It is common to hear stories and tales from grandparents as a child. So did Vikram Balagopal, writer/illustrator of the graphic novel “Simian Parts 1 & 2” (Harper Collins) and these according to him “grew like a flowering vine into my psyche, not so binding as to choke, but tendrils that sprouted to life in my dreams.” In this debut book, part of the trilogy, the epic Ramayana is narrated by Hanuman from his point of view to Bhima. He mentions Ralph T.H. Griffith’s translation of Ramayana and Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s translation of Mahabharata, as his source and guide.
A diploma holder in filmmaking, focusing on direction, from the New York Film Academy, Vikram, has worked as an assistant director for five years and also developed scripts for films. Though he wrote poems and plays for his school magazine, he took a break from films to write his maiden book.
Explaining what inspired him to write this novel, the author said, “I felt very strongly about the subject matter – Hanuman story in the Ramayana – what was going on in his mind while he was doing what he did.” On why he chose mighty warrior to tell the story, he says “I could express my interpretation and feelings though his character. In fact he helped me to explore a lot of my inner demons, like anger. It was very a personal endeavour for me.”
Further he adds, “I had read about news about several wars all over the world and was intrigued as to what starts them. And I found that many could be traced to small incidents which had snowballed into conflicts.” This aspect is dealt with many times in the book like when Anjaneya tells Bhima: “Beware for war will test your morality to the limit. There will be times, Bhima when you have to make a choice and very often in war there are only two – to either die or compromise on your morals. Compromises with a great price you will have to live out your days with.”
The writer named the book “Simian” as he found Hanuman been oft used. “The title refers to not only the monkeys or vanaras but also human beings who are part of the story,” he said. Interestingly, the designing of the monkeys is based on gelada baboon ( theropithecus gelada ) found in Ethiopian Highlands. “I fell in love with them when I saw them in a documentary during my early 20s. While writing I wanted to use them but was sceptical as they did not belong to the subcontinent. During my research I discovered that their fossils had been found in Mirzapur, India. So it was not a total leap of fantasy for me.” He adds that before the release of his book in May 2014 there were news reports about fossils being found in caves of Andhra Pradesh.
The tale does not limit itself to narration of events in a sequence and tries to understand the characters’ motivation and what they are going through and dealing with it. Says Vikram, “Everyone has layers and we are motivated to do what we think is right which may not necessarily be the case later on. In fact it may turn out to be self-serving.” Adding a personal touch he says, “I am 30 years old and have a huge lists of regrets.”
The reason why he used black and white sketches, the writer stated: “The personalities are a lot deeper and not just good or evil with shades of grey. I felt that this medium will match the tone of story and make it gritty. I used colour only to depict the divine beings to give a sense of hyperrealism, a sort of dimension beyond the other characters of the story.”
The flashbacks in the story standout as each of them are depicted in different styles. “This was done to suit the tone of each flashback and differentiate it from other sketches,” says the illustrator. Sample, Sugriva relating the fight between his brother, Bali and Dundubhi, the giant monster, which is in the shape of camp fire.
This apart, there is underlying philosophy which is not thrown across to the readers directly but subtly through different characters. Hanuman is portrayed as wise and contemporary as according to Vikram “he has experienced it all. For example, when he says, ‘Wisdom is not knowledge. It is not experience either. No, it is the ability to gather the two and use them rationally for your purpose. And this purpose must be decided by you alone, after careful consideration of the facts’.”
Interestingly, the inhabitants of Lanka are shown as humans and not as rakshasas . “I find it very racistto do so,” said Vikram. Ravan is portrayed as sensitive, intellectual, a great king of a great kingdom.
At present busy finishing part three of “Simian”, the writer plans to return to the screen writing and filmmaking. He said due to his experience in celluloid doing the script and storyboarding of the present book came very naturally to him. “The story and pictures of ‘Simian’ have a cinematic flow,” he said and added that the market for novels and particularly that of graphic ones is growing in India.
