I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. The kind where you pick up a book, read three pages, check your phone, and suddenly the evening is gone. So, finishing Absolute Jafar by Sarnath Banerjee, published by HarperCollins India, felt like a small but satisfying win.
Graphic novels still do not get their due in literary conversations. They are often dismissed as “comics”, as if drawings somehow make a story lighter. But they can be just as layered as any novel. In fact, they ask for a different kind of attention. You read the text, pause on the panels, and notice little visual details that quietly add to the story. Absolute Jafar follows Brighu, who is getting older and slightly more bewildered by the world. Years ago, he had fallen in love with a woman from Pakistan. Their relationship survives the politics between the two countries for a long time before eventually falling apart in Europe. Their son, Jafar, grows up in Berlin carrying pieces of both histories. The book moves between memory and migration with warmth and humour. Brighu fills Jafar’s childhood with stories about jinns, street food, and eccentric relatives across Delhi, Karachi, and Calcutta.
Finishing the book also reminded me how enjoyable graphic storytelling can be when you really sit with it. Which is convenient, because the Indie Comix Fest returns to Delhi on March 15. It brings together independent publishers and artists from across the country, so you can browse small-press comics, meet new creators, and maybe even discover your next favourite read. I know I will be on the hunt.
