A continuing act of rebellion

This weekend, attend the first Bombay Zine Festival, which celebrates the act of publishing free expression and words on a staggering range of subjects

January 13, 2017 12:01 am | Updated 12:01 am IST

For someone who’s been creating, publishing and distributing zines for the last decade and a half, Himanshu S. still finds himself explaining to those around him what a ‘zine’ really is. It gets wearisome; he’s been making zines for so long now that the act of mere definition seems trivial. His own understanding of zine culture is subject to constant adjustment, and the manner in which he explains the concept depends on the audience he is explaining it to.

Common descriptors include words such as ‘independent’, ‘free-speech’, ‘small-circulation’, ‘DIY’, ‘non-profit’ and ‘censorship-free’. Himanshu also refers to zines as ‘books’, ‘leaflets’, ‘brochures’ or ‘pamphlets’. “Anyone can publish one. There are no rules. You can do it with just a pen, paper and a photocopier.”

Zines are made all over the world, supporting various forms of expression, he explains: writing, journalism, poetry, graphic art and drawings, as well as various combinations of these. Dissenters and members of social fringe groups have long used the medium to circulate information. “Zines are, by nature, an act of rebellion. They’re an important alternative to mainstream publishing.”

According to Himanshu, independent zines still adhere to a certain creative and political authenticity that many other alternative art forms have begun to lack. “Look at what’s happening to street art in the city. It’s postured as being revolutionary, but really goes hand in hand with gentrification. The government will displace a marginalised people from some area, and hand it over to city-dwellers to create graffiti that celebrates the spirit of Mumbai,” he says, choosing not to name any particular enterprise in this regard. “There’s no awareness of the politics of the space. Culturally, street art in Mumbai is impotent. Zines, all over the world, are not, or not yet at least. There’s a reason I don’t work with sponsors or brands.”

While younger writers and artists have recently adopted the Internet as a tool for self-publishing, owing to convenience, and in the hope of “going viral”, Himanshu defends physical zines with the same enthusiasm as that of a vinyl collector who loves his records. “I’m 36 years old. I didn’t grow up with the Internet. The physical experience of flipping through pages can’t be replicated on a screen. Besides, when I finish working on a zine, I like waiting next to my printer and watching the copies come out. You need a great deal of patience and discipline to make and collect zines.” An interesting observation to be made here is that the global resurgence in zine culture also coincides with a renewed interest in vinyl records, analogue photography and other traditional means of recording and distributing information.

The first edition of the Bombay Zine Fest, organised by Bombay Underground (an independent library/literary organisation run by Himanshu and his partner, Aqui Thami), will exhibit a range of independently published material that falls under the broad category of what constitutes a ‘zine’.

And the range is broad. On display will be about 100 to 150 zines, both local and global. There are works from New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, U.S.A., U.K. and more. There is a zine about women’s first experiences with menstruation, one about Bhagat Singh, another about Savitribai Phule, one about genderqueer skate culture and another about Brexit, to name a few.

Some of these will be available for purchase, while others can be procured by barter.

Suitably, Himanshu hopes to commemorate the first edition of the Bombay Zine Fest with a zine of its own. Visitors can submit whatever they like, in whatever creative format they choose. “So long as the material isn’t discriminatory or hateful, it’ll probably end up in an altogether new zine,” he says.

As for the future of zines in Mumbai, Himanshu and Thami will continue looking for any opportunity to champion the cause of micro-publishing, and to legitimise zines as a valid form of art that demands its own space in the larger scheme of popular discourse.

The first edition of the Bombay Zine Fest will take place on January 14 and 15 at the Underground Bookhouse, Bandra (West). For details, look up 1st Bombay Zine Fest on Facebook

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