Identity is evasive. You know it one moment. And another moment it is an illusion you find yourself chasing. Mostly, it is an illusion. Who am I? Where do I belong? Why don't they know me?
Rumi, the teenager in Rain Must Fall, is somewhere in the middle of these spaces when they meet Rain, the ghost.
The supernatural presence of Rain becomes a powerful catalyst for Rumi as they navigate their non-binary identity. This interplay between the ghostly and the corporeal invited me to ponder the ontological fluidity of identity in a vodcast with Nandita Basu, the author of this graphic novel.
Spirituality, a significant theme in the book, is introduced with a gentle touch, rooted in Indian cultural concepts of the soul. The author reflects, ‘A soul doesn't have a gender, it is not bound by anything, it is just love.'
The ghost is portrayed not merely as an entity but as ‘a very living energy and an experience and consciousness out there.' It encourages readers to question, ‘When you are not bound by the body, who are you then?'
Basu, who is also a musician, finds graphic novels an ideal medium for exploring marginalized topics. ‘I don't know the reason for this but that's how it is.' Her background in music influences her storytelling, allowing her to play with ‘melody and rhythm' through text and illustrations.
The narrative's temporal dimensions add another layer of complexity, particularly through the setting of the ancestral home. The author elaborates, ‘If a house has stood long enough, it also has an identity.' The ancestral home in the story becomes a repository of such stories, holding Rain and providing a safe, non-judgmental space.
The symbolism in the characters' names is striking. The protagonist is named after the saint poet whose famous quote, ‘What you seek is seeking you,' resonates with their journey. The ghost symbolizes a fluid, unbound identity, reinforcing the novel's central themes of love, universality, and the transcendence of societal constraints.
(Shruti Kohli is Head of Digital, Special Projects, and Host at NDTV Just Books)