Bhimayana Part 1

This chapter places the graphic novel Bhimayana, which narrates vignettes from the life of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, in various literary traditions: the comic book form (primarily aimed at a young audience), the Western graphic novel, and Indian experimentations with graphic narrative. Bhimayana is unique in its use of the Pardhan Gond art style which deviates from the restrictive panel structure of conventional graphic novels. Instead, the free-flowing art style makes use of ‘digna’ to sequence the narrative, and it challenges the reader to switch between the word and the image to make sense of Bhim’s experiences of discrimination and resistance.