Aranyaka

Graphic Book ReviewI have been a fan of Amruta Patil's work ever since I read Adi Purva and Sauptik and got sucked into the world of magical realism, folklores, stories from scriptures and mythology. With her unique brand of surreal art and storyline.So when Aranyaka ('of the forest) was released I grabbed it though it was sometime before I could savour it. It seemed appropriate to feast on it after the Book on Vedas and Upanishads by Roopa Pai I had read recently.For Aranyaka is inspired by Vedic literature as it alludes to a set of 3000 year old Vedic scriptures full of mysterious metaphors composed after the Samhitas, alongside the Brahmanas but before the Upanishads. The book is inspired by the foundational role forests play in Vedic lore. As Devdutt Pattanaik says " Vedic thought is essentially about what it means to be cultured and civilised: the journey from hunger and fear, through domestication, towards empathy."Patil decided to.present in the form of story or a parable if you will and the storyteller is the main portagonist Katyayani who is banished into the Aranyaka for her seemingly insatiable hunger. She meets Y, he the famous Yagnavalkya of the Upanashidic story in Taittriya Upanishad and the story of their domestication, his path to finding brahman and hers to earthly needs is what lies on the.outer surface.As the authors.put it, its a complex story that is 'disarmingly simple'. Beneath its surface are many narrative undercurrents-the ecological one, the feminist one, the one where food is really a stand in for many other sorts of human appetite.You may finish reading without even realizing you have just emerged from an immersive swim in Vedic ideasWith Amruta's gorgeous art work in watercolours and pencils, this swim will leave you feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.

Finished reading amruta patil and devdutt pattanail's ARANYAK .....it's a beautiful graphic book of forests...telling the story of yajnavalkya, katyayani, gargi and Maitreyi...from the point of view of hitherto ignored earthy wife katyayini....a beautiful read...the illustrations are delightful and carry the thoughts beautifully....the text is minimal but leaves an indelible mark on your psyche. ..love the book ...get ur copy pls.... ps. even the slowest reader can read it in a day....and yet find time to reflect and absorb 🪁🪁🪁🪁

Its a fabulous read.....and needs re-reading .....like an onion ...reading it bit by bit and discovering ideas.....students of anthropology ,life sciences will also find this book to be very interesting.....and referencing will lead to a more whole perspective.....The art is also good...the colours are a character in the book 🙂

First the mundane things...At 165 pages, it is a size that does not overwhelm you. It is not hard bound which I consider a waste of money .Amazon delivers it at the doorsteps at a discount @ ..a cost which I can afford . Devdutt Pattnaik's name on the cover assured me that it wont be a "heavy" reading.I had read that the book is based on the Puranic story of a sage , his wife & two female disciples. But I am not familiar with that story. So, I start reading the book with a clean slate. The narrative quickly takes grip and I am unable to keep the book down. I had thought that , being a graphic novel with less text and more pictures, I will finish it in no time. But almost every page has a sentence which holds your attention and forces you to absorb its relevance to the illustration. There is just no rushing through this book.Author has drawn on everyday observations of flora & fauna around us and finds deep meanings relevant to the present age. We are brought up to revere the so called "learned" sages who renounce worldly pleasures. But in Aranyaka , we have a plump housewife, Katyayani, who just manages the ashram kitchen , ultimately proved as a person far superior to the sage. We discover that the other two intellectually superior women in the narrative, identified in the story simply as " the weaver" & " the fig", ultimately find better life lessons to be learnt from Katyayani and her kitchen than the sage , known in the story by a cryptic name Y.I had read Amruta's earlier graphic novel " Parv " and also some of Devdutt Pattanaik's popular books on Indian mythology. Both have their own unique style. I was curious how and why these two authors decided to collaborate. Last few pages of the book , therefore, made interesting reading to satisfy my curiosity. I would say the collaboration has worked well to give us a thought-provoking interesting reading experience.

One of the most distinctive voices in the world of comics comes up with work that requires several readings. Lovely illustrations and and a strong narrative that makes Aryanka a great read. You do not have to love comics to read it, pick it up anyway.