A Gripping Revenge Saga Comes To Life In A Graphic Reimagining Of A Tamil Classic

A man sets out to avenge his father’s death at the hands of the untamed bull. The setting is riveting. It’s all the more surprising that this revenge saga was written by a Gandhian.

Jallikattu, the ancient Tamil bull-taming sport, referenced in Sangam-era texts over two millennia old, carries in it a microcosm of social relations. Tamil modern literary pioneer C.S. Chellappa translated this microcosm to fiction in his 1949 novella 'Vaadivaasal,' the first major modern work of Tamil fiction built entirely around the sport.

A story best told in motion, Booker Prize-nominated author Perumal Murugan and artist Appupen (George Mathen) have transformed the novella into an engrossing graphic adaptation that brings it to a new set of readers. This is also the first time that a work in Tamil literature has been adapted into a graphic novel.

The Visual Language

'Vaadi-vaasal' is the narrow gateway through which the bull is released into the arena. The tamer must hold the bull's hump or horns for as long as possible, or maneuver it down to the ground. There is often a reward, sometimes gold, tied between its horns, which must be obtained. The bull must be subdued with hands and body weight alone, and no blood may be spilled in the arena. 'Vaadivaasal' follows Pichi, a young man who seeks to tame the zamindar's undefeated prize bull, Kaari, as an act of revenge for his father Amboli’s death.

With regards to the artwork, you feel like soaking in every panel as Appupen’s intricate art sets pages in motion. You see the rural village in Tamil Nadu in the mid 20th century, while every panel is dense with movement and weight. You sense the bull charging or even the drums pulsating off the page.

The build-up to Kaari's entrance has a cinematic quality that recalls the grand theatrical introductions of South Indian films. Adding to this are the flashback of Amboli's death, the crowd’s accounts of Kaari's ferocity, and the anticipation that crackles through the crowd.

Writer Perumal Murugan had worked with Chellapaan himself as an editor, and having seen the sport across half a century, he was able to explain the drama of the event in detail to Appuppen, while keeping the text concise.

Appuppen also relied on photographs taken of Jallikattu during the 50s by Chellappa himself. This was essential as today’s jallikattu is quite different. For instance, bulls running into the audience are absent today, due to the presence of physical barriers.

Many elements in the story subtly depict the power relations at play. The grandiose chair of the zamindar is positioned more prominently than the seats reserved for the Sub-Collector and Superintendent of Police. Jallikattu allowed men to be more than their daily existence as farmers or farm labourers. For instance, in one scene, someone who loses at Jallikattu is told that he’s only good to be a farmer. There is a single panel consisting soley of Kaari's eye that deserves its own essay.

The Tamil Hemingway Who Came First

Man versus animal conflict has been the mainstay of many a work of art. C.S. Chellappa has often been compared to Hemingway for his spare prose and his preoccupation with endurance and dignity under pressure. However, Chellappa published Vaadivaasal in 1949, some years before Hemingway published 'The Old Man and the Sea' in 1952. Both works circle around a lone man's battle against a powerful, indifferent force of nature and the limits of masculinity. But where Hemingway's Santiago confronts the sea in relative isolation from social structure, Chellappa's Pichi is embedded in a web of feudalism and social honour that shapes every decision he makes. The bull killed Amboli, Pichi's father, hence Pichi's desire to tame Kaari has both a name and a history.

Caste & Pride

Being a Rajini fan, I remember watching 'Murattu Kaalai', Rajinikanth’s 1980 film, which begins with the protagonist taming the bull and gaining attention and honour, followed by the film revolving around a land dispute. I didn’t think much about the deeper implications of the plot, nor understood its context well. On the surface, it was just about the ‘good’ landowning farmer not wishing to sell his ancestral land to the big zamindar. 

In practice, bull ownership in jallikattu is concentrated among dominant intermediary castes, particularly communities with historical ties to agricultural land and cattle wealth. The bull owners are proud and carry their bulls as extensions of their status. Taming another man's bull is an act with social consequences. The graphic novel shows in who sits where, who bows while speaking, who owns the bulls.

Vaadivaasal continues to remain ever relevant today. The 2017 pro-Jallikattu protests that paralysed Tamil Nadu were an assertion of cultural identity and proved how deeply the sport is socially embedded. The graphic novel enters this landscape, peeling back the romanticism to expose the skeleton underneath, which mixes pride, feudal honour, and strong notions of societal masculinity; presented with nuance, avoiding a simplistic villain-hero dynamic. The ending leaves the reader questioning the distinction between man and ‘beast’: “It’s over if an animal’s pride is hurt. It’s over even if a man’s pride is hurt”.

You can buy Vaadivaasal here.

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