Comics that link history and heritage
O ur children have watched with passion the TV serials Ramayana, Mahabharata and Krishna. Incidents from them often come up as topics of dining table conversation at our home. With my eldest son getting married, we found that the new member of our family was quiet during these chats and would often feel left out. Not that she ever complained, but my son decided to introduce her to the Ramayana serial, and so they watch an episode or two on YouTube once in a while. They love watching it and I love seeing them see it!
The other day my second son asked me, “Mom, how do you know so much about our scriptures? These serials came in the 1980s and after, right? So, did you learn everything then, or did you know earlier?” It was a question that set me thinking.
Like a flash of lightning, the answer came to me. Oh! The Amar Chitra Kathas! They were the link of my generation to our history and rich heritage. With fondness I remember those lazy afternoons in childhood, when I would be coiled up in a couch in the corner or perched on the strong branches of the mango tree in our backyard, with an Amar Chitra Katha in my hands.
The pictorial representation was what left such a huge imprint on my mind. I can still visualise the handsome face of Shiva as Parvati garlanded him. I remember the beautiful Savitri, as Satyavan’s mother, oiled her long tresses. I can still see the dreamy eyes of Damayanti as she first set eyes on Nala. And who can forget Krishna standing tall and omniscient as Mira merges into him? And Krishna’s Sudarshan-Chakra as he severs off the head of the evil Shishupala … or the splitting into two of Jarasandha’s body on a tip-off by Krishna! How can I forget the innocent gandharva vivah of Shakuntala and Dushyant; the peace on Prahlad’s face and the anger on Hiranakashapu’s; the blank look of Dhritrashtra and the wicked face of Shakuni.
I pause to ponder. The artists of those pictures and the writers of those scripts have left an indelible imprint on my mind and surely, on the minds of many. Our children’s generation has enjoyed the Amar Chitra Kathas too, but having had the option of gaming in the virtual world and the TV serials of Ramayana and Mahabharata among others, they have not valued these beautiful narratives so much.
History has been immortalised for children in the Amar Chitra Kathas. Smiling, I reach out for an old comic from my son’s collection. The book is old; the pages a bit yellowed; but the story hasn’t lost its appeal. Hungrily, I devour each word and expression steeped therein. There are no words to express the wealth in these simple comics. An Amar Chitra Katha is an Amar Chitra Katha is an Amar Chitra Katha. Period.
A thought comes to my old school mind … some years hence, God-willing we shall have grandchildren … You know, what I am going to gift them? Yes!
OUR CHILDREN’S GENERATION HAS ENJOYED THE AMAR CHITRA KATHAS TOO, BUT HAVING HAD THE OPTION OF GAMING IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD AND TV SERIALS, THEY HAVE NOT VALUED THESE BEAUTIFUL NARRATIVES