The tragedy of being a comic novelist In India

New Delhi: “We shouldn’t think of films, series and novels as unfriendly mediums but rather focus on our skills of telling a good story,” says Sarnath Banerjee, the author of Corridor: A graphic novel, during a discussion on comic books and graphic novels.
As the panelists — including Arjun Gaind, a graphic novelist who has interned with Marvel Comics and Arunava Sinha, a literary translator — spoke about Banerjee being tagged as the first graphic novelist in India, he urged the audience to believe that the medium has always existed in Indian culture in the stories we tell each other.
Gaind said he believes there isn’t much difference between comic books and graphic novels. He preferred to use the term ‘sequential art’ for the comics they create but joked about how he couldn’t afford to be too high-brow with his earnings.
There’s a strong fan base for comic books in India but the question is whether Indians like to read comics by Indian authors. “Most of the graphic novelists, even in India, are artists-writers and it’s important to have both skills. People are reading comic books these days, but I think they’re not into Indian mythology but prefer something like Marvel comics, and we, as Indian authors, are at a precarious position in the realm of comic culture.”
Banerjee elaborated on the idea of a comic book. “I am a storyteller and I like the comic book narrative. The psychological impact of such books on people is very important. I believe that you must have a strong understanding of older forms of literature to come up with new ideas,” he said.
The struggles for comic book writers in India are quite real. Gaind jokingly recounted one such incident where one of his books sold just eight copies. Banerjee spoke of his struggles, “I caught my mother telling someone I’m not good at drawing or writing, so I found a middle ground in graphic novels, and somehow I’ve taken that as a huge compliment.”