Approach
As illustrators, we embraced the idea of a graphic narrative. We were clear from the start that we wanted to do our own field research and build this project collaboratively, with all the people we engaged with.
We first carried out informal and open-interviews during our visits to each of the four locations. We then proceeded to write a script and storyboard initial sketches in order to build a cohesive narrative.
It was a challenging process since we had to ensure we were doing justice to the information, memories and stories shared with us both in written and visual form. This was followed by many iterations of adjusting the visuals to maintain the spirit of the stories.
While this collection of four stories centres around the collective memories and lived experiences of communities living with Vrishbhavathi, our voices as illustrators and researchers intervene in the representation and compilation of this book.
To this end, we acknowledge our positionality and our biases and have tried our best to set them aside and present the stories in the ways they were shared with us.
As urban rivers continue to flow, burdened with the waste of the cities we come from, it is critical that experiences, personal accounts and stories of the riverine communities are shared widely, through accessible formats. The hope is that such representations can influence policies and plans to pave way for inclusive and humane urbanisation strategies.
The field visits were as challenging as they were enriching. At Dhobi Ghat, after creating the initial set of storyboards, we returned to the community to gather their perspectives at a fortnightly union meeting. We presented the draft for the first time to the (male) union leaders and the women we had initially interviewed. Expecting interest and collaboration, we were instead met with confusion and distrust over the representation.
Though we speculated that this reaction stemmed from our strong use of a female narrator, the nuances of local politics, and the broader political narrative we discussed, we were unable to return and clarify these concerns.
However, the teachers at Byramangala showed interest in the Dhobi Ghat stories and were open to involving their students in the process. The drawing workshop we conducted was brief, but shed light on imaginaries of students, with the awareness that deeper engagement could lead to a more lasting impact.
Drawings by children of Anedoddi school
