to locate
DRAWING IS A WAY OF FIGHTING: THE COMICS OF THE INDIGENOUS INDIA by Rounak Gupta is
licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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the portrayal of social and political issues raised in the comics of the marginal gender, from
the marginal communities.
Keywords: Bhimayana, Sita's Ramayana, Tribal Art, Indian Comics, Resistance
Introduction
Being the most democratic art form, comics in their essential part have a universal
appeal regardless of language which is considered to be the hardest barrier for literature to be
conveyed on a bigger level. Comics deliver narratives in a very unique fashion on two planes-
visual and verbal. Comics use pictures arranged in a sequence to tell a story without relying
heavily on verbal narration. Translations of literary works often suffer from a loss of meaning,
but comics can convey critical subjects in a fun, simple, and sometimes satirical manner that
appeals to a wider audience, requiring little understanding from readers.
The range of comics, today, starts from graphic presentations of diseases and their
remedies to the manuals of terms and conditions of tech giants to heavily critical philosophical
theses on complex subjects. Comics stand apart due to their simple and appealing visual
narrative style, making it possible to address serious issues like casteism, social inequality,
poverty, and gender bias in a straightforward manner. In a complex, multi-layered, yet
simplistic fashion as Pramod K. Nayar suggests, comics can offer “a postcolonial critical
literacy that can help young people in contemporary India engage with social issues such as
caste”. (Nayar, 2012)

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Apart from these various discussions on the contents and the targets of these new Indian
comics, this paper tries to understand the basic form factor of Indian comics, i.e., the visual
language in use here.
It is important to consider how the comic and its narrative are presented, as it affects
the goal being sought. Since their inception, Indian mainstream comics have tackled serious
social concerns in a manner that is influenced by Western styles which often dilutes the
seriousness. The Bharat Chitra Katha comic series has been very vital in depicting the
biographies of various social reformers and famous Indians to the Indian children. But it has
almost all the time dealt with the comics form by just using Ligne Claire mainly, borrowed
from the west. Not only Bharat Chitra Katha but also the Campfire Graphic Novels, Nagraj
Comics all seem to have borrowed the essential language of the comics heavily from the west
and rendered it to depict Indian stories. These comics also narrative wise have not dealt with
many serious social, cultural or political topics as such.
But since the inception of perhaps the first truly graphic novel of India, River of Stories
by Orijit Sen in 1997, there has been a surge of comics like Amruta Patil’s Kari, Malik Sajad’s
Munnu: A Boy from Kashmir, Vishwajyoti Ghosh’s Delhi Calm, Ayushi Rastogi and Varud
Gupta’s Chhotu: A Tale of Partition and Love etc. coming from reputed international
publishers. These comics have challenged stereotypes about Indian comics and tackled
important societal issues, but have not fully explored a unique visual language rooted in the
Indian context.

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The foundation of any comic is drawing, where the lines in a panel form the basic
building blocks of its language. Comics, in its very basic form is sequential art- a narrative,
delivered or depicted through a set of pictures to bring out kind of a sequentiality. So, in case
of drawing in comics, just good painting does not establish enough transparency when it comes
to depict movements through a singular space. What is needed is that a clear description of the
motion or the movement or in other terms or more elaborately to put, an artist must employ
motion lines or gesture patterns or action lines to incur the effect of sequentiality in it. Drawn
images or mere images traditionally is not as privileged as words as the proper mode of
explanation of a narrative and so, there is very little or no prominent or proper theory available
as much as drawing is concerned if we go back to the time of John Ruskin, the Victorian age.
Nick Sousanis says, “Images have… long been sequestered to the realm of spectacle and
aesthetics sidelined in serious discussions as mere illustration to support the text never as equal
partner.” (Sousanis, 2015, p. 54) But, honestly the West has its fair share of previous proto-
comics experiments ranging from Picasso’s The Dream and Lie of Franco and Dali’s short
stints, to Rodolphe Töpffer’s illustrated books and Peter Arno’s gag cartoons in The New
Yorker. But all of these ideas about comics art and sequentiality is actually much western,
because comics happened to be one of the much-accepted art forms in the west at that point of
time. The thing to notice is that comics, or sequential narrative as an art form came to the east
or precisely in India in a much different way.
Despite lacking a substantial amount of proto-comic work as a foundation for a unique
style, India has a rich history of storytelling through picture sequences in its indigenous art

