Harjyot Khalsa | Autobiographical Graphic Narrative
Personal freedom
Second generation daughter in a middle class, Sikh family that was displaced during the India - Pakistan partition and eventually ended up in Mumbai, the author and illustrator explores her relationship with culture and religion. Growing up in the time of the Internet, she was exposed to ideas that thrilled her but also alienated her from her society. Feeling bound by the social expectations, she explores what freedom meant and continues to mean to her. Eventually, she realises that freedom is transitory, dynamic, fleeting yet worth the chase.
Disclaimer
The author wants to note that her idea of ‘India’ is shaped by the privileges she had growing up and is her own personal experience with these events. While her childhood and adolescent years were hard, the freedom that came from adulthood helped repair a lot of what became difficult earlier. She cannot wait to eat her mothers’ food again. 16 months away from India is way too long.