Why protest?

Bakarmax has always been at protests - and it feels good

Hi It’s me, Sumit and today let’s talk about protests.

We recently posted a comic on Sonam Wangchuk’s protest. Before you rush and dismiss it as mere opportunism, let me talk more about it.

This comic is actually an updated version of an old comic we made during his Ladakh protest.

Usually only cartoonists in India are “political“ - illustrators and animation studios are “apolitical“. We as a studio break that mould. We are not screaming the loudest. But we do make our point.

Also, I have always felt people misunderstand what protests are. They think it is upper class people carrying jhola and getting hosed down by the police. I grew up thinking that.

I actually went to my first protest quite late. After I had done my Naxalbari and Kashmir book. I didn’t even attend the Anna Hazare protest. I sat away from that protest in my miffed contrarian energy. Sitting at my home I could pick up twenty flaws in the movement.

The first protest i went to was one about Muslim lynchings by cow rakshak groups during the early years of modi era. That’s when I realised that its not what the protest is about, but the act of protest that is beautiful. Once I let go of my pre-installed desi family cynical energy I loved the environment. The actor Adil Hussain bought me a chai at that protest (I don’t know him - he was there and offered). The area had a very positive energy about it. I stood there and had a chai.

I started thinking. Why does this feel familiar? And then it hit me - My upbringing had a lot to do with it. Our grandfather was a footpath (second hand) shoe seller. As dalits we were systematically poor and prone to addiction. My father had to fight for every systematic action. On the power of what? A tiny govt job.

Protest is what he taught us. The dictionary definition of protest - a statement or action that shows that you do not like or approve of something.

We saw him do this everyday - If he bought a product and it did not work, he wrote brutal letters to owner of the manufactuers. And we saw it work. He knew law and taught us basic laws. He taught us to not be afraid of the police - in fact threaten them back. Till day, whenever police stops me - I’m like - Papa aapka naam roshan karunga. He protested, because system was against us.

Once I made that connection it was easy.

I have always been doing the kind of protest my father taught us. But I never participated in the kind of protest that comes in the news. That protest sounds like a dirty word.

But suddenly that protest became a simple act. As long as I could drop my cynicism.

And by that time Bakarmax was already set up. I just asked my colleagues whenever I went. If they wanted to come along, we went together.

We have been to all major protests. We went to the farmer protests and sketched people there. We went to CAA protests - where our placard went viral. That was not the intention - we never carry any branding with us when we visit protest sites.

And that’s what I have understood about protests - its a simple act of speaking up. I had a moment of deep doubt about speaking up openly and the cost we might have to pay as a studio someday. But that same week I found Ravish Kumar’s “Bolna Hi Hai“ and some pages from it explain the beautiful act of speaking. Speaking itself is a protest.

I shared the pages from Ravish’s book with Vivek, he too liked it. Both of us started drawing and colouring it - and soon we had a webcomic.

We shared it with Ravish Kumar and he loved it too. He said that he started thinking about the interplay of word and art in a new way since reading our comic.

Additionally we also re-posted another comic by one of our contributors - Atharva. He was about to begin college when he made it. Its called Greta Thunberg in India. Re-reading it, I realise we are taught to be docile and submit to power in advance.

I’m still being asked to shut up. My family never stops being afraid. Par kya karein - my father taught me to protest.

If you are in Delhi and are reading this - I would request you to visit the protest site at Jantar Mantar. Don’t do anything. Just go there, feel the place. Have a chai.

I promise - you will feel different.

MORE UPDATES:

In other updates we just finished our big adult animation pilot for a major network television. Now it goes into testing. Here’s a frame from it. That’s all we can share.

Aaapki Poojita, our kickstarter show is nearing completion. Its looking like a million bucks. Have you seen the no context trailer yet?

I recently went to Toronto Comic Arts Festival. It was great. Shared an update about it here. More to come soon. Its a big thing to unpack. You will now start seeing Bakarmax at more global venues and making moves to match.

Finally the Bakarmax Whatsapp community is here. Its for people who know us persoanlly and the larger community that keeps us going - help us reach our own version of 1000 true fans. Join today!

Till next time,

Take care!

Sumit