Feb 16 2025 to Feb 16 2025 6 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Chellayipuram—famed for hosting the most exhilarating jallikattu contests of strength between man and bull. This year, Pichi, from distant Usilanoor, is here to face the Kaari bull, the zamindar’s pride, both menacing in appearance and undefeated in the bull-taming contest. It’s been two years since his father Ambuli had been gored to death by this same beast. In the billowing dust of the arena, as Pichi grabs hold of the Kaari’s horn in an attempt to make it bow its head, watching the contest from his high perch with narrowing eyes is the zamindar. Will his prize animal—and, by association, the zamindar himself—be finally humbled by this ordinary young man? Vaadivaasal—The Arena is a story of revenge, pride and power.

This gripping graphic adaptation of the modern literary classic by International Booker Prize-nominated author Perumal Murugan and critically acclaimed graphic novelist Appupen is a story of violence, death and vengeance… by a Gandhian!

Perumal Murugan and Appupen will be in conversation with Subodh Sankar, followed by a Q&A with the audience. A book-signing will follow.

In collaboration with:

Speakers
Perumal Murugan
Author

Perumal Murugan, principal of Anna College in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, is the author of twelve novels, five collections of short stories, poems and a memoir, besides ten other books of non-fiction, His novel Seasons of the Palm was shortlisted for the Kiriyama Prize in 2005. He won the ILF Samanvay Bhasha Samman in 2015. Murugan’s novels One Part Woman and The Story of a Goat were longlisted for the National Book Award for Translated Literature in 2018 and 2020, respectively. He won the JCB Prize for Literature for Fire Bird in 2023. His novel Pyre was the first Tamil work to be nominated for the International Booker Prize in 2023.
Appupen
Illustrator

Appupen is an Indian graphic novelist, writer and artist.

He has published several books and comics like Moonward (2009) and Aspyrus (2014) that explore an original mythical realm called Halahala. Appupen’s latest graphic novel, Dream Machine (2023), deals with the advent of AI and is available worldwide in English, French and German. His socio-political satire, Rashtraman, and Dystopian Times are regular on various print and online platforms.

He is currently working on a comic to film project. He is the founder and co-editor of Brainded India.
Subodh Sankar
Co-Founder, Atta Galatta

Subodh Sankar is the co-founder of Atta Galatta, a Bangalore-based, independent bookstore with a focus on Indian vernacular writing that is a venue for the arts community, popular for its literary, art and cultural events. It has been iconic for lovers of art and poetry since its inception 12 years ago. It has hosted more than 3,000 events including book launches, poetry readings, theatre performances, screenings, storytelling sessions and workshops.

Subodh had been a prominent entrepreneur in IT earlier and his company, Just Vox, was a pioneer in the field of speech recognition and speech synthesis. He was one of the finalists and an honorable mention winner of the Asian Innovation Awards presented by Dow Corning.