’Ambedkar didn’t have to travel to South Africa to face discrimination’

Navayana founder and co-writer of Bhimayana, S Anand engages in some plainspeak about working on the project

Navayana's books convey a specific anti-caste ideology. Yes. Navayana was started in 2003, with a self-driven mind to create a unique stream of publishing. My friend, Ravi Kumar, who is part of the Dalit movement, played a huge role in kickstarting it.

Despite the Internet and advanced technology, caste issues continue to be prevalent. We aim to reinforce this in new ways. Even in the public media, the issue is reduced to reservation-based coverage.

As a mainstream journalist, prior to founding Navayana, I found it impossible to take the issue forward. Publishing was a viable medium, particularly since nobody took up the caste issue. We publish non-fiction, academic books and poetry.

Navayana means 'new vehicle', a term to define Ambedkarite Buddhism. We are not a Buddhist publishing house, but are highly influenced by Ambedkar's anti-caste policy.

Why did you pick Ambedkar's life to challenge the Gond artists?
Our first published work, Ambedkar: Autobiographical Notes generated tremendous interest. So we decided to use the graphic medium since it can capture people's imagination, across age groups. We wanted to address graphic art in a sequential storytelling format, with moving objects. The Vyams had never worked on a book in a sequential format stretching across 106 pages.

How did they absorb the text and translate it so beautifully, especially since most of urban India is selectively aware of his achievements?
While most of us grew up on stories about Gandhi's experiences, Ambedkar's life wasn't well-documented; we've only seen his statues or know that he drafted the Indian Constitution.
Most Mumbaiites aren't aware that he lived in Goregaon, in a chawl, or that he edited four newspapers. He was an authority on issues ranging from Partition to water solutions; he shaped our policy on big dams, and he was India's first Law Minister.

The Vyams hadn't heard of him. Unlike in Maharashtra, Ambedkar doesn't find resonance in Madhya Pradesh, where the artists are based. His story had to be narrated to the Vyams. Their daughter played conduit, throughout.

When they understood his importance, they were enthusiastic and able to relate to him since they too faced discrimination (of a different kind) while in the city. There were not intimidated that their chief protagonist was a national leader.
I'd say the book is written between Ambedkar and the Vyams; Srividya (co-writer) and I are only facilitators.

How did Srividya (Natarajan) and you break down Ambedkar's story into a fluid, unconventional storyline?
Srividya is based in Canada. When I sounded her out, the concept took her breath away. I had researched Gond art and had engaged in an organic interaction with the artists.

We never told the Vyams how to approach the story. Initially, the look resembled that of a picture book for children; this was re-visited. We had to ensure that every page was a riddle, a challenge with a new element to discover.

Besides, they aren't corrupted by our sense on unilateral thinking. The story has hundreds of layers of meanings that connect. Sometimes, creating a page would take up to six days of work. It was a labourious effort.

How did the Gandhi vs Ambedkar debate enter it?
Even Ambedkar doesn't talk about this aspect in his autobiography. When I sent the first draft of this book to respected comic artist Joe Sacco, he suggested we end the book with this debate.

Ambedkar didn't have to go to South Africa to experience discrimination; he faced it in India, as an untouchable. Gandhi always wondered whether Ambedkar was a Dalit or a self-hating Brahmin. There is a lot of history that we had to compress into a couple of pages towards the endu00a0-- essentially, the confrontation between national leaders at the First Round Table Conference, the drafting of the Indian Constitution, and Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels