A Gardener in the Wasteland by Srividya Natarajan

It would have been interesting to see what the authors make of this, especially as some theorists hold that the British codified the caste system, 'fixing' it, from what was formerly a little more fluid. 'The brahmans recite tall tales from the puranas, poison the minds of the shudras against the British, stir up rebellion,' goes one panel. Instead of challenging, examining and engaging with the text, Natarajan and Ninan offer a few of their personal experiences but don't go very deep.įor example, Phule repeatedly asserts that the 'brahmans' are stirring up the shudras against the British, who offer a bulwark of protection against oppression. This is where I feel an opportunity was missed. This device cleverly mirrors the dialogue between Phule and his friend Dhondiba, which Ghulamgiri is structured around. Every now and then, Natarajan and Ninan themselves appear in the narrative, discussing the book they are creating. Ghulamgiri is a polemic, with the white heat of anger at oppression radiating from its core, and it should be read in the light of that white heat.Ī Gardener in the Wasteland: Jotiba Phule's Fight for Liberty, written by Srividya Natarajan and drawn by Aparajita Ninan, has a unique approach, retelling, adapting and framing Phule's book in sequential art form. When Phule wrote the book, he had been fighting for more than 20 years for social justice. The 1857 rebellion and its bloody aftermath had ended one epoch of Indian history and a new one was dawning. Ghulamgiri (its full title can be translated as Slavery in the civilised British government under the cloak of Brahmanism) came out in 1873, a time of immense political ferment in India. He strongly believed in the power of education - he and his wife Savitribai opened one of the first schools for girls in India in 1848.

Phule was a pioneering social reformer in Maharashtra, fighting against the oppressive terror of the caste system and standing up for women's emancipation. Jotirao Phule's Ghulamgiri is not just a book, but a declaration of war.

Book: A Gardener in The Wasteland: Jotiba Phule's Fight For Liberty

A Gardener in the Wasteland by Srividya Natarajan