Corridor

by Sarnath Banerjee

In the heart of Lutyens' Delhi sits Jehangir Rangoonwalla, enlightened dispenser of tea, wisdom, and second-hand books. Among his customers are Brighu, a postmodern Ibn Batuta looking for obscure collectibles and a love life; Digital Dutta who lives mostly in his head, torn between Karl Marx and an H1-B visa; and the newly-married Shintu, looking for the ultimate aphrodisiac in the seedy by-lanes of old Delhi. Played out in the corridors of Connaught Place and Calcutta, the story captures the alienation and fragmented reality of urban life through an imaginative alchemy of text and image.

Genres: Graphic Novels, India, Comics, Fiction, Indian Literature, Graphic Novels Comics, Contemporary

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2004

About the author

Sarnath Banerjee (born 1972) is an Indian graphic novelist, artist, and film maker and a co-founder of the comics publishing house, Phantomville.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Gorab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just loved this. Helped me come out of a bad slump.
Abstract narration, decent art, multi-threaded plotline.

What I loved the most were the characters, and the cheeky philosophical one liners in between.
Could relate so much to Brighu's obsession on hunting second hand bookstores to find that one obscure title. And the collection of random things.
Jehangir Rangoonwalla the bookseller, Digital Dutta the sophisticated intellectual, Shintu the newly married, Kali the girlfriend…

Not recommended: If you seek closure in your stories. Or if you hate abrupt beginnings and endings.

[Helly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often called india's first graphic novel, I didnt enjoy this as much as I expected to but it was funny and upsetting at parts and I would recommend it for starting the genre.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corridor is one of the contenders for being India's first graphic novel. Set in Delhi and Calcutta, it tells the story of many urban residents each of whom is in different ways connected to a second hand bookseller with a stall in the outermost corridor of Connaught Place. The novel has diverse characters each of whom comes to the bookseller who dispenses books and wisdom. The storytelling is non-linear and characters march in and out of the pages of the book. The puns are clever, the characters are believable and you recognise the situations they find themselves in. The cities of Delhi and Calcutta with their many residents come to life in the pages of the book. Interestingly, while most of the book is in black and white, some of the pages are in colour, which adds that extra punch. If you are looking for a strong plot, you have come to the wrong book. But if you want pen portraits of male urban residents, this is the book for you.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

India's first graphic novel appeared a bit abstract , with tid bits from here and there. But the entertainment value was good , I must admit

[Ashwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corridor written and drawn by Sarnath Banerjee claims to be India's first graphic novel. Corridor is all urban, and mostly male. All the characters in its social network are connected to one central person, Jehangir Rangoonwalla, who is more of a philosophy dispenser than a second hand book seller which is his profession. Brighu is an obsessive collector of things and is currently pondering whether to settle down with his girlfriend Kali. Digital Dutta thinks about his H1-B visa during the day while at night Karl Marx advises him to use his knowledge to help the poor. Shintu is newly married and is on the search for an aphrodisiac to enhance his pleasure at night. There are no beginnings, no conclusions, life continues through the corridors of Delhi.

Sarnath doesn't say it, but the novel is semi-autobiographical. Brighu's story is definitely that of the author himself, and the ending pages confirm that. Corridor required 2 readings for complete satisfaction. At the first read you notice the characters, the clever puns all over the place and above all the complete Indian urbanity in the strips. But due to the non-linear storytelling, a second read was needed to get in order the jigsaw pieces of the characters' lives. Though Corridor disappoints a little with the way plots are tied together, Sarnath blows the reader's mind with the details. He's got everything spot on, the urban landscape of Delhi and Kolkata, the characters, the language and the weather. Humour of the sarcastic/ironic kind is all over the place. The novel reeks with an unique Indianness I've never seen used before in comics (not like there are many books in this genre anyway). Moral science charts from our youth (How to be an ideal boy), clichéd Bollywood scenes, bound volumes of Phantom comics, the healing power of Gelusil and the quintessential autorickshaw driver dozing the noon away in his back-seat, all find a way to unobtrusively lodge themselves into the strips and story. The art and letters are all hand drawn, looks like computers have never touched it during the process. This is actually good since it has that rough, amateur taste. A few pages in the book are colored in, the rest is black-n-white. The book is 112 pages long. I was surprised it took a couple of hours to read through this tiny book of comic strips. That is a testament to the amount of detail Sarnath has squeezed into each box. I call this a must read for any Indian who was city bred.

