Graphic Novel cover of Juta by Vasu Primlani
Vasu Primlani’s graphic novel is called “Juta” – which literally means shoe in Hindi – and as per the book was the name by which her father addressed her as a child.
One of the early pages in the book introduces “Juta” as the story of Vasu, her father Pama and her childhood friend Sahira- divided into five chapters titled Delhi, Sahira, USA, Pama and Prison.
This 234 page comic-book with Vasu as its author and with art credited to Vasu and to Vannessa Alejandra Guiterrez Castillo is a masterpiece of story-telling and twists in the tale. I read it in a single sitting, and then read parts of it again – reflecting upon it until finally sitting down to review it.
This review necessarily has a few “plot spoilers” – but hopefully the overview will draw readers to the book – and to the magic of its storytelling and to the loops of imagination this book takes the readers through.
So ok… the book starts with Vasu’s birth, infancy and childhood – for most parts a happy childhood of a little girl deeply attached to a loving father – but with dysfunctions some of which the later parts of the book tie into a coherent thread.
The book also talks about her childhood friend Sahira – a cute, clumsy child with a sad story arc which somehow doesn’t find conclusion or resolution beyond the one section of the book which focuses on her.
Other sections of the book talk of Vasu and her family’s move to the USA and of the time Vasu as an environmental science student spent living with and learning from the Burtons – Ben and Martha Burton – a couple called the grandparents of the Alaskan environmental movement. And there is the poignant scene, where Vasu visits the aged Ben Burton who is suffering dementia and cooks moose biryani and when he eats that, he remembers times past and asks her “are you Vasu Primlani ?”.
But by far, the part I found most fascinating and riveting is about Vasu’s time in prison – when based on a misunderstanding and judicial over-reach, she was bizarrely jailed until some time later she was acquitted by a court.
The time in jail made Vasu reflect upon her father’s time in military-service during world war-2 and his own time in military-prison by the colonial British Indian army and how the trauma shaped her father’s personality.
During the time she spent in prison, Vasu realized how her father’s time in prison and the traumas he suffered during the second world war may have influenced his behavior towards Vasu, her sister and her mother, since throughout much of her childhood there were times when he was emotionally distant and imperious in his behavior, a story the graphic novel tells.
As a reader from India, fascinated by the freedom struggle, it was a further treat for me to learn when I researched the battles in World War-2 that Vasu’s father was a part of – and his acquittal when senior officers in the British Indian army realized how far-reaching the potential negative repercussions of their heavy handed actions.
As the book veers towards its conclusion, there’s a page that’s all white, except for the words “as for my father and his demons” – and on the facing page, there is a surreal shaded black and charcoal sketch and the words “I understand” – under a picture of a man holding a child and both of them engulfed by demons… perhaps representing Vasu’s father and her – and the demons that permeated and percolated the lives of both father and daughter in various ways; as the book wraps up with pages filled with panels and graphics on healing, love and on life lessons on a lighter note – followed by an inspirational poem and a glossary for those not familiar with some of the hindi/urdu words used in the book.
All in all “Juta” was a book I found interesting to the point of being unputdownable and a book I wholeheartedly recommend reading to everyone – for its story but also for the thought provoking and mind expanding perspectives and for the life lessons it so sweetly feeds us as well as for the perspectives and implicit sense of resilience it so gently reinforces in all of us readers’ minds.
To order the book, send a whatsapp message mentioning “order juta graphic novel, [your name], [your address]” to: +91-98103-97887 ; and you will get a reply mentioning the price, including delivery charges, and how to pay – and once you pay, the book will be sent to you.
A little more backstory about Vasu and her journey:
Delhi in 2011-2012 saw early days of its vibrant “open mike” and “standup comedy” circuit – where professional and amateur poets, writers, actors, musicians and stand-up comedians of all shades would read something or perform music or comedy – and occasionally as a prologue or epilogue, some context information about the motivations and context around the matter they performed.
I first met Vasu in 2012 while she performed as a standup comedian at various venues in Delhi, India and surrounding towns and suburbs. She’d share over the course of her stand-up comedy sets, bits and pieces about how she loved her dad, about the abuse she suffered as a child, about boorish Indian men and how Vasu, as someone who attracted to women, had relationship experiences with her partners pretty similar to what any heterosexual couple might face.
I remember her as a very intelligent and sensitive person who never backed down from standing up for and advocating for causes she believed in – whether for the environment, for harassed women, for child victims of sex abuse or even for sabziwalas pushed around by upper middle-class gentry of Delhi. She also talked about her parents and specifically about her father – and how even then as a lady in her 40s, she was still deeply attached to him almost like a little girl would be.
And so after first crossing paths with Vasu at an open-mike event – one stayed connected online and followed her on social media. And over the years, I got to see and hear of her receiving the Nari Shakti Award from the government of India; of the time she was jailed in Bangalore till exonerated by court; of a me-too incident where she was harassed by a celebrated stand-up comedian – who she chose to bravely stand-up against; and of the death of her beloved father and during that time she too as a friend got to see me going through various crazy ups and downs of life.
Fast-forward to March 2024 – and Vasu launched her Graphic Novel Juta – and I had a chance to attend the book’s soft-launch at IIC and see her back in action in Delhi – albeit while she also held a role as the chief sustainability officer for an American city; and this graphic novel gave one an amazing trip down memory lane and back to the present!
Here are some videos of Vasu, ranging from her interview after winning the Nari Shakti award, to snippets from her standup comedy routines to TEDx talks she gave…
(1) Vasu interview on Doordarshan, India’s national TV channel after she won the Nari Shakti award
(2) Standup Comedy set – Vasu Primlani on Public Transport
(3) Solutions to India’s Rape Crisis – and how to prevent.
In this video, Vasu says India is looking at the wrong places for a solution to its rape crisis. Laws do NOT deter crime. We keep talking about punishing rapists, but Vasu Primlani’s frustration is that no one is talking about PREVENTING rape. For that, we need to talk to our boys, and de-traumatize them.