Home is where the heart is. Home is also where our first exposure to gendered family roles begins. Ita Mehrotra, a comics artist and illustrator, brought this question to the fore when working on ‘Drawing Home’ – what happens if all the rigid gender role-playing breaks down at a home in a metropolis? The accordion-style comic catalogue presents scenes from a home where a single mother is in charge and clearly playing all the roles irrespective of conventional expectations. And you know, it’s all fine! It is like all the other, supposedly ‘normal’ families we have been told about or shown. When the grip of gender divisions is loosened, there is no break-down. But as things stand, this obvious truth needs to be highlighted time and again!
In this episode of the Gender Jalebi podcast, RJ Vijaya speaks with Ita on the sidelines of the recently-concluded Gender Bender Festival. Ita talks about the autobiographical origins of her project, the experience of interacting with art observers in Bengaluru, and what she is planning to do in the future.
Listen in for more!
