GRAFITY'S WALL ...the misspent Indian youth we don't remember

This week, we are reading Grafity's Wall, the 2018 graphic novel written by acclaimed creator Ram V, illustrated by Anand Radhakrishnan and colored by Aditya Bidikar. The book follows the follies of aspiring street artist Suresh, aka Grafity... as he watches the transformation of his Mumbai tenements, alongside his hustle-and-flowing pal Jay, portly writer/waiter Chasma, and aspiring actress Saira. The city of Mumbai is actually as much a character as anyone else, and is illustrated in a frenzied, chaotic, fluid and hyper detailed style that could be any inner city, but is uniquely Indian, along with the sites, sounds, and smells that any traveler who goes beyond the sacred sites of Southeast Asia will certainly recognize. Across 4 individual yet interconnected stories, we get a glimpse into hopes and dreams on the cusp of adulthood... in an impossible city, while exploring the daily trials and tribulations of Indian Youth. A commentary on the gentrification and rapid change the culture of the modern-day subcontinent faces...far and away from the India our parents always told us about. This is anything but a Bollywood number.