A PROJECT REPORT ON

STUDY OF THE INDIAN COMICS

Prepared For
Prof. Swati Mankad
Sub. : Communication Skills.

Prepared By
Imran Atiq 49
Imtiaz Syed 50
Imtiyaz Siddiqui 51
IshitaDesai 52
Jatin Sirkekar 53
Jayshri Ayyer 54

RIZVI INSTITUTE OF MANGEMENT STUDIES & RESEARCH

CARTER ROAD, BANDRA , MUMBAI

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1
The following project is a study of the Indian Comics Market and
the early publishers. We shall cover the history of Indian Comics,
some top comics, their growth over the period of time. We will
also take a look at the modern scenario of the comics in India,
foreign collaborations and comparisons with International comic
brands.
The Potential in the comics have been discussed with the help of
case studies from places like Rajasthan, Goa, Mizoram and Japan.
The report is concluded by giving the reasons failure and success
of the comic media and how it can be used in various fields so
that it’s more recognized and effective applied for betterment of
the Indian markets.
The matter for the study has been collected via various websites
such as:
www.wikipedia.com.
www.amarchitrakatha.com
www.google.com
www.rediff.com

We thank the professor for giving us this topic and for guiding us
through it.

2
 INDEX
Chapt
TOPIC PAGE NO.
ers

1 Introduction 1

2 History of Indian Comics 2

Some Famous Editorial
3 Cartoonists 4

4 India Book House(IBH) 6

5 Diamond Comics 10

6 The New Age Comics 14

7 Foreign Collaborations 16

8 Ramayan 3392 A.D 17

9 Graphic Novels 20
Comparisons Of Indian Comic
Scenario with Foreign Comic
10 Scenario 21

11 International Case Study 23

12 Potential In Comic Media 24

13 Conclusion 28

14 Recommendations 29

3
 1. INTRODUCTION

Origin
Comics comes from the Greek word kōmikos, of or pertaining to
"comedy" It is a graphic medium in which images are utilised in
order to convey a sequential narrative.
Comic books are, at least, as old as movies. Their first steps were
set in the beginning of 20th Century, in the search of new ways of
graphic and visual communication and expression. Usually, comic
books are also associated with the prehistoric paintings in caves
and Egyptian hieroglyphics, all of them visual narratives of
juxtaposed images.
The existence of words was not mandatory, but with the adoption
of symbols to represent them -- letters --, they were soon added
to give more information and boost the narrative flow. The
improvement of press and printing technology were strong factors
to the development of the medium.

Introduction to Indian Comics

Indian comics are comic books and graphic novels associated with
the culture of India. India has a long tradition of comic readership.
Indian comics often have large publication; however, the industry
still remains immature compared to that of Japan, France and
America. Due to widespread use of English language, Indian
comics and graphic novels tend to be more stylistically similar to
western comics, than the manga, manhwa and manhua of India's

4
Asian neighbours, which share common links through use of
Japanese language.

5
 2. History of Indain comics

The Early Years

The distribution of comics in India is more recent than the
European, American and Japanese industries, but is nevertheless
almost 60 years old. Despite the publication of about 100 million
copies a year, comics in India are still largely dominated by
American characters, and local production remains marginal. One
of earliest attempts is by comic magazine Chandamama.
Chandamama has been published in more than 5 languages since
1947. It developed from the adaptations of the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata in the 1960s, to educational comics for children,
caricatures in print media, and adaptations of American
superheroes.
One of the early Indian comic authors was Aabid Surti, who
published the first 3 panel strips Dhabbuji based on the
protagonist who is a lawyer by profession and is witty, in the
magazine Dharmayug. In the 1970s he also created a character
Bahadur for Indrajal Comics which proved to be quite popular and
could compete with other characters like Phantom and Mandrake
which was also published in the magazine. Around the same time
Pran Kumar Sharma published the comic Daabu. However, these
first experiments remained the only ones in India in the 1960s,
since Indian magazines almost exclusively published American
strips on their pages.
Unlike in Japan, where comics were quickly recognised as a
potentially mature medium, comic readership remained confined
to children, and content remained largely conservative and un-
intellectual.

The Middle Years

6
Comics of this era were influenced by the popularity of Archie
comics and series like The Adventures of Tintin. In 1967, the
editor Anant Pai of the India Book House, launched the series
Amar Chitra Katha, the objective of which was to transmit to
children the great Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain religious texts, the
stories of several non-Indians such as Jesus, and historical figures.
The life of Krishna was the first in the series, joined rapidly by the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The collection now has 426
volumes. This success inspired other publishing houses who
launched their own series on their own themes: Dreamland
Publications and Diamond Comics at New Delhi, and Jaico
Publishing House at Mumbai.
Anant Pai and India Book House launched in the beginning of the
1980s, the first Indian comic magazine for children, called Tinkle,
which was a big success. Tinkle has a Marathi or Maharashtrian
influence in many of the names of characters and storylines.

Some Popular comics launched in India

• Amar Chitra Katha
• Chandamama
• Chacha Chaudhary
• Tinkle
• Bahadur

7
 3.Some Famous Editorial Cartoonist of
India

Mario De Miranda:

Mario, who has held exhibitions in several cities of the world, does
not limit himself to cartooning. His sketches and drawings have
graced the books of Dom Moraes, Kushwant Singh, Manohar
Malgoankar and Ruskin Bond. He has also illustrated children's
books for India Book House. His drawings on Bombay, Mysore and
Bangalore, are well known.
Ask him what is a must in a cartoonist, apart from the ability to
draw, and Mario says it's a “solid background of books”. You
“might be able to draw, but it is reading that gives you the
background.” If there's one thing he doesn't like, it is politics. But
he has learnt to deal with it stoically — it's a professional hazard!

R. K. Laxman:

8
Mr. R.K Laxman was felicitated the “Life time Achievement Award”
on 14th February by the IIC.

Childhood, for R.K. Laxman, was a happy series of doodles in a

large family, and he practiced with chalk on the floors of his
house. When he learnt to wield a pen and pencil comfortably, he
began to generously supply beards, moustaches and shaggy
eyebrows to photographs or sketches which appeared in books
and magazines.
Awards and accolades have been showered on Laxman: The
Padma Bhushan, Ramon Magsaysay award, numerous doctorates.
But, to him, they have not mattered much.

9
 4. India Book House (IBH)
India Book House Pvt. Limited is an importer, distributor and
publisher of books and magazines in India. Formed in 1952, India
Book House published paperback editions of children's authors
such as Enid Blyton and Frederick Forsyth, as well as magazines
such as Tintin and Asterix, often in Indian languages as well. Their
most famous series of books is the Amar Chitra Katha comic’s
line, that portrayed cartoon depictions of Hindu tradition and
folklore.
Today, IBH is one of the leading publishers of illustrated volumes
on Indian history and heritage, specializing in architecture, fine
art, decorative art, film, environment, and lifestyle.
India Book House is headquartered in Mumbai. It has now been
merged with the Oxford Bookstore and Stationery Company to
become Oxford and IBH and is one of the largest book
wholesalers in India.

AMAR CHITRA KATHA

Amar Chitra Katha "Immortal Captivating Stories" is one of India's
largest selling comic book series, with more than 90 million copies
sold in 20 Indian languages. Founded in 1967, the imprint has
more than 400 titles that retell stories from the great Indian epics,
mythology, history, folklore, and fables in a comic book format.

Creators & Creation

The comic series was started by Anant Pai in an attempt to teach
Indian children about their cultural heritage. He was shocked that
Indian students could answer questions on Greek and Roman
mythology, but not on Indian.
Writers like Kamala Chandrakant, Margie Sastry, Subba Rao,
Debrani Mitra and C.R Sharma joined the creative team of Amar

10
Chitra Katha, with Anant Pai taking on the role of editor and co-
writer on most scripts.

11
The Comics
The original printings of Amar Chitra were not in full colour
because of budgetary constraints, the panels were printed using
yellow, blue and green. Subsequent issues, however, changed to
full colour. All Amar Chitra Katha books stuck to a monthly (later
fortnightly) 30 -page format, with emphasis on lucid, entertaining
storylines.
As the epic stories became more popular, the team began to
publish stories based on Indian history, of men and women
belonging to different regions and religions and also on stories
based on Sanskrit as well as regional classics. The continuous
popularity of the comics led to reprints being issued frequently,
which ensured that the back-issues remained in print throughout
the seventies and the eighties.
At the height of its popularity, in the mid-80’s, it had been
translated into Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Punjabi,
Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit and Urdu and selling half a
million copies a month. Some titles were also translated into
French, Spanish, German, Swahili, Fijian, Indonesian, and Serbo-
Croat.
Towards the mid-90’s, the original comics were reprinted in
sleeker and more durable editions, with thick cardstock covers
and better colour separations. Today, Amar Chitra Katha has a
national footprint across all major book retailers, hundreds of
small bookstores, and tens of thousands of vendors. It is the best-
selling children's publication in most large format stores.
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The titles are divided in following categories:
1. Fables & Folktales (e.g. Panchatantra)
2. History (e.g. Akbar)
3. Mythology (e.g. The Ramayana)
4. The Epics (e.g. The Ramayana)
5. Humour & Wit
6. Biographies (e.g. Mahatma Gandhi)
7.Literary Classics
Cultural significance
Amar Chitra Katha was launched at a time when Indian society
was slowly moving away from the traditional joint family system,
because of socio-economic constraints and urbanization. In a joint
family system, grandparents would regale the children of the
household with tales from folklore and the epics, and the Amar
Chitra Katha series served to fill the void left by grandparents in
the smaller nuclear families in urban areas. The choice of English
as the primary language led it to reach the majority of children
who studied in English medium schools. Later, when the comic
added historical topics, it proved very helpful to students.
For most, Indian history, a jumble of names and dates, came alive
as stories. The detailed research of architecture, costumes,
regional flavours and facts ensured that the comics were widely
accepted into the mainstream, both parents and teachers using
them as educational aids. To an extent, these books, with their
homogenized and unbiased character descriptions went a long
way in promoting national integration and increasing inter-
provincial awareness throughout the country.
It should be mentioned that the series steered clear of
controversy, taming down content and violence and adhering to
strict self-censorship.

13
Criticism
The stories are often simplistic, excessively Indophillic, and
sometimes rely on authentic but singular sources for the script.
This has led to the criticism that they should not be considered as
"history".
The illustrations in Amar Chitra Katha created a generation of
Indians who could visualize historical and mythological characters
only through these. These were often not very thoroughly
researched and true picturisations, but were later emulated in TV
series like 'Mahabharata' and 'Ramayana'.
A lot of these were derivatives of artist Raja Ravi Varma's
paintings and depictions. The simplistic portrayal of characters as
villains and heroes betrayed an association with certain racial and
casteist characteristics. For eg: All demons were portrayed as
dark complexioned, curly haired and noses that were not aquiline.
Moving Ahead - amarchitrakatha.com
Keeping in tune with the changing times, Amar Chitra Katha has
launched their website www.amarchitrakatha.com. Predictably, it
has a shop where one can order the comics online but there are
other novel features too. They have put up digital versions of the
comics that can be read online. Currently, they are available in
regional languages such as Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati,
Bengali, Marathi etc.
Other features such as Create your art and Create your Story
allows readers to submit their own art which can become the new
editions of the comic. They also plan to add an encyclopedia on
India called "ACKpedia".

14
 5. Diamond Comics
Diamond Comics Pvt. Ltd. is the largest comic book distributor
and publisher in India.
"Diamond Comics" is the India's largest selling comics. Being
published in almost all the regional languages, Diamond Comics
has attained an unmatched reach to every corner of India. It is
providing the best Comic literature to Indian children for the last
three decades. In fact, you name any Indian or foreign character
and you will find it in Diamond Comics. It has attained the
readership of all age groups. It's unmatched quality, uniqueness,
affordability, availability and credibility has made Diamond
Comics an undisputed leader in the field of quality comic-
literature.
Diamond Comics is responsible for popular Indian comics
characters such as Chacha Chaudhary.
Diamond Comics has been publishing many foreign characters
comics such as Fantom, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, James
Bond etc in Hindi in India. Diamond Comics is the publisher of
characters of India's famous cartoonist; Pran.

Chacha Chaudhary
Chacha Chaudhary is a popular Indian comic book character,
created by cartoonist Pran. The comic comes in ten Indian
languages including Hindi and English and sells almost ten million
copies. Chacha Chaudhary has also been made into a television
series with Raghuvir Yadav playing Chacha.

History
Chacha Chaudhary was created in 1971 for the Hindi magazine
Lotpot. It soon became popular among kids and the elderly alike.
According to a Diamond Comics Press Release the Indian kids in
the age group 10-13 years ranked Chacha Chaudhary as their
15
most recognizable comic book character. Chacha Chaudhary has
also been featured as a guest in other Diamond Comics series,
with Billoo and Pinki.

Fictional Biography
Chacha Chaudhary is a middle class Indian, frail but extremely
intelligent old man. The word chacha means paternal uncle in
Hindi, while Chaudhary is a common surname in India.
Chacha Chaudhary's attire includes his red turban, a wooden
stick, a waistcoat with a double inside pocket, a red hat on his
head called "pagadi" in Hindi and a "gandhi watch" with one stick.
His household consists of his wife Bini (Chachi), a faithful street
dog called Rocket and a giant called Sabu.
Chacha Chaudhary is remarkably different from most other comic-
book superheroes in that he is not a muscleman, nor does he
have extraordinary powers. Instead, he uses his shrewd brain and
presence-of-mind to fight off evil robbers and thieves. “A brain
sharper than a needle and faster than a super-computer state the
comic books”. Chacha Chaudhary does not have state of-the-art
machine guns or modern technological gadgets to fight his
enemies. All he possesses is a wooden stick with which he fights
evil-doers and he does it convincingly.

Characterization
Chacha's characterization, like other Pran's characters, is around
middle class typical Indian metro surroundings of 70s and 80s,
and it has kept evolving. The usual villains are corrupt
government officials, thieves, roadside goons and bullies,
tricksters and cons and local thugs. Chacha Chaudhary not only
fights them off and helps the common man but also teaches them
moral lessons and good behavior. You can see middle class
dealing with everyday's problems. In a way Pran takes a whip at
16
those problems still maintaining a happy go lucky feel with
twinkling eyes and smiling faces.

Similarities with other characters

Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu are a double act. This is similar to
Asterix and Obelix where Asterix is a little guy and Obelix is big
and incredibly strong, but slightly slow on the uptake. There is
some degree of similarity between Chacha Chaudhary and
Asterix, wherein both do not have any extraordinary physical
power and use their wits to get around situations. Sabu, on the
other hand, does demonstrate that his tremendous muscle power
is without the brains to apply it properly.
However, it cannot be said that there is any major similarity
between the two comics, since Asterix has a common theme of
outwitting the Romans, whereas Chacha Chaudhary is a very
loosely-connected series, with common characters, but new
settings and story lines.

Future Plans
Diamond Comics eyes television space with a children's channel.

17
 6. THE NEW AGE COMICS

VIRGIN COMICS
Virgin Comics is the progeny of Sharad Devarajan and Suresh
Seetharaman -- co-founders of another comic book company,
Gotham Entertainment Group in 1997-- along with writer Deepak
Chopra started an era of more mature entertainment and art.

18
Recently, a partnership between Richard Branson's Virgin group,
and India's Gotham Comics, has led to a new company, Virgin
Comics, geared towards creating new lines of comics rooted in
Indian mythology and Indian history. The first series of comics
were published in 2006, to mixed critical reviews, and Virgin
continues to release new series. The main icon of Virgin Comics is
the superhero Devi, but other series have included a science-
fiction adaptation of the ancient Ramayana epic, a series based
on the life of a supernaturally adept Sadhu, as well as many
comics set outside India. The company aims to eventually create
animated series, computer games and films, based upon its
property.
All series so far have followed the western style of comic
storytelling and art, focusing on the typical 32-page full colour
format. This reflects how many of Virgin Comics creative team
were inspired by the more mature western comics becoming
available in India during the 90s, such Frank Miller's gritty
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Virgin has announced it will
produce a series in which the popular cricket star Sachin
Tendulkar is a super-hero, as well as a film based upon The Sadhu
starring Nicolas Cage, who is a self described comic fan, and has
created a series for Virgin with his son. Some of the Virgin Comic
creative are as follows:
• Devi
• The Sadhu
• Snake woman
• Ramayan 3392 A.D.
• End of Story
• The Asura Analogues
• India Authentic
• The Master Blaster
19
 7. Foreign Collaborations

Deepak Chopra's Virgin Comics is changing comic

book industry.
Animation and comics have gone truly global. Just look at Spider-
Man 3's global box office sales as an example. Last month, the
wall crawling superhero broke box office records in India, earning
the most that any Hollywood movie has in that country to date.
The fact that an idea stemming from a 1960s superhero thought
up by two American writers holds such strong appeal cross-
culturally is simply testimony to the extent to which vastly
different cultures are increasingly intermingling with one another.
Positioning itself to redefine the comic book industry, Virgin
Comics touts its mission as the creation of global comic properties
that take their basis and inspiration from the east, particularly
India, in a manner that resonates with both western and larger
eastern audiences alike.

20
 8. Ramayan 3392 A.D.
Ramayan 3392 A.D. (formerly called Ramayan Reborn) is a comic
book series published by Virgin Comics based upon the
Ramayana. It is written by Shamik Dasgupta and the art is by
Abhishek Singh, and a brainchild of Deepak Chopra and Shekhar
Kapur. It features a re-imagining of the historical classic in a post-
apocalyptic future.
The story primarily deals with the last kingdom of humans who
are fighting demons (Asuras) to survive. The series' prime
protagonist is the human prince Rama who, alongside his
brothers, aims to bring down the demon-lord Ravan.
In the third age of mankind, the world, after a nuclear third world
war, is divided into two continents, Nark and Aryavarta. In
Aryavarta the last kingdom of humans exists inside a city called
Armagarh.

Ramayan 3392 AD reloaded

The series is being rehashed after the first arc consisting of eight
issues. Now a new beginning starts with writer Shamik Dasgupta
and artist Jeevan Kang with the guidance of celebrated
writer/editor Ron Marz. The story continues after Rama, Lakshman
and Seeta escapes from Mithila and are teleported to the
wastelands of far north. Rama suffers from severe wounds and at
death's door. This new chapter will soon be collected in a trade
paperback called 'Ramayan 3392 AD Reloaded: Tome of the
Wastelands'.

21
Characters
Ravan is the principle antagonist of the Ramayana epic, and the
product of nano-technology in this retelling
• Dashrath - Chief Councilor of the land of Amragarh, Dashrath
is the father of Rama, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughan,
and is current ruler.
• Rama - Dashrath's eldest son and protagonist of the series.
• Ravan - The leader of the continent of Nark.
• Lakshman - Rama's younger brother and traveling
companion. Lakshman is strong willed and warrior-minded
• Bharat - Another of Dashrath's sons, He was captured and
kept until his brother Shatrughan, rescued him. He has since
returned to Amragarh and declared himself king.
• Shatrughan - The youngest of Dashrath's sons, is the
weakest physically. Yet, he searched the mines of Khundgiri

22
 for seven months in order to locate and help rescue his
brother, Bharat.
• Seeta - The daughter of the Janak, the king of Mithila. She is
endowed with magical properties that enable her to control
and manipulate nature. Ravan is looking to obtain these
powers of her and thus Rama has been charged with
protecting Seeta.

Themes
This adaptation of the ancient epic significantly changes the roles
of many pivotal characters, which has been a tradition through
ancient Indian literature. The spiritual themes of the ancient epic
are in this case replaced by technological ones, often culminating
in the same situations.
This may reflect the classical Indian belief that the history of the
universe repeats in cycles, eventually leading history to repeat
itself in similar yet alien ways.

Reception
Ramayan 3392 has met with positive reviews from many sources,
particularly for its original take on the epic, and artwork. However,
in its adaptations it loses some of the traditional philosophy of the
epic, which till today serves as an example of Dharma (duty).

23
 9. Graphic Novels
A graphic novel is a type of comic book, usually with a lengthy
and complex storyline similar to those of novels, and often aimed
at mature audiences. The term also encompasses comic short
story anthologies, and in some cases bound collections of
previously published comic book series.
Graphic novels are typically bound in longer and more durable
formats than familiar comic magazines, using the same materials
and methods as printed books, and are generally sold in
bookstores and specialty comic book shops rather than at
newsstands.

First Graphic Novel

A Contract with God (1978) by Will Eisner.

Famous Graphic Novels

- Persepolis and Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi.
- Sin City by Frank Miller.
- The League of Extraordinary Gentleman’s by