[Dhwani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting 🤓

[Anirudh Jain · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is called Indias first graphic novel and I could not figure out if it were the ramblings of an inebriated genius or a raging lunatic. The story structure is not defined, there were multiple gaps in the prose and none of the characters had time to grow or develop. All of these stories are a part of Sarnath's life in Delhi and hence hold a ring of truth to it but the stories are a shallow dive at best.

[Nashwa S · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Pakistani, it was definitely an interesting read. I don't know much about urban life in Delhi but this was a unique book and the characters were all very eccentric. I might need to read it again to get fully absorbed into the characters, I'll probably enjoy it more then!

[Subashini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the style, and love reading graphic novels that depict everyday life and ordinary people as observed by a meandering flâneur but it was a bit too choppy and disjointed at times, and I found it hard to know where to situate myself in the multiple narratives when it switched POV. And maybe the depiction of women was a little less enlightened than I would have liked.

[Bhavya Burra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Whimsical and profound.
Sarnath indeed crafts a postmodern Ibn Batuta. A good read but feels disjointed at points.

[Thaths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billed as "India's first graphic novel" (Wikipedia claims that it is not the first, but second), this was my first introduction to contemporary Indian graphic novels. And I am impressed.

The comic book / graphic novel scene when I was growing up in India was made up of a hodgepodge of imported American pulp (Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon, etc.), high-end European works (Tintin, Asterix) jingoistic Commonwealth WWII comics and indigenous works that were educational (Amar Chitra Katha) or idiotic (Chacha Chowdhary).

Corridor is miles from the Indian graphic novels of my childhood. I suspect that novels like Corridor are targeted at squarely at my generation. We grew up reading this medium and now that we have money to spend, we are in the market for more adult works in the graphic form.

[Neha Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic Novels are a growing phenomenon – emerging out of the shadow of cartoon and comic books building its own genre. A cartoon is generally characterized as children’s books or humorous satires both intended to bring laughs to the readers. The kids smile at the innocence, visual appeal and message, whereas adults smirk at the sarcasm, humor and hidden message. I have been a big fan of comic books since childhood, but now Graphic novels satisfy both the child and the adult in me. Giving me both interesting cartoons-characters and a life fiction. They are quick reads and a collector’s item too. This was probably the reason I picked up the graphic novel – Corridor.

To read more, click here:
http://storywala.blogspot.in/2012/12/...

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this a lot better than when I first read it, but I still think it is let down by an excess of callow urban angst and a Naipaulesque reliance on grotesqerie. Still has some great bits that really capture the rhythms and byways of a city.

[Chetna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 really. This is a good attempt at a graphic novel. Wha the book does well is paint the lanscapes of delhi and the lifestyles of the characters. What wasn't great was that the storyline seemed broken at times only tied together by the narration given in the summary of the book.

[Ramprasad Dutta · Rating 5 out of 5]

"People are like onions: they have layers and layers" - exactly, my friend!! But the thing is, who has time to look at them attentively? Thank you Mr. Rangoonwala, that you took time to probe and explore!! Otherwise...huh!

