‘I will continue putting up more posts that people find troublesome’: Orijit Sen on art and dissent

Orijit Sen is an independent artist and satirist. His graphic novel, River of Stories, published in 1995, is considered to be India’s first graphic novel.

Sen is perhaps best known for his political artworks, which he shares on his Facebook page. Notable among them was his recent post, titled “ManuSmriti”, in response to some of the discussions centred on Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula’s suicide.

Last year, in November, Sen’s artwork “Punjaban” was reported on Facebook for containing “nudity” and was subsequently removed. In response, his fans and other artists had started a campaign back then, posting and sharing famous nude artworks.

When we met him in his industrial storage space/studio, Sen opened up about art, the evolution of political cartoons and receiving veiled threats on the phone at four in the morning. He says he intends to continue putting up more posts that people find troublesome.