Zines from the underground

The Bhopal gas tragedy, Savitribai Phule, children from marginalised communities, street fashion, xeroxwallahs, the ABC of anarchy: think of a topic and you will discover that a zine has been probably created on it.

This weekend, at the 1st Bombay Zine Fest, you can peruse zines on these topics and more. The two-day event will showcase independently published literature, comic books, poetry, journalism, and drawings, and it promises to be a celebration of this form.

"I've always wanted to do a zine fest. I've been making zines for 15 years. Last year, we tried to set up a library and reading space - a place where people can come to look at quality work from across the country. So, we thought of putting up an exhibition of some of the zines we like," says Himanshu S, co-founder of Bombay Underground Collective that's organising the event.

Aqui Thami and Himanshu S at the Underground Bookhouse

There will be zines from people across the country, besides England, USA, Australia and Spain. Look out for a Patti Smith fanzine, collaborative zines with women writers, a Safdar Hashmi zine, a DIY ‘how-to' guide, dialogues between couples, a work on food, Bhagat Singh fan zine, and even one about women narrating stories about their periods. "We had put out a submission call in October. We have over 120 zines on a good range of personal and random pieces covering art, culture and activism. These zines include our own works, those from our collection and books we've found interesting," adds Himanshu.

While most submissions were accepted, Himanshu adds that they ensured there was no racism, sexism or homophobia in the stories.

The final plan is to create a library of zines from across India, and the world. They've also put out a call for help, for people to either host the fest or contribute towards hosting it in other cities.

What is a zine?
It is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced using a photocopier, printing press or just paper and pen. Zines draw inspiration from a DIY philosophy or ethic, and can be one-of-a-kind, collectible art.