Empire of Blood
Author : Arjun Raj Gaind
Publisher : Westland, Rs595
This book infuses popular history with fantastical alternate possibilities and surrealism. Merged with artworks of Enrique Alcatena, it is a milestone of sorts for the Indian graphic novel, writes GAUTAM CHINTAMANI
Although extremely popular in the West, alternate history novels still remain a largely uncharted territory when it comes Indian literature. Juxtapose that with the rising popularity of the Indian graphic novel format and what you have is a genre that is crying out loud out to be explored, a call answered by Arjun Singh Gaind’s imaginative Empire of Blood. Inspired by a simple revisionist question — what if the sun had never set on the British Empire in India — Empire of Blood infuses popular history with fantastical alternate possibilities and blends in elements of surrealism of the British entrenched class system to come up with not just an enchanting read, but also a milestone of sorts for the Indian graphic novel genre.
Empire of Blood is set in the heydays of the Raj and the thought of the sun ever setting on the British Empire in India is both impossible and improbable. Following the Great War, the Empire is at its mightiest, thanks to the Queen, who blessed them with Aqua Vitae, a miracle potion that makes them invincible. It’s because of Elizabeth, the ‘Empress of Blood’ that the Empire has managed to overcome the Germans and squashed all dissent in India, the jewel in the crown. Growing up in an environment where the locals are nothing more than servants or irritants, Tom lawrence, the son of a British official, can’t wrap his head around the disparity. A motherless child, Tom is grateful for the warmth extended by Ammah, his caretaker, and her daughter leela and much to the chagrin of his father, treats them as equals. One evening Tom breaks the daily curfew to venture into the native townships and discovers how the Empire is literally sucking the local population’s blood to create Aqua Vitae, that gives the British the edge over everyone else. Tom meets leela’s brother Azad, a revolutionary who won’t barter his blood for life, and is inspired to fight the evil Empire. But his father thwarts Tom’s dreams and banishes both leela and Ammah from the Dome, the safe haven for the British and their supporters. A few years later, Tom graduates from school and transforms into a model citizen of the Empire but a chance meeting with leela rekindles the fires of rebellion within him. He decides to run away with her but try as hard he can’t outrun the mighty Empire and gets banished to Kaala Paani, the prison where the Empire sends those who dare to question its ways. Here, he meets Azad again and they hatch a plan to take the Empire down and while the two manage a daring escape, Azad sacrifices his life in a kamikaze mission to save Tom. Tom meets leela and joins the Resistance to finish Azad’s mission but in strange reversal ends up giving up the secret details of the underground movement to his father. Tom’s loyalty to the Empire sees him kill his own mother, who he believed to be dead but, in fact, is one of the foremost leaders of the Resistance. The Queen, the Empress of Blood, herself blesses Tom and asks him to kill leela as a final test, but something deep inside Tom stops him, but for how longIJ
The thing that sets Empire of Blood apart from most Indian graphic novels is that it isn’t a typical Indian story and yet, at the same, it is deeply rooted in an ethos that is very Indian, and therefore very identifiable. Usually treated to reimagined mythological tales like the Shakti series of Virgin Comics or reinterpretation of fragmented urban realities such as Sarnath Banerjee’s Corridor, the graphic novel has been limited in scope in an Indian context. Yes, there have been the interesting breakaways such as Vishwajyoti Ghosh’s Delhi Calm and Amruta Patil’s Kari, yet by and large the possibilities and expectations seem to outweigh the results but Empire of Blood appears to be a brilliant step forward towards correcting the skewed balance. On the face of it Gaind’s writing might appear basic, and even naïve, but in a very simple manner it manages to bring forth an interesting analogy between contemporary India and the one that survived the Raj. The manner in which this book contrasts a parochial minority calling the shots as a part of the ruling elite and a highly alienated majority that is crushed beyond reproach doesn’t seem too far removed from contemporary India.
The terse prose is fittingly complemented by Enrique Alcatena’s artwork, the highly acclaimed Argentine comic book artist known for his minimalist approach. like his signature work on Batman of Arkham and his sketches for latin American folk tales, Alcatena’s use of sepia toned strokes with red as the only dominant colour visually enhances the dichotomy of Empire of Blood that has modern visual imagery along with a style that is an homage to British Era comics such as Boy’s Own and the classic Commando comics. Empire of Blood’s mélange of high culture and popular culture, which, on one hand reminds of alternate history of a Philip K Dick’s Man in the High Castle and on the other Manmohan Desai’s Mard (1985), where a British loyalist takes out blood from hapless Indians, is just the shot of refreshing ingenuity that the Indian graphic novel needed.
The reviewer is the author of the best-selling Dark Star: The loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna.
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