Sauptik: Blood and flowers

Sauptik: Blood and Flowers is a revisionist retelling of some of our oldest tales which have inspired and guided generations of people. The sequel to Adi Parva, which was chosen as one of 2012’s Best Graphic Novels by comic book historian Paul Gravett, this book combines breath-taking art with classic storytelling. Based on the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the tradition of oral storytellers, Sauptik is also very contemporary. The narrative, with its lush visuals, emphasizes, over and over, our forgotten connection with the soil, with rivers, with forests, with fire. In book one, Adi Parva: Churning of the Ocean, the celestial river Ganga narrates events from the beginning of time and in its sequel, Sauptik: Blood and Flowers, Ashwatthama carries the story forward after surviving the Kurukshetra battle.