Another unconventional feature that the Gond art has introduced in Bhimayana is the use of distinctly shaped speech and thought bubbles. David Carrier, in his book The Aesthetics of Comics, says that the sequence of images in a comic strip or graphic novel constitutes a narrative which brings this medium closer to that of mainstream literature. The author asserts that, to analyze the narrative, the reader’s awareness about the ‘speech balloons’ is important. In Bhimayana, we find two types of speech balloons: a bird-shaped one which is used in case of the benign man, or the victim of cast-oppression and another shaped like a scorpion tail which carries the words uttered with intended sarcasm and vulgarity. The thought bubble is also unique:
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They are shown to react and respond to the events projected in the work, overtaking these natural abilities from the world of humans. In Bhimayana, we find two cows witnessing tears spilled by the earth-mover with which a dalit man was killed (46); a peacock spreading its plumes when the villagers are elated at Ambedkar’s acceptance of their proposal (79), and a thirsty Ambedkar is shown with a fish in his stomach (19). The study of symbolism in Bhimayana requires a more critical approach towards the social context of the plot. The animal images, the potential symbols depicting caste hierarchy and other figurative elements engage in the storytelling which overpowers the verbal medium of expression. Train journeys stretch across the page in a serpentine manner (30); the Chawadar Tank, access to which was denied to the dalits, takes the shape of a fish owing to its association with thirst (pg 54); a brooding Ambedkar’s face is portrayed as the landscape symbolizing someone who has become critical of his roots, his native land (72). In another part, Ambedkar’s face becomes the front-part of a bus, signifying his leadership (82). The vocabulary of Gond art is utilized to symbolize the …show more content…
The storytelling creates a harmonious marriage of the present and the past, tradition and the modern; it shatters the progressive picture of India that inhabits our minds, employing beautiful smear of colors and patterns. This unique and ‘free’ (‘khulla’) narrative medium is, therefore, quite deservingly chosen to be the mouthpiece for narrating the tale of Ambedkar’s fight against the dominant Brahminical hegemonic
They are shown to react and respond to the events projected in the work, overtaking these natural abilities from the world of humans. In Bhimayana, we find two cows witnessing tears spilled by the earth-mover with which a dalit man was killed (46); a peacock spreading its plumes when the villagers are elated at Ambedkar’s acceptance of their proposal (79), and a thirsty Ambedkar is shown with a fish in his stomach (19). The study of symbolism in Bhimayana requires a more critical approach towards the social context of the plot. The animal images, the potential symbols depicting caste hierarchy and other figurative elements engage in the storytelling which overpowers the verbal medium of expression. Train journeys stretch across the page in a serpentine manner (30); the Chawadar Tank, access to which was denied to the dalits, takes the shape of a fish owing to its association with thirst (pg 54); a brooding Ambedkar’s face is portrayed as the landscape symbolizing someone who has become critical of his roots, his native land (72). In another part, Ambedkar’s face becomes the front-part of a bus, signifying his leadership (82). The vocabulary of Gond art is utilized to symbolize the …show more content…
The storytelling creates a harmonious marriage of the present and the past, tradition and the modern; it shatters the progressive picture of India that inhabits our minds, employing beautiful smear of colors and patterns. This unique and ‘free’ (‘khulla’) narrative medium is, therefore, quite deservingly chosen to be the mouthpiece for narrating the tale of Ambedkar’s fight against the dominant Brahminical hegemonic