Graphic, yet grim

The first graphic novel on Kashmir highlights the prevailing sentiment in the state, gives a boost to the new format

In a dark cell of a Srinagar jail, two bearded militants are talking about jehad and their dreams over food and cigarettes. The image is stark, real and reminiscent of an unending era marred by militancy. It’s close to the real thing, but not quite. It’s a pictoral snippet out of the first graphical novel on Kashmir.

Written by Srinagar-based Naseer Ahmed, with sketches by Saurabh Singh, an India Today illustrator, Kashmir Pending is a unique attempt to capture the prevailing psyche—anguish, alienation—in Kashmir. Using real characters in the backdrop of violence in the militancy-wracked Kashmir of 1989, Ahmed builds a case for its people without letting in any bias.

“The sense of alienation and nationhood run deep in the state and the book highlights it subtly without generalising the psyche of militants or hurting the sensibilities of Kashmiri and Indian readers,” says Ahmed, who talked to a militant from downtown Srinagar, tracing his childhood, political stirrings and life at home, mosque and mohalla. “The book raises questions on the treatment meted out to Kashmiris in the past and its role in shaping the sentiment etched deep in its psyche. The alienation in Kashmir is palpable in the book,” he adds.

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“Our stand on Kashmir is neutral and based on interviews. We have kept the narrative straight,” says Anindiya Roy, director Phantomville publishing house.

But don’t graphical novels reduce the seriousness of an issue like Kashmir? “No, the book is not light or funny, but a grim narrative highlighting facts,” says Roy. “Through this novel, we have tried to show the futility of violence without tampering with the sentiments.”

“What fascinated me was the book’s format,” says Ahmed. “It’s a mix of fact and fiction and uses beautiful illustrations, which take one closer to the situation in Kashmir.” The illustrations are, of course, the high point of the book. The images of prisoners in shadowy cells with sunken faces and effective use of red and black maintain the seriousness of the issue. To induce reality, a huge bulk of pictures were shot in the Valley.

Though the graphic novel, with its treatment of issues like Kosovo, and Palestine has been a big hit in internationally, it is a relatively new phenomenon in India. Kashmir Pending hopes to change that.