Golchakkar: Graphic Narratives from India
Golchakkar Series - The June panel of our virtual literary talk featured Sharanya Manivannan, Varud Gupta, and Devapriya Roy: Graphic Narratives from India. Hosted by Kiran Bhat.
The Chakkar welcomes to our reading series, GOLCHAKKAR. Every month, we will host an online panel discussion of Indian artists in conversation with the world.
Graphic Narratives from India: Sharanya Manivannan, Varud Gupta, and Devapriya Roy
This month on Golchakkar, we were joined by writers and illustrators Sharanya Manivannan, Varud Gupta, and Devapriya Roy to discuss the shaping of graphic narratives, visual literature and art, and particularly tales that respond to India’s history and mythology. The session was hosted as ever by world traveler, polyglot, and author Kiran Bhat.
Participants
SHARANYA MANIVANNAN is the author of several acclaimed books of fiction and poetry, including The High Priestess Never Marries and The Queen of Jasmine Country. She recently made her debut as an illustrator with the children's picturebook Mermaids In The Moonlight, and its companion graphic novel, Incantations Over Water, will be published later this year.
VARUD GUPTA is the award-winning author of the graphic novel Chhotu: A Tale of Partition and Love (Comic Con India “Best Writer”) and the travelogue Bhagwaan Ke Pakwaan: Food of the Gods (Gourmand for “Peace”). His words also frequently appear in National Geographic Traveller and Mint Lounge. He received his bachelors in Finance from New York University.
DEVAPRIYA ROY is the author of three novels - The Vague Woman's Handbook (2011), The Weight Loss Club (2013) and Friends from College (2019) - and one book of narrative non-fiction, The Heat and Dust Project (2015), co-written with husband Saurav Jha, the story of a budget journey across India. In 2018, she published Indira, a graphic biography of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in collaboration with artist Priya Kuriyan. An alumna of Presidency College, Calcutta, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, she is currently Senior Writing Fellow at Ashoka University.
KIRAN BHAT is an Indian-American novelist, short-story writer, and educator. He is the author of We of the Forsaken World, Afora Adentro, Autobiografia, Kiran Speaks, Tirugaatha, and more. An avid world traveler, polyglot, and digital nomad, he has currently travelled to over 130 countries, lived in 18 different places, and speaks 12 languages. He currently lives in Melbourne.
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