[Krazzykarry]

Alternatively titled as the "The First Graphic Novel of India", Corridor is a non-linear graphic novel which takes place in the 'Corridors' of Connaught Place.
The book begins by telling us how the author met the second-hand book seller and how the seller became an 'enlightened dispenser of tea, wisdom and second-hand books' (stolen from blurb).
The story is a conversation between the author (from Calcutta living in Delhi) and a second-hand book seller in the outer corridor of Connaught Place, which the seller considers as the Centre of the Universe. Like the game of chess, they are playing, the stories are told by the seller and the author when it’s their turn to play. The author's story is about his love life and the seller's stories are about his customers. The author's story is simple and straight-forward while the seller's stories have a bit of flair to them like a Bollywood masala movie (featured in artwork), which feels like he has mastered these stories over time.
This is not a one-time read book, you have to read the book twice or thrice in order to completely understand the stories and to appreciate the backdrops of Delhi and Calcutta, which are beautifully hand drawn. The markets, the places of worship, the street vendors, the shops, the rickshawala sleeping in his rickshaw all this art depicts a beautiful and diverse urban Delhi and Calcutta. The book has a feel of nostalgia with panels featuring Phantom comics, Moral Science chart papers, Gelusil and a random poster of Dewaar. The artwork is not new, but all the characters and backgrounds have an authentic and distinctive look to each of them which fits the stories perfectly.
This black and white graphic novel (with some coloured pages) is a very good beginning to the format (if it is the first). The panels, artwork, letter boxes, speech bubbles, lettering are all hand drawn which gives an Indie feel to the graphic novel. Overall, the book is a good read and gets better with every subsequent reading. Every time I see the pages of the book (for clicking pictures), I find something new to write. So, I'm stopping here.

[Prakhyath Rai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: Corridor By Sarnath Banerjee
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Let's talk about the plot..

In Lutyens' Delhi, Jehangir Rangoonwalla runs a tea stall that's also a hub for wisdom and second-hand books. His customers include Brighu, a collector of rare finds seeking love; Digital Dutta, torn between Marxism and moving to the U.S.; and Shintu, a newlywed exploring old Delhi’s secrets. Set in Connaught Place and Calcutta, the story reflects the disconnection of urban life through a mix of text and imagery.

And now here is my review..

Oh I loved it! This graphic novel is a delightful blend of two iconic Indian cities, Delhi and Kolkata, brought to life through clever storytelling and humor-infused art. I get to know many iconic places of these iconic cities. My next trip to Delhi and Kolkatta will be more fun.

As one of India’s first graphic novels, it’s a standout piece that offers a unique reading experience. Atleast, I enjoyed it more probably because I am an artist. I found the characters vividly crafted, a testament to Banerjee’s skill in merging fiction and visuals.

The humor (the usp after the art work) in the illustrations is remarkable and adds a layer of charm to the somewhat predictable plot twists, making the narrative both engaging and fun.

While some story endings feel abrupt, I appreciated the space they left for my imagination to take over.
This might not sit well with everyone, but for me, it added to the charm. Talks alot of me being a Murakami fan, Isn't it?

Overall, it’s a refreshing and enjoyable read that I thoroughly recommend!

[Sreya Mukherjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corridor published in 2004 is India's first graphic novel. It is focused on the cityscape of Delhi and also Kolkata, to a certain extent. The city of Delhi and its eponymous corridors, especially of Connaught Place, emerge as a central character in the graphic novel. However, the city is presented mostly from a male perspective, with only a lone instance of a female's perspective of Delhi at night time, when it appears uncanny and predatory. The graphic novel also portrays the 21st century's urban existentialism, such as ennui, sexual crisis and tension, meaningless relationship, isolation, etc. It also adeptly represents the aspirational characteristic of Indian urbanity. The text follows the disparate stories of several disparate characters, who have one thing in common, which is they all buy books from the second-hand bookstore of Jehangir Rangoonwalla, who considers his shop which is located at Connaught Place to be the center of the universe. It is interesting to note that India's first graphic novel deals with India's postcolonial urbanity, thereby highlighting India's rapid urbanisation and the aspiration of the Indian middle class to climb the social ladder, as well as the confrontation between traditional values and 21st century's cosmopolitan ideals. Corridor is truly a groundbreaking piece of work that captures all the complexities of postcolonial Indian urban existence.
My Rating- 4 stars

[Akshay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rare find for me at the time, as a comic loving reader entering my 20s - it was not normal to find books of quality and substance in the medium.

