… Mansoor, a husband and father, is haunted by the words of his father: “Mard bann (Be a man).” He hears them as he goes about his day. He is gentle, emotional, sensitive. Even if he wanted to be his father’s kind of man, he suspects he would not be able to pull it off. What exactly does that make him?
The comic that explores this question, Mard Bann, is a 32-page ode to the beta man and the power of self-acceptance. The bilingual comic (Dakhini and English) was created by Bengaluru artist Rahil Mohsin, 34, and children’s book writer and illustrator Alankrita Amaya, 34. (They are also husband and wife, and the team behind the online comics platform Hallu Bol.) With work scarce in the pandemic, they decided to use the opportunity to create original and personal work, launched Hallu Bol and began work on Mard Bann.
The book has been more of a hit than the couple expected. They sold their first print run of 300 copies, mainly at offline events such as Indie Comix Fest and Comic Con, between August and December last year. “There has been unexpected curiosity and interest from non-Dakhini speakers, who want to know the stories of this largely unexplored language and culture,” says Amaya. This is heartening for the couple, who set out to create Mard Bann because they felt that mainstream representation of Mohsin’s community was inadequate. The couple’s comics are meant to add layers and subtlety to the narrative, which is partly why there are bilingual. Every Dakhini line is written in Roman script, and translated into English. Their first work is now in its second print run, and the duo is working on the second in the series: another story from Dakhini culture, but one they’re not ready to talk about yet…