River of Stories

Considered India's first graphic novel, River of Stories is made available in the US for the first time since its original publication in 1997

Published with Kulhar Books.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Sardar Sarovar Dam project in Western India became the focal point of a massive grassroots social movement. People from all over the country converged to voice their opposition to environmental destruction and the forced relocation of Indigenous Adivasi communities. Orijit Sen's account of the Narmada Dam-told in the form of a graphic novel-is drawn from his personal experiences. Weaving together the history of the resistance movement with local accounts and tribal folklore, River of Stories is an inspiring document of environmental activism, as well as an important milestone of Indian comics history. This new edition features a conversation with the artist by author and illustrator Tessa Hulls, winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Memoir or Autobiography. Also included is a foreword by Arundhati Roy, Booker Prize-winning author of The God of Small Things.
Orijit Sen (born 1963) is a graphic artist, muralist, cartoonist and designer based in Goa, India.