This was amongst the first I had known of a semi-fictional Indian original comic/graphic novel that presented an India I knew; more so, it was neither cliched rural/historical India or poverty porn or some other cliche that was more expected - it was a slice of life in India, in New Delhi and Calcutta (a.k.a Kolkata). Starring a kooky mix of characters, it is very much a slice of the lives of all of them told via their all sharing a common location where we see those slices play out and learn about them.

It is a simple but very enjoyable foray and I remember enjoying it quite a bit. Is it life-changing or provocative or such? Not really, but it is a solid, quality, early example of modern graphic story-telling in India as it started to evolve. Sarnath has done a good job with this book and I appreciated and continue to appreciate it for what it was and the benchmark (of a sort) that it became.

Told through snippets and vignettes in a clean black and white style, it is not unlike some more fun artistic movies like Coffee and Cigarettes that are thought-provoking, entertaining and engaging.

[SB · Rating 5 out of 5]

whoa! this is the second indian graphic novel i have read in one month. and, what a blast it was! this book is rip-roaringly funny but humane. it takes the caricatural method to satirise the faux modernity of india. the protagonist is not the characters in it, but the fragmentary consciousness which connects them. it also comes down to satirise the indian people and their clichéd lifestyles. btw, this graphic novel is also hailed as the first indian graphic novel. and, in my opinion, the indian writers in english literature scene is pretty bad, but the graphic novel community is pretty fucking fantastic. "corridor" is the proof of that. also again, the indian graphic novel holds the grip of india accurately unlike many famous indian 'writers' in english. but, banerjee turns this into a unique postmodern subvertion of india through the accounts of daily lives of ordinary people. the way i look at india is exactly and comically portrayed in this small graphic novel. and, i am pretty much glad that i came across this book in the midst of reading an almost big and pretty dark book. reading this was a great experience. i will love to read more indian graphic novels like that.

[Updesh Sharma]

Not a Post-modern Graphic Novel
I can understand why people gave this book a 3-star rating . It has no straight plot , stories change often from page to page . random cartoons in between, the writer is watching life from a third person perspective . But to be honest I find it very personal . the satire and parody felt like it had no exaggeration . It is a realist novel . I personally know people who are like this comic's characters . Like the Hakim and the bookseller of Delhi. I lived in Delhi from Feb'1 2022 to July'2023. Meeting people of different shapes and sizes . alcohol and drugs and teenage love(not to forget the hottest summer you will have in your life ) that's why this novel never felt like a meaningless post-modern critique of neo-liberal culture . It almost felt like a memoir. even there are multiple characters, the stories weave together: the hakim, the friend who just nods and sits quietly the English man finding spirituality in India . and not to forget distance, how it makes some folks very lonely

Overall it's a fine book if you enjoy graphic novels and reading comics

[Sonali Ekka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically India's 2nd graphic novel (though marketed as its 1st), Corridors is undoubtedly the best Indian graphic novel I've read so far. Everything about it felt perfect: the abstract theme, stories of daily lives of a bunch of delhiites from different backgrounds, the locations (Delhi, specifically CP, and Kolkata), the artwork (a mix of B&W sketches for the main plot, colored images to convey specific ideas, a collage of photos and posters). Sarnath is witty, unapologetic, bold. There's dark humour, sarcasm, and unbridled talks of sex & drugs. This book reminded me of reading local newspapers which give a raw, groundlevel perspective of the city. This book captures the true essence of Delhi, and to an extent, of Kolkata. Sarnath accurately portrays the hardworking common folk from smaller towns, the intellectuals & foreigners seeking meaning in life rather than being bothered about employment, the cream of Delhi society showing their flex in nightclubs, and the young professionals in between. Like I said before, this is everything I've ever expected from a graphic novel, tell a wonderful story in a way only a visual format could achieve.

[Rubin Mathias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished it in an evening. Bless you, graphic novels!

