Graphic novels and the 'epic' tradition

JAIPUR: For those who have grown up on Amar Chitra Katha and comics of various hues, both Western and Indian, the concept of graphic novel may not be awfully new.
But this genre of telling a tale through graphics has found quite a few practitioners in the country , and Amruta Patil, who was hosted recently by Pratibha Khaitan Foundation's The Write Circle at ITC Rajputana, is a pioneer who experimented with the form.
While her first graphic novel `Kari' dealt with a lesbian woman living in a large, toxic urban space, her subsequent works -`Adi Parva: Churning of the Ocean' and `Sauptik: Blood and Flowers' -are retellings of stories from Indian epics and mythology.
Amruta took the audience through her career as an artist, from being an illustrator at an advertising agency in Mumbai to an author of three books.
“I ventured into mythology and history to learn more about stories of various kinds of people. Mythology offers stories that do not paint human nature in black and white but rather delve in greyer shades,“ she said.
Speaking on the art of graphic novel, Amruta said, “While storyboarding, I eliminate designs and take only the best possible images, much like a sculptor chisel ing a block of marble.“ She learnt the basics from the masters, starting in an autodidactic manner, but progressed to develop a style of her own.
For narration, she employs the concept of `sutradhaar,' a storyteller who chooses stories as per the audience.“The `sutradhaar' is an intricate craftsperson who chooses tales from thousands of threads. The `sutradhaar' is counter-hegemonic and brings different perspectives and something of themselves into stories,“ she said.
The event was held along with Shree Cement, which promotes cultural and literary traditions, and Siyahi, a literary agency .