This episode is the second in a two-part series on political webcomics in India. In the context of an increasingly repressive regime, the role of allegory, especially in the mode of fantasy and parody, becomes vital. On the Indian Internet, an example is the figure of Rashtraman, a dubious superhero starring in his own webcomic series. I speak to its creator Appupen, a visual artist and musician who tells stories from the mythical dimension called Halahala. Having published several books of graphic fiction, he launched his online comic series with the popular superhero satire 'Rashtraman' and the politically charged ‘Dystopian Times’ in 2015. He is the founder/editor of Brainded India, an arts collective with an agenda. We discuss how visual satire can show us the workings of power, the history of cartooning as political critique in post-Independence India and why the MCU is a technocratic dream.
Click here to access the Image Guide+ & view the images and material being discussed in the podcast: https://sites.google.com/view/artalaap-podcast-resources/episode-5
Credits:
Producer: Tunak Teas
Design & artwork: Mohini Mukherjee
Audio courtesy: Vernouillet by Blue Dot Sessions [CC BY-NC 4.0]
Images: Instagram @appupen
Additional support: Kanishka Sharma, Amy Goldstone-Sharma, Raghav Sagar, Shalmoli Halder, Arunima Nair
Dedicated to Dai, whose booming voice will always be remembered.
References:
Prabhat Patnaik, 'Neoliberalism and Fascism', Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, 27 Feb. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2277976019901029