Corridor revolves around some intriguing urban Indian characters, being mostly set in Delhi. You find graphic references from K.L. Saigal to Rajinikanth here! The book feels dreamy but as you're halfway done through it, the transitions between characters are seamless.

This book is a hipster's delight and reminds me of Mayank Shekhar and a lot of other urban Indian writing.

Memorable scenes:
The scene where the Hakeem tells Shintu that he can pay for the 'Sande ka tel' with cash or visa :p

The Connaught Place bookseller finding enlightenment in selling books and the foreigner searching for nirvana settling for web designing.

And, of course, how can we miss the normal character template ('Brighu' here) with his urban relationship and the awareness of his privilege.
"They all look the same. Delhi super babies, richer than richer, taller than tall and less and less like normal human beings".

[Blessy Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarnath Banerjee's Corridor has often been misrepresented as the first graphic novel from India. The first such work was actually by artist extraordinaire Orijit Sen.
Still Banerjee's book is a delectable read! It is something of a slice of life genre portraying the everyday lives of select people residing in Delhi. The book is fun, eccentric and highly irreverent. The plot starts from nowhere and it ends nowhere in particular. It's mostly a snapshot into the complex inner lives of select individuals.
I think Sarnath Banerjee's wishes to delve deeper into the sensibilities that drive the every man (or woman!) but he thankfully shies away from making any deep philosophical statement about life in general. And that's good because not everyone can be an Allison Bechdel or an Art Spiegelman!
#sarnathbanerjee #corridor #graphicnovel #sliceoflife #readinglist2019 #readingchallenge2019

[Swapnil · Rating 3 out of 5]

While my first read was drab and boring and left me wondering as to why is this book so famous, I was happily surprised when I picked the book for the second time, just because... I was bored.


Anyway, it was a much fun read. The little nuances or Delhi shone through. Broken in segments but connected how Linklater’s slacker is, with one character leading upto the other, Bannerjee changes his visual style slightly with each character. Some are really fun, Rangoonwala ofcourse, little bit of Bhrigu, Kali, the Hakim and a lot of Delhi.


Not too dense, but it has it’s bright moments.

[Pankhuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful art style, an enthralling and nostalgic capture of delhi and some very interesting characters. This graphic novel was a great read, especially with its absurd and unlinked narrative style

the premise, the subjects and each character was explored in a fun way with little bits like chess games, second hand books and Calcutta labes were scattered that tickled my brain in a really pleasing way

for a rumored first graphic novel of India, this was a fantastic experiment, a daring piece of work that truly adds to the surreal artscape of India

[Tapasya Samal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is non-linear meandering through human emotions- black, white and grey. The characters belong more in a particular 'culture' in Delhi and may not be presumed as complete. It could have been closer home if more work could be done to tone up the 'dilliwala' attitude. The illustration quality is delightfully edgy, though refreshingly minimalist.

[Monica Shastri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay-ish book ....nothing that really stands out.. i found it rather stressful jumping from one character to another eveey second page and dint really enjoy it much. However some (three) of the dialogues are hilarious.

[Prashanth Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corridor (graphic novel) - sarnath banerjee

ಕೆಲವು ಕಡೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಯೌವ್ವನದ ಕಲ್ಪನೆಗಳ ಹಾಗೆ ಇದೆ ಕಥೆ. ಆದರೆ ಇಡೀ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಸಮಾ ಗಾಂಜಾ ಎಳೆದು ಅಮಲಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆದ ಯೋಚನಾ ಲಹರಿ..

ಕಾಮ, ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮ, ಸೆಕ್ಸು, ಬುಕ್ಕು,ಬಿಸಿಲು ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ.
ಬಿಡಿಸಿದ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಬರಹ ಹೊಸದಾಗಿದೆ.
ಒಂದ್ಸಲ ತಿರುವಿ ಹಾಕಬಹುದು.

[Juhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked it up because apparently this is the first graphic novel in India, but I just couldn't get into it. Seemed abstract and vague. There was no structure or a storyline. Two stars because it was not completely devoid of fun. It just takes way too long to peek your interest.