Author: Sneha Chakraborty

Abstract: The caste-based hierarchical oppression was embedded as a major hegemonic and internalized truth in the Indian subcontinent. Even in the 21st century, caste-based social oppression is a crude reality of India which operates on different levels. Apart from fighting against the colonial power, India was divided internally which caused social injustices and atrocities to communities based on their caste and class. The paper would locate “Bhimayana” as the pioneering text, accounting for the life of Dr. B.R Ambedkar and understand its hierarchical politics on the ritualistic belief of ‘impurity’ associated with the notion of birth. It aspires to delve deeper into caste-based politics, social activism, and reforms in the Indian Varna system. The graphic novel by Sri Vidya Natarajan and S.Anand talks about the life journey of Dr. Ambedkar, as the revolutionary agent to combat the regressive system of social immobility as an organic and unchangeable biological entity to the ‘marginalized community’. It would highlight its resemblance with “Ramayana”, the journey of Rama, and the iconic figure in the Indian epic tradition. The beauty of “Bhimayana” lies underneath its unique form of metaphors and the message that it wants to portray. The paper would critically analyze the atrocities attributed to them and how the novel became the raging voice to fight against the system with its folkloric anecdotes and subtle interpretations. It would try to understand how the structure of the novel holds an impetus to fight against this crude system by amalgamating people across different communities to construct “Bhimayana” as a central novel against caste-based oppression and becoming a catalyst of hope and positivity to the world.

Keywords: caste, oppression, narrative discourse, social activism, Varna system

Article Info: Received: 09 Nov 2020; Received in revised form: 29 Dec 2020; Accepted: 03 Feb 2021; Available online: 28 Feb 2021

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.61.56