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cultures. In the Ajanta cave murals, in the pictorial depictions of the Nava Rasa, the miniature
paintings of the Mughal era, the Pahari paintings, the Gond art, the Patua scroll art, the Worli
art, and the Mithila paintings etc. the act of storytelling, the act of depicting a particular
narrative in sequence is very much evident.
Bhimayana, Sita’s Ramayana are perhaps the only two comics which talk about Indian
social concerns and issues which relate to the marginalized communities using the tribal
artforms of the Pradhan Gonds and Patua scroll art.
In case of tribal art traditions in question, to understand those particularly this paper
looks at what they have ingrained in them through the culture they represent. Their paintings,
graphic retellings of several old and epic narratives; even the so called commercially produced
works all of them are very much rooted to their culture which is very much dynamic in every
approach.
By doing so, this paper also tries to understand the basic philosophy behind using tribal
art as the visual language in comics. This paper will also delve deeper to explore the connection
between this unique language and resistance to mainstream comic art and narrative, which is
often closely tied to mainstream society and excludes the perspectives of comic creators.
The Question of Indigenous Identity Through Art
The comics like Bhimayana, and Sita’s Ramayana probably shine in the particular
context that each of them in their ways of resistance probably has successfully garnered the
tribal art styles as their own. These comics not only challenge the popular format but also

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symbolically resist it by using their styles to depict stories of marginalized communities. While
previous publishers like Amar Chitra Katha simplistically portrayed Indian stories, these new
comics give a voice to the "other" and inform urban Indians on sensitive issues intrinsic to
marginalized communities.
The resistance, present in these comics from publishers like Navayana (India's first anti-
caste publishing house) and Tara Books, who works with small-time artists from across the
country, comes in multiple forms. By involving a diverse mix of artists and audience, they aim
to popularize an art form long cherished in their own culture.
The comic genre has long been used as a means of political and social commentary, as
well as a tool for promoting cultural awareness and empowerment. In recent years, indigenous
women in India have begun to use comics as a way to share their experiences and struggles
with the world. The comics created by these women are a powerful rendition of their
experiences, struggles, and identities, and they play an important role in raising awareness
about the challenges faced by indigenous communities in India.
Bhimayana and the Gond Art
Bhimayana from a surface level of reading may seem a mere document on the life of
Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Before and after Bhimayana, various comics have portrayed the life of Dr.
Ambedkar, such as Amar Chitra Katha's "Babasaheb Ambedkar: He Dared to Fight" (1979)
and Kieron Moore and Sachin Nagar's "Ambedkar: India's Crusader for Human Rights"
(Campfire Graphic Novels, 2019).

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But there is a reason why Bhimayana stands apart. Illustrated by a seasoned Gond
painter and artist Durgabati Vyam with aid from her husband Subhas Vyam, the story is mostly
written by Srividya Natarajan and S Anand, who is also the founder, publisher and director of
Navayana, Bhimayana uses a unique method of panelling and grid system, which is according
to the principle of the Pradhan Gond art style used in it is Khulla (open).
The Vyam couple who illustrated this comic is not professional comic artists. They
belong to the tribe and very rarely before making Bhimayana, they made paintings on paper.
This Gond art much like murals or frescos from a western standpoint is done mainly on walls.
As the writer and publisher of the book S. Anand recounts, “Gond art, in its origin, is something
they do to decorate their walls and houses. Every year, when there is a festival, when there is a
karma dance, or when they have a wedding, they redo their houses. So, these are both murals
and also abstract geometrical patterns and conceptual images on their walls. And these are
ephemeral. They would disappear every year and reappear in a different form the next year.”
(Anand & Vellanki, 2015)
The use of artificial pigments for colours is not seen here. They mainly get their colours
from nature itself. “Earth makes our lives colourful”, says Subhash Vyam. (Kochi-Muziris
Biennale, 2019) For instance, the black colour comes from wood charcoal, the white from Chui
Soil of Barendar Hills, the red from Geru Soil of Dhoti Hill, dark red comes from the extracts
of Tinsak trees, yellow from Ramraj soil of Amarkantak hills, dark greens from Sem leaves
etc.

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The frames or the separators used to divide a painting from another are called diigna.
(Kochi-Muziris Biennale, 2019) This technique involving dignas was the idea of Subhash
Vyam, which has been used to break the pages to ‘transcribe’ the Khulla (open) or ‘free-flowing
nature of Gond art’ into 'a kind of sequential form’. (Kochi-Muziris Biennale, 2019)
Subhash Vyam says, “We make Gondi bhitti-chitra paintings. It means making digna (a type
of pattern) on mud walls. Digna is made by women, not so much by men because women do
the job of cleaning and decorating the house mostly. The houses are also decorated by making
digna. We make it on festivals and special occasions like weddings…” (Kochi-Muziris
Biennale, 2019)
Thus, no normative comic square or circular hard-lined panelling is used in Bhimayana,
because the Vyam couples use the dignas to make the whole sequence of Bhimayana. Thus, in
this kind of art, the separator or the frame or the gutter in a more technical sense is the dignas
and the inside of the panels are bhitti-chitra. In this whole new approach towards making a
comic, Bhimayana becomes sceptical about the common ‘Z’ like sequencing pattern of
movement of the comics and so every page of it can be read in any way, much like a circular
pattern as found in Chris Ware’s Building Stories.
The Gond culture is essentially a nature-worshipping culture. The festivals of Gond
come from natural myths of storytelling- which is a curious mix of northern and southern Indian
recounts of folklore and their own roots. There are iconographies also attributed to nature itself
like the concept of the Tree of Life. They have their pantheons or nature Gods like Badadev,

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represented by the Saja tree, which is in turn also considered a holy place among them. Religion
in Gond culture thus is represented by aspects of natural entities. These iconographies of trees
associated with the symbol of mother nature are therefore infused in the art in a way that it does
not only represent what it signifies but also portrays the true roots of their culture. Bhimayana
too incorporates these iconographies. Their art is very symbolic- anthropomorphic. This
happens in Bhimayana very often- a very living and warm kind of art- full of feelings and
expressions. Even inanimate objects have feelings sometimes- their art is tactile. Gond
Paintings have representations of complex kinds of stuff like time, memory, past and present,
roots etc. The inspirations come mainly from their observations of daily life, regular habits,
and normal things, like a bull’s muzzle or bulls, ploughing the fields. The depiction of animals
has a symbolic significance too. The entire world for them is Dharti Maa or Mother Earth and
this comes to them as Badadev, as human beings, as animals, and as inanimate objects- all
living together in a harmonious and syncretic coexistence constituting their holistic and
harmonious world. Bhimayana very interestingly overlapped this ideology of the Gond Art
with the idea of Ambedkar; as Ambedkar too sought equal rights and representation of the
scheduled castes and the untouchables in an upper caste-ruled Hindu society.
The book is dedicated to the memory of Jangarh Singh Shyam, who is considered to be
the father of contemporary Gond art. Janagarh columns made by this maverick artist paved the
way for new creations in this particular field. He also produced a line of artists including the
Vyam couples. The life of Jangarh is of many similarities to that of Ambedkar. Though
Ambedkar spent his younger days as an untouchable boy, much outcasted by society itself,

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later became one of India’s leading politicians during the freedom movement as well as the
Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution of India. He much like Jangarh, had
a huge following among his peers and was a spearhead of their culture and society, who later
became a stalwart in the field of the Dalit movement. Subhash Vyam recounts, “Jangarh Singh
Shyam ji started making the diigna on cane mass and paper at Bharat Bhawan (Bhopal) for the
first time”, thus revolutionizing the art of the Gonds by taking it to the urban audience. (Kochi-
Muziris Biennale, 2019)
Though Subhas Vyam acknowledges, “Until now, all our paintings never told any new
stories... these paintings were depicting old stories, from what we heard from our grandparents,
also a lot of our stories are of our Gods and Goddesses”, (Kochi-Muziris Biennale, 2019) the
philosophy behind the Gond painting is very simple and exuberantly touching.
According to Subhash Vyam’s recounts, they hardly ever see an aeroplane passing and if they
ever spot one, they run along the fields crying, “look there’s an aeroplane!” (Kochi-Muziris
Biennale, 2019) This simple idea of children running to see an aeroplane also is a subject of
their painting. The wonder of it as it appears in the faces of the children, that childlike
innocence is what matters the most for a Gond artist. This simplicity has the intrinsic quality
of the simple nature of comics. But as we have seen in case of several other artists what the
simple medium of Sunday Funnies can be in the hands of artists like Chris Ware and Seth, in
this case too, the multi-layered fashion of storytelling in comics is composed of multi-layered
subversion of the mainstream, urban class, traditional ways of thinking and seeing.

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Thus, the ways of Gond art are very simple and yet multilayered. There is an incident
in the comics where young B. R. Ambedkar (Bhim in the book) is thirsty in a classroom an
image of fish appears within him which is struggling to get out. These small iconographic
references make the whole comic pretty interesting and critical in providing sensations and
perspectives through a process of critical visual literacy.
For another instance, Bhajju Shyam an intrinsic artist from the Gond tribe when
commissioned with an assignment to design a restaurant in London, he observed the high urban
life of the West for the first time and his recounts in his ways became the repository of Gond
perspective towards what they perceive as “other”. Thus, in his recounts in his paintings, the
Heathrow Airport became an Eagle, the flight an Airabat- an elephant, heavy, but yet light to
fly, the metro railway of London became the underworld of his country- an earthworm,
London’s democratic food habit an Octopus, the wet pub nightlife a Mahua tree, with drunk
Londoners in the form of bats hanging upside down from the branches and the Big Ben,
transposed into a cock, who faces the morning, referring his village roosters. (“The London
Jungle Book,” n.d.)
This ideology of the Gond Art is used in Bhimayana to talk about the real-life ideology
of Ambedkar, to talk about the margins of society- the book is as much a tribute to Gond art as
it is to Ambedkar. The Gond art is not mainstream, it lies in the margin- so are the people for
whom Ambedkar’s heart tolls. Gond art can be classified as something more inherent to the
artist’s nature and their natural habitat, rather than being something superficial or coherent.

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Sita’s Ramayana- Towards an Ecofeminist Perspective to Ramayana
The Ramayana, as depicted in Valmiki's original epic or Tulsi Das's later adaptation,
presents a tale of the triumph of good over evil, where the divine design ultimately favours the
good despite unfavourable odds. However, the narrative also contains elements of violence and
subtextual themes of the negative impacts of war on civilians and the subjugation of women,
who often bear the consequences of the actions of male members during the conflict.
Female reinterpretations of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are not uncommon. The
Chandrabati Ramayana, for example, draws from oral traditions and incorporates songs and
ballads created by women during the 16th century in Bengal. Female retellers such as
Chandrabati exhibit a distinct focus on the experiences of the female characters, particularly
the sorrowful and unjustly treated Sita, rather than the heroic feats of Rama."Sita's Ramayana,"
illustrated by Moyna Chitrakar and written by Samhita Arni, offers a unique portrayal of Sita
as soulful, enduring, and introspective, as she reflects on her fate.
The whole narrative is based on the feminist possibilities of Chandrabati’s Ramayana.
The narrative is built upon Sita’s voice, thus bringing out a first-person perspective of Sita
towards the events of Ramayana and so it becomes a usual tale of misfortunes on the parts of
women of the erstwhile society. It is Sita’s gaze that guides the reader through its many events
and moments. Thus, the incidents come out as they would to a suffering woman. In the comics,
Sita muses, “War, in some ways, is merciful to men. It makes them heroes if they are the
victors. If they are the vanquished- they do not live to see their homes taken, their wives

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widowed. But if you are a woman- you must live through defeat… you become the mother of
dead sons, a widow, or an orphan; or worse, a prisoner.” (“Sita’s Ramayana,” n.d.) This
recounts the feminist point of view towards the ravages of war which in turn is the women
themselves too. In this comic, thus, we see the usual happenings of Ramayana from a shifted
perspective. The Ramayana narrative has evolved to a more nuanced representation,
transcending beyond the simplistic binary of good versus evil. It highlights the experiences of
individuals caught in the midst of the war, who participated in the conflict just as much as the
two kings, but whose fate was tarnished by Rama's redemption ceremony. This depiction offers
a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in the grand narrative of the war. Thus,
we explore a war as a wronged women would, for its sheer waste and violence that wrongful
pride brings about.
Sita’s suffering and endurance of it encompass all with the binary of war kept aside.
When the binary is lifted, we realize through the empathy of Sita, what has befallen her makes
us open towards what the other women endure. Thus, Sita’s Ramayana encompasses all those
who suffer, endure and ultimately bear the ravages of what kings and wars do to not only
children and women but also to ordinary people, animals and birds bringing out the ecofeminist
perspective to Ramayana.
The connection to the environment and nature is evident in the use of colors in
Ramayana, as previously seen in Gond art. This reinforces the idea of a deeper connection
between the characters and their surroundings, beyond just a story of good vs. evil.

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The colours which are used in Patua Scrolls are also derived from nature- plants and
soils. The colours mainly come from burnt clay or ashes or sometimes from cow dung. The
green colours come from the juice of broad bean leaves, whereas black comes from lampblack
through ashes burnt due to lighting of lamps and yellow comes from turmeric powder. The
gum that can be generated from wooden apples works as a binder for the colours. They mix the
colours with this gum for pigmentation of it. (In Search of Her Ramayana, n.d.)
The comics also highlight the issue of women being subjected to the male ego. This is
particularly evident in the role reversal between Sugriva and Rama. Tara, Sugriva's wife,
married Valin out of love and respect, but when Sugriva, with the help of Rama, killed Valin,
Tara refused to be widowed and remarried on the same day. This demonstrates that the
emotional suffering of women is often dismissed in the face of male notions of power and
honour, even if it requires the use of force. In contrast, when Rama kills Ravana, the morality
of the situation is reversed. If killing Valin, whom Tara loved and respected, is justified to win
her back for Sugriva, it is also justified for Ravana to claim Sita, who only loved and respected
Rama. This illustrates that the female perspective towards love and respect for a male is
disregarded, and a woman's fate is solely determined by the victor's claim of propriety over
them, perpetuating their subjugation.
The utilization of Patua scroll art in the comic adaptation of Ramayana serves as a
medium to bridge the gap between contemporary readers and the Indian storytelling tradition.
Comics as a medium possess the ability to challenge the patriarchal norms prevalent in society

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and to present a familiar narrative from the perspective of marginalized characters. By
employing the use of Patua scroll art, the comic broadens its appeal to the reader, adding a
cultural and historical significance to the medium.
Patua scroll art is a traditional form that combines performance, storytelling, and visual
art. The narrator holds a painted scroll and recites or sings the story as the images are revealed.
Similarly, in this comic, the illustrations were created first before being paired with the written
narrative. The choice to use the Patua Scroll art form draws from the rich cultural heritage of
the Patuas, who were often ostracized from traditional Hindu Brahmin societies for not
adhering to prescribed rituals. This alignment of societal outcasts with the story of Sita
highlights the marginalization of women in ancient Indian society and serves as a reflection of
the continued oppression of women in modern times. The story of Sita, cast out due to a
disputed claim of her chastity, serves as a powerful reminder of the patriarchal attitudes that
have permeated Indian society for centuries.
Therefore, the use of the scrolling art of Patuas of Bengal, through the artwork of
Moyna Chitrakar, is an appropriate and fitting representation of the female retelling of
Ramayana from Sita's perspective. By using a medium that is associated with those who have
experienced the same injustices, the comic adds a layer of authenticity to the portrayal of Sita's
experiences.
Now, if we look at the visual expressions of Ramayana, we will see that it is also not
something unique or unusual. Ramayana, or Mahabharata or any Indian epic for that matter,

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does not have any one particular authoritative text, rather they have many oral narratives based
on the cultures by which the formative factors of the narratives take place. In some cases,
Ravana is a tragic hero, somewhere, Rama appears as not so valiant and so on, much like the
Chandrabati Ramayana where the perspective has been shifted from Ram and Ravana’s fight.
The visual representation of the Indian epic Ramayana showcases the multiplicity of
oral narratives that make up its formative elements. The narrative is not confined to a single
authoritative text, but rather encompasses a range of interpretations and cultural influences that
shape its oral traditions. The depiction of Ramayana varies across different artistic mediums
such as Pahari paintings, miniature Mughal art, folk theatre, and Patua scroll art.
The Patua scroll art form offers a unique approach to storytelling, using images to
complement the words and vice versa. Patua narrations are typically performed musically, with
the artist singing the story as the scroll is displayed to the audience. (In Search of Her
Ramayana, n.d.) The images are episodic, often depicting multiple events involving a single
character or movement in a single plane.
In the comics adaptation, the visual representation retains its episodic nature, deviating
from the traditional McCloudian (McCloud, 2006, p. 70-73) sequential panelling of comics
storytelling. The use of the Patua scroll art form in the comic broadens the spectacle for the
reader and offers a fresh perspective, particularly in the context of retelling the story from a
marginalized female viewpoint.
The Curious Case of Tribal Art in Comics

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Thus, we can say that tribal art in India is a rich, unique, and diverse tradition that has
been passed down for generations. Though the use of these kinds of arts in Indian comics may
seem like a good experiment towards the search for the inherent visual language for Indian
comics, the notion with which the paper started, there can also be arguments that this is nothing
more than a way for publishing houses to exploit the tribal art community for commercial gain.
The publishers of the Tara Books have been accused of marketing several of the tribal art forms
by infantilising them, especially, Gond art and for somehow delivering it only to the children.
(Anand & Vellanki, 2015) But at the same time, its co-founder Gita Wolf has been justly
praised by some leading news media (Tara Books, n.d.) and art critics for doing community
exercises in collaborating with folk artists to provide them with livelihoods. (Ramanathan,
2014)
Similarly, Navayana, the publisher of Bhimayana, has faced criticism for the high cost
of their books, which are seen as inaccessible to the marginalized and economically
disadvantaged population. However, S Anand, co-founder of the publishing house, has stated
that the book was not specifically created for the Dalits.
According to S Anand, their chief intention behind making this book was to “sensitise the non-
Dalit, the privileged-class person, to open their minds to the ideas presented in it, and the
wonderful art helps them enter this [world].” (Anand & Vellanki, 2015)
Thus, it can be concluded that though these publishers commission tribal art
practitioners for commercial usage and directly target niche audiences, they do contribute to

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some larger purposes. Through their pioneering use of tribal art in comic storytelling to sell it
in the mainstream market to the privileged class of society, they have successfully been able to
broaden and propagate the tribal identity, culture, and perspective. The ingenious visuality of
these works brings out the real picture of the ‘other’ of the society in front of the urban audience
and lifts the shroud from up above the marginalised community. In their ways of exploration,
these works also contribute to the larger context of finding the intrinsic language that in effect
solidifies the visual culture much needed to establish a proper form of Indian comics in the
international scene.
It is also worth noting that in India, there are other ongoing efforts to develop a unique
and representative language for comics and to bring attention to various social and political
issues through the medium. The Grassroot Comics Movement, operated by World Comics
India, endeavours to bring attention to critical social issues such as infanticide, feticide,
corporal punishment, paedophilia, detention, ethnic cleansing, environmental degradation, and
climate change through the medium of comics. The movement trains non-professionals to
create short comics that reflect their personal experiences and narratives. (Grassroots Comics
– a Comics Movement by World Comics India, n.d.)
Conclusion

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In conclusion, this study posits that tribal art can serve as a distinctive visual language
in Indian comics through the systematic utilization of various tribal styles in the representation
of tribal individuals. The concept of language encompasses a unique culture, and learning a
new language requires an openness to a new culture. Our perception of reality is shaped by
language, and cross-cultural referencing in comics highlights the importance of allowing "the
other" in society to express themselves and for us to learn and embrace their perspectives.
Previous graphic depictions of tribal life in India by non-tribal individuals lack authenticity and
originality, and thus, it is imperative to present tribal stories through their lens. This not only
provides a deeper understanding of tribal culture but can also establish tribal art as a
predominant graphic language in Indian comic art.
To harness the potential of tribal art in Indian comics for the benefit of the tribes,
publishers must engage in collaboration and communication with the tribes. This would enable
publishers to understand the tribes' perspectives and work towards mutually advantageous
solutions that preserve and enhance the cultural heritage of the tribes.
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Expressio: BSSS Journal of English Language and Literature E ISSN

DRAWING IS A WAY OF FIGHTING:

THE COMICS OF THE INDIGENOUS INDIA

Rounak Gupta, Banaras Hindu University, Email Id: rounak.arka@gmai.com, Phone

challenge patriarchal narratives through an ecofeminist perspective. Being in part a distinct

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

the marginal communities.

Keywords: Bhimayana, Sita's Ramayana, Tribal Art, Indian Comics, Resistance

appeals to a wider audience, requiring little understanding from readers.

poverty, and gender bias in a straightforward manner. In a complex, multi-layered, yet

caste”. (Nayar, 2012)

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

language in use here.

many serious social, cultural or political topics as such.

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

or precisely in India in a much different way.

Despite lacking a substantial amount of proto-comic work as a foundation for a unique

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

narrative in sequence is very much evident.

artforms of the Pradhan Gonds and Patua scroll art.

The Question of Indigenous Identity Through Art

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

to popularize an art form long cherished in their own culture.

about the challenges faced by indigenous communities in India.

Bhimayana and the Gond Art

(Campfire Graphic Novels, 2019).

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

(Anand & Vellanki, 2015)

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

digna. We make it on festivals and special occasions like weddings…” (Kochi-Muziris

Thus, no normative comic square or circular hard-lined panelling is used in Bhimayana,

pattern as found in Chris Ware’s Building Stories.

The Gond culture is essentially a nature-worshipping culture. The festivals of Gond

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

scheduled castes and the untouchables in an upper caste-ruled Hindu society.

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Muziris Biennale, 2019)

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

perspectives through a process of critical visual literacy.

Jungle Book,” n.d.)

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Sita’s Ramayana- Towards an Ecofeminist Perspective to Ramayana

as soulful, enduring, and introspective, as she reflects on her fate.

The whole narrative is based on the feminist possibilities of Chandrabati’s Ramayana.

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

perspective. The Ramayana narrative has evolved to a more nuanced representation,

pride brings about.

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

them, perpetuating their subjugation.

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

and to present a familiar narrative from the perspective of marginalized characters. By

cultural and historical significance to the medium.

have permeated Indian society for centuries.

Moyna Chitrakar, is an appropriate and fitting representation of the female retelling of

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

character or movement in a single plane.

marginalized female viewpoint.

The Curious Case of Tribal Art in Comics

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

corporal punishment, paedophilia, detention, ethnic cleansing, environmental degradation, and

– a Comics Movement by World Comics India, n.d.)

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0