Weaving the story, pulling at the strings: Hindu mythology and feminist critique in two graphic novels by South Asian women

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper examines two graphic novels by women based on Hindu mythology: Samhita Arni’s Sita’s Ramayana and Amruta Patil’s Adi Parva: The Churning of the Ocean. These texts use a range of storytelling techniques and visual elements to disrupt conventional understandings of male-centred mythological narratives. Sita’s Ramayana (Tara Books 2011) is illustrated by Moyna Chitrakar and written by Samhita Arni. The book situates Sita as an empathetic protagonist. Patil’s Adi Parva: The Churning of the Ocean (Harper Collins 2012) is based on the first book of the Mahabharata, featuring the goddess Ganga as sutradhaar or narrator. The essay examines the relationship between these affect-driven graphic novels and their mythological source material. Tracing the concept-metaphor of weaving and unravelling in and through these two texts, I argue that by moving between authentic representation and reflexive critique in this complex medium, Arni, Chitrakar and Patil are weaving the potential for feminist thought.