#AMAR CHITRA KATHA RAMA SERIES#

#AMAR CHITRA KATHA RAMA SERIES#

Mandrake, Buzz Sawyer, Flash Gordon, Kerry Drake, etc., were other American comic book characters that were syndicated and published by Indrajal Comics (Courtesy: Rahul Kumar)ДЄmar Chitra Katha: Shift towards вЂIndigenousвЂ™ Comic BooksДЄ major break in the publication of Hindi comic books came in 1967 when India Book House started the Amar Chitra Katha series helmed by Anant Pai. Phantom or Vetaal was the most popular comic book character in India published by Indrajal Comics. Bengalla became Denkali and Rama became Ramalu.ДЇig. Since Phantom was translated into Hindi, the editors of Indrajal made some minor changes to these names to avoid confusion among Indian readers and controversies because of phonetically Indian names. Phantom operated in the mythical land of Bengalla, and the name of his fatherвЂ™s killer was Rama. Hindi journalist Dinesh Shrinet says that Vetal represents a strong critique of modern civilisation, which is marked by various forms of social and structural depravities. He fights against the poachers, and the industrial and mining corporations that want to exploit the rich bounty of the forest. Vetal is a forest guardian who looks after tribal groups and the wildlife.

Cultural theorist Raminder Kaur and social scientist Saif Eqbal argue that Phantom may have been a mascot of colonialism, a white man located in dark lands, but Indianised as Vetal, thus his adventures became relevant and engrossing. The popularity of Vetal among Indian readers owed to the freshness of his adventures, fluidity of his character and the places in which he operated. 1) He was renamed Vetal or Chalta Firta Pret (the phantom who walks) to suit the Hindi readership. The Phantom quickly became one of the most popular comic book superheroes in the subcontinent. The translation of these American comic books into Hindi made them more accessible to a large section of young readers in India. The first 32 issues contained stories of American cartoonist Lee FalkвЂ™s character Phantom, but after that Indrajal also started to publish characters such as FalkвЂ™s Mandrake, and superheroes designed by other American cartoonists such as Alex RaymondвЂ™s Flash Gordon, Rip Kirby and Phil Corrigan, Roy CraneвЂ™s Buz Sawyer, Allen SaundersвЂ™s Mike Nomad and Kerry Drake, and Steve DowlingвЂ™s Garth. But the history of Hindi comic books, according to KunzleвЂ™s definition, can be traced back to 1964, when Indrajal Comics, an offshoot of Times Group, published the first ever Hindi comic book titled Vetal ki Mekhla (The PhantomвЂ™s Belt).

The forerunners and prototypes of comic books existed in India in the form of cartoons and strips that were found in Delhi Sketch Book and Awadh Punch, which started publication in 18, respectively.

According to him, the medium has to be more visual than textual, and it must be possibleВ to be produced on a mass level.

Kunzle says that a comic book must have a sequence of separate images that tell a story which is both moral and topical. David KunzleвЂ™s definition is most suited to the idea of comic books in India. Comic books are an integral component of contemporary media culture, and extending their studies into a new and fascinating realm of non-Western popular culture certainly seems timely.ДЄs an object, comic books have been defined by several scholars. They are no longer synonymous with banality, and have captured the interest of a growing number of scholars working in the field of historically oriented social sciences. The notion that comic books are unworthy of serious investigation has given way to a widening curiosity about them as artefacts, commodities, codes and pedagogical tools.

Amar chitra katha rama