Graphic novels can be a gateway to books, says author and editor Jason Quinn

What makes you write about Indian icons such as Mahatma Gandhi and Rani Lakshmibai, and mythological characters like the Kauravas?
India is a goldmine of ideas. and full of absolutely gripping characters, whether it’s Gandhi whose life was incredible or whether it is the Kauravas who I think are the best villains of all time. I read Gandhi’s autobiography and found it to be quite dry. Mine is better. In Gandhi: My Life Is My Message, I have tried to get under his skin. I have presented him as someone you can have a laugh with, and not as a saint. India has such a massive, eclectic range of topics you can write about. For me, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Why Kauravas out of all the characters in the

Mahabharata

?
I prefer them over the Pandavas, and they are certainly more fun to write about. Everybody likes a good villain. I used to be the creative head at Campfire, an Indian graphic novel publisher based in Delhi. So, when I first joined there I read through their previous mythological titles based on Hindu mythology including the Mahabharata. For me, it’s possibly the greatest story. I thought of Duryodhana as a good king. I mean, yes, he had homicidal tendencies which should be frowned on, but he was an egalitarian and wasn’t snobbish. The Pandavas were snobs, really. Duryodhana recognised the qualities of Krishna and was a loyal friend to him. To be honest, I don’t blame him for his nose being out of joint when the Pandavas came along and they took what he considered his birth right. He’s not a villain for villainy’s sake. He’s a human being who made some bad choices.

What were your observations about Rani Lakshmibai while writing about her?
I thought can be a role model for women all over the world. She wouldn’t allow herself to be bullied. The British, in her case, behaved appallingly. She went along with it as long as she could and then decided to fight back. If there would have been more leaders like her at the time, Indians may well have won their Independence almost 100 years earlier.

When people are giving up on reading, why do you think they will pick up a graphic novel or a comic book?
The interest in the graphic novel has been growing in the past few years. It’s not just for kids. As people find they have less time to read, they are less daunted by a graphic novel. My Steve Jobs’ biography has 100 pages and it’s quite easy to read. If you like the graphic novel on Jobs or Gandhi then, hopefully, you will be encouraged to pick up the larger, 500-page volumes. So, graphic novels are like a gateway to traditional books.

The range of graphic novels now stretches to real world issues like conflict, racism, divorce… ?
A graphic novel should be like a good film. You have amazing scenes and sets. It can show the humanity of whatever situation you are in, and is accessible. If you are going through divorce or a bereavement, the last thing you want to pick up is a dry volume that would make you even more depressed.

What are your future projects?
I want to write another book on the Kauravas and then one on

Bhishma

.