Bhimayana 3

The Politics of Storytelling – A Review of Bhimayana:
Incidents in the Life of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Bhimayana: Incidents in the Life of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is a graphic

biography of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar published in 2011 by Navayana, a
publishing house that focuses on the issue of caste from an anti-caste
perspective. In this ground-breaking work, Pardhan-Gond artists Durgabai
Vyam and Subhash Vyam interweave past events with current occurrences,
infusing vibrant life into the graphic idiom through their awe-inspiring art.
My attempt in this essay is to examine the artistic choices that went into the
making of this graphic novel, and to weigh their political significance
against the majority of the literature available to us in modern India.
I Summary:
Bhimayana unfolds in the context of a conversation at a bus stop,

apparently between a Dalit woman and a caste Hindu man. The man
complains about his dead-end job and blames his situation on job quotas
for Backward and Scheduled Castes. This serves as a catalyst for the woman
to begin narrating what is essentially the plot of the novel – various
instances from the life of Ambedkar and their parallels in the modern
scenario.
The novel is divided into four small chapters or ‘books’. Book 1, Water,
highlights the pervasive presence of caste in Ambedkar’s daily life. A young
Bhim could not drink from the same tap as his upper-caste classmates;
furthermore, on a trip with his family, not a single person along the way
gave him water for fear of being polluted. This would turn out to be the
most unforgettable lesson about untouchability that he would learn.
Throughout the chapter, we see excerpts from various modern news articles
that show how untouchability is certainly not just a concern of the past.
Book 2, Shelter, is premised around Ambedkar’s experiences in Baroda as
an adult. He was driven out of a hotel run by a Parsi man for being a non-
Parsi, and was further denied accommodation in his Hindu and Christian
friends’ houses as well. These moments of transparency show us that
untouchability was present even outside the Hindu social order. Book 3,
Travel, takes place in Chalisgaon, Nasik where Ambedkar was looking into
the social boycott by caste Hindus of the Untouchables in Dhulia. On the
insistence of the people, Ambedkar agreed to stay the night with them, but
the journey to their neighbourhood was a rather unsteady one. The
tongawallas (vehicle drivers) refused to drive Ambedkar and so his tonga
had to be driven by a complete novice, leading to an accident. This taught
Ambedkar that a Hindu tongawalla, menial in the eyes of caste Hindus, can
look upon himself as superior to all Untouchables. It is at the end of this
chapter that the initial conversation wraps up. The Hindu man admits to
having a new-found respect for Ambedkar and sees why he is such an icon
for Dalits today, despite still disagreeing with his ideology. Book 4, The Art
of Bhimayana, introduces the artists and writers and gives us a sneak peek
into the making of the graphic novel. We learn about the creative processes
that went into the novel as well as the rationale behind them.
II Analysis:
Bhimayana is a political graphic novel published by Navayana, self-

proclaimed as India’s first and only publishing house to focus on the issue
of caste from an anti-caste perspective.[i] Named after Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s
socially and morally concerned interpretation of Buddhism, Navayana
translates to ‘new vehicle’.[ii] In relation to this, there seems to be a certain
significance of ‘Bhimayana’ as a title. A semantic analysis of the word
indicates to an obvious reference to ‘Ramayana’. In the words of Durgabai
Vyam, the artist responsible for the novel “While doing the book I once told
Anand (the publisher), this is like the Ramayana! He said, ‘No, this is
Bhimayana’ – and that’s how we hit upon this title.”[iii] Bhimayana
translates to Bhim’s journey, which is an accurate description of the plot
within the novel, however, its deeper political significance exists in the
parallels it draws with Ramayana. Reworked folk songs have acted as key
tools for the Bahujan Samaj Party in spreading Ambedkar’s ideology since
the 1990s. For instance, in one song, Kaushalya Rani (the eldest wife of
King Dashratha in Ramayana) is replaced by Ambedkar’s mother.[iv] Ram
is a central figure in Hinduism and is revered as ‘maryada purushottama’ or
the perfect man.[v] Replacing his image in popular culture with that of
Ambedkar’s is a powerful subaltern move which essentially flips the Hindu
social order on its head, with an Untouchable man as the ideal.
The graphic novel is a term first coined in English in 1964, thus being a very
young form of artistic expression.[vi] Pardhan-Gond artists Durgabai Vyam
and Subhash Vyam added their own twist to the art form, by not confining
their characters to boxes, creating ‘space for all to breathe’. With customary
tribal patronage dwindling over the past century, tribal art has become a
dying medium, and in this context, the decision to employ tribal artists to
illustrate the story of an Untouchable leader becomes all the more
significant.
Several artistic choices throughout the novel are quite obviously politically
charged. The speech bubbles that contain dialogue are of two types. One is
in the shape of a bird, and it contains the dialogues of ‘characters whose
speech is soft, the lovable characters, the victims of caste’. The second type
takes the shape of a scorpion’s tale, holding the dialogues of ‘characters
who love caste, whose words carry a sting and contain poison’. This
polarisation of characters is a clear representation of the authors’
perspective, which is unabashedly anti-caste. It depicts Ambedkar as the
well-meaning protagonist and caste Hindus as the evil antagonists. A third
bubble is that of the thought bubble, pictured to be stemming from the
mind’s eye to ‘contain words that cannot be heard but can be perceived’.
This appears to be a subtle reference to the Third eye in Buddhism, which is
the inner eye or eye of wisdom.[vii] The artists incredibly infuse deep
meaning into features that can be overlooked as simple aesthetic tools.
Bhimayana is generous with its symbolism. The ecology of Pardhan Gond

art is such that even when dealing with urban subjects, we see freefalling
animals, birds, and trees. A thirsty young Ambedkar is visualised as a fish
and happiness is depicted not through smiling faces but a dancing peacock.
The artists introduce poignancy into situations and characters through
drawings where words would otherwise be lacking. The novel features the
image of pointing fingers throughout the narrative. One may interpret the
pointing fingers as being aimed in a discriminatory fashion towards the
Untouchables. A more pronounced observation, however, may be
supplemented by the fact that most statues of Ambedkar erected in his
honour depict him pointing forward. This could be a metaphor for progress,
a collective movement towards a better, equalitarian future. Another
example of universal equality in the novel is shown in the drawing of
people; each person irrespective of caste, class, or gender, is drawn in black
and white with similar strokes and textures. It subtly encourages the
readers to view every character as fundamentally alike. A more pervasive,
though perhaps understated symbolic value is injected in the colour blue. It
is featured prominently in the novel, whether as bright blue water, or a
more muted blue in the clothes of Ambedkar. This bolsters the use of the
popular Ambedkarite greeting ‘neel salam’ or blue salute, which embodies
Ambedkarite ideals.[viii]
The writing in Bhimayana is lucid and accessible. The historic tale of

Ambedkar is seamlessly interwoven with modern examples. The text
borrows heavily from contemporary news articles, a tactic which triumphs
in giving the reader a solid foundation in the reality of caste. The matter is
structured to retain the interest of the reader, and when combined with the
artwork, we are presented with a piece of literature that is unapologetically
deliberate in its narrative.
Bhimayana is a departure from the norm that successfully punctures the

mainstream narrative and aims spotlights at issues that escape widespread
coverage. The novel is remarkable for the authors’ immersion of the story
within a folk-art tradition and their crafting of a politically-engaged account
that remains open to a diversity of audiences. If it is possible to draw from
this book a child’s description of good versus evil, this is because the
simplest narratives are the most politically expedient.
Works cited:
[i] Retrieved from http://navayana.org/about/
[ii] Retrieved from http://www.navayan.com/navayan.php?about-navayan
[iii] Vyam, Durgabai; Vyam, Subhash; Natarajan, Srividya; Anand, S.

(2011). Bhimayana: Incidents in the Life of Bhimrao Ramji
Ambedkar. Delhi: Navayana. Pg.104
[iv] Ghosh, Avijit. (2016, October 16). Folk songs, booklets are BSP’s keys to
spreading Ambedkar thought. The Times of India, Retrieved
from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/Folk-songs-booklets-
are-BSPs-keys-to-spreading-Ambedkar-
thought/articleshow/54891392.cms
[v] Hess, L. (2001). “Rejecting Sita: Indian Responses to the Ideal Man’s
Cruel Treatment of His Ideal Wife”. Journal of the American Academy of
Religion.67 (1), 1–32.
[vi] Gravett, Paul. (2015, October 29). The Indian graphic novel is here to
stay. Retrieved from https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-
magazine/indian-graphic-novel-here-stay
[vii] Retrieved from http://www.buddha-heads.com/buddha-head-

statues/eye-of-the-buddha/
[viii] Ragesh, G. (2016, March 9). Can the CPM embrace Kanhaiah’s blue
cup, too. Manorama, Retrieved
from http://english.manoramaonline.com/news/columns/opinion/kanhai
ya-kumar-speech-cpm-dalits-marxism-ambedkarism-chithralekha.html
1. Vyam, Durgabai; Vyam, Subhash; Natarajan, Srividya; Anand, S.

(2011). Bhimayana: Incidents in the Life of Bhimrao Ramji
Ambedkar. Delhi: Navayana.
2. Maier, Meghan. Bhimayana: Thirst for Khulla. Retrieved

from http://library.tulane.edu/journals/index.php/SL/article/view/6

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The Politics of Storytelling – A Review of Bhimayana:

Incidents in the Life of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

Bhimayana: Incidents in the Life of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is a graphic

Bhimayana unfolds in the context of a conversation at a bus stop,

Bhimayana is a political graphic novel published by Navayana, self-

Bhimayana is generous with its symbolism. The ecology of Pardhan Gond

The writing in Bhimayana is lucid and accessible. The historic tale of

Bhimayana is a departure from the norm that successfully punctures the

[i] Retrieved from http://navayana.org/about/

[ii] Retrieved from http://www.navayan.com/navayan.php?about-navayan

[iii] Vyam, Durgabai; Vyam, Subhash; Natarajan, Srividya; Anand, S.

[vii] Retrieved from http://www.buddha-heads.com/buddha-head-

1. Vyam, Durgabai; Vyam, Subhash; Natarajan, Srividya; Anand, S.

2. Maier, Meghan. Bhimayana: Thirst for Khulla. Retrieved

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