How Indian artists are using zines to explore their freedom of expression

There are some things you just canrsquot post about any more Not unless yoursquore willing to brave a suspension of your social media account or a shadow ban an FIR over some imagined offence or rabid comments from someone who thinks itrsquos all right to threaten rape or murder because your opinion doesnrsquot match theirs Nikhil Poddarrsquos zine about the Prime Ministerrsquos ties with industrialist Gautam Adani would probably evoke most mdash if not all mdash of these repercussions And thatrsquos why itrsquos a zine and not an Instagram postThe pop of colours on Priyanka Paulrsquos table at the zine fest is a fun way of packaging her incisive views on caste and feminismldquoIrsquom not comfortable posting it online because my profile is public and I have no control over who sees my posts and what they do with it But I have copies of the zine and it to show to my friends This is art I made because I just had to express something and share it with my friends itrsquos not for making moneyrdquo says the 30yearold artist whorsquos in town for the Bombay Zine Fest in Bandra that concludes todayNikhil PoddarA zine is a selfpublished noncommercial booklet thatrsquos made to share art stories or ideas Historically they have always been a tool of political expression a space where the young and alienated can come together to dream of a world where they arenrsquot misfits From the suffragette movement to AIDS activism to antiwar campaigns zines have allowed people to voice what mainstream media or the powers would rather stay mum on Over the past couple of decades social media slowly took over this space taking counterculture to the masses for the first time But as Poddar points out the Internet is not as safe or affirming as wersquod like it to bePalestinian artist Leila Abdul Razzaqrsquos zine on the BDS movement is a call to action to stop buying from companies linked to the conflict in GazaAny unflattering mentions of political leaders land social media users behind bars With X itrsquos not just its erstwhile name Twitter thatrsquos become history but also its identity as a haven for the outspoken liberal On Meta platforms racist and transphobic slurs are now allowed on the pretext of ldquofree speechrdquo Posting about politically charged subjects such as the Gaza strife is just as likely to get one blocked or shadowbanned as an image with uncovered nipples All this even as the government explores more ways to surveil our use of social mediaPriyanka Paulrsquos most beloved zine among her creations is titled My Body Is Not A Temple and is about trans bodiesAnd so therersquos a new wave of Millennials and Gen Z youth who are now discovering the power of uninhibited expression through zines ldquoI am in charge of what is being said from beginning to end No onersquos going to edit or censor my thoughtsrdquo says Priyanka Paul a 27yearold artistactivist who has been making zines since she was 17Technically a carousel post and a folded zine are not too different in format admits the Gen Z artist who ldquogrew up on the Internet built an audience and has been doing activism there for a decaderdquo But the experience and freedom is entirely different ldquoSocial media is not made for us or for social movements it is an advertising medium made to help brands advertise I still have to post my art there because thatrsquos where I find work but Irsquove been trying to move away from that model and towards selfpublishingrdquo she says adding that this is the only way to circumvent the censorship that happens via gatekeeping who gets to publishZines donrsquot always have to be about activism theyrsquore also just fun like Nikhil Poddarrsquos booklet Akela on what else mdash a bananaAs a queer Dalit activist a lot of her art speaks about the minorities she hails from Her work also uses ldquohumour to talk about political themes personal stories caste and feminismrdquo Among her creations her most beloved zine is This Body Is Not A Temple ldquoItrsquos a 10page zine about juxtaposing trans bodies against the common idea of lsquomy body is a templersquo Just as Dalit marginalised caste people arenrsquot allowed inside the temple due to untouchability trans bodies find themselves ousted out of the temples of cis hetero normativityrdquo she says ldquoWe are living breathing thinking people We donrsquot need problematic narratives from the past to validate our lives todayrdquoWhile her usual practice is to publish her art in zines and social media both this particular title has not appeared much on her profile she says Perhaps because the subject requires her to be explicit about human bodies and religion and neither are welcomed as much on InstagramldquoWith zines itrsquos great that I donrsquot have to deal with bigots and casteist peoplerdquo says the artist who will also be setting up a table at the fest today ldquoI know that only people who want to read my material will come up to my table These fests are safe spaces theyrsquore a great way to meet likeminded peoplerdquo she adds ldquoBut the work of art is to touch people And therersquos also less chance of changing the mind of someone with an ideology opposite to minerdquoZines have historically also been a tool for calls to action such as a booklet that Blaft Publications is distributing on the Boycott Divestment Sanctions BDS movement against Israeli occupation of Gaza ldquoWhile Blaft publishes a lot of political work this is a zine that was shared online by Palestinian artist Leila Abdul Razzaq with an open call to everyone to distribute it widelyrdquo says Rakesh Khanna editor in chief at Blaft PublicationsNaba Usmanirsquos work examines heritage and nostalgia such as old Best bus tickets It also touches upon her personal heritage with Urdu calligraphyAs for how he believes distributing the zine will help ldquoDoing this feels a lot more concrete than just reposting a reel I grew up amid the punk zines of the rsquo80s when a similar boycott was called against the apartheid in South Africa It worked mdash the minute people stopped buying cola the powers that be were more invested in ending the apartheidrdquo Zines donrsquot always have to be serious sometimes theyrsquore also just fun like Poddarrsquos booklet Akela on what else mdash a banana Although for him just the act of making and reading a zine feels political ldquoSocial media is constantly trying to sell something to us constantly harvesting our attention mdash itrsquos called the attention economy Zines started as a way of rebelling a way of being punk We have come full circle to the point where we are now rebelling for our own attention When we create zines wersquore saying we have autonomy and agency over our timerdquo he saysPriyanka Paul and Deesha JadhavldquoWhen Irsquom making a zine I take my time with it Irsquom not thinking about the likesrdquo he explains Poddar also hosts zinemaking workshops and participants are mostly young he says ldquoWe donrsquot want to stare at a screen all day itrsquos overwhelming Wersquore losing creativity because we never allow ourselves to pause or get bored With zines itrsquos tactile slow and intentional It charges creative muscles that have atrophied with brainrotrdquo Therersquos also something to be said about posterity says design student Deesha Jadhav ldquoIf the Internet were to be wiped out tomorrow wersquod be left with nothingrdquo says the 21yearold who makes zines about the dark side of nursery rhymesFor interior designer and heritage conservationist Naba Usmani 26 zines are a way for her to reclaim parts of her heritage with some of her work featuring Urdu calligraphy ldquoMy grandfather Dr Abul Faiz Usmani studied Urdu and had a PhD in it He worked all his life to revive the language I lost touch with it during my childhood and this is a way of reconnecting with itrdquo says Usmani who also makes zines centered on heritage and memoryThe most fulfilling bit though is seeing the expression on a readerrsquos face ldquoI made a zine Turning To The Sun about travelling and being one with nature A corporate executive read it at a zine fest and quit his job on the spot It changed his life in a tangible wayrdquo recalls Poddar Sure this could have happened on Instagram too ldquoBut then I wouldnrsquot have been around to see it happen Hersquod have probably read it while he was scrolling on the toiletrdquo