by Sumit Kumar
Hardcover; 162 pages.
Publisher: Bakarmax
A no-holds-barred satirical comic book on the history of the radical left in India's Red Corridor.
In newly independent India -- where food production is at an all time low, zamindars control the farms, Nehru is dead, and the coalition government is headed for the wall -- a tiny village in West Bengal plays host to an uprising. From Naxalbari, the story travels back and forth in time, from pre-independence Hyderabad to post-independence Andhra Pradesh... and finally to the jungles of Dandkaranya (Bastar and the surrounding regions) where the sparks of Naxalbari grew into the fire that impacts India and its people today.
"Sumit Kumar’s comic was the first of its kind—it not only dares to portray the serious topic of the Naxal and communist uprising through the verbal and visual interaction of the comic mode but also experiments with a wide array of styles and techniques in the text, thereby injecting the necessary dosage of plurality that could go into the making of an Indian comic. By amalgamating the present political events with those of the past, by invoking classics as well as pop-culture and its icons, by mixing colourful pages with stark blacks and whites, among his many binaries, Kumar creates a scathing, tragic-comic narrative that almost borders on the absurd.." --Antarleena Basu
"Though executed with endearing, colourful illustrations, this is no historical retelling for children. A satirical take on the political history of the country, this book is truly a step towards understanding our roots and history." --Bangalore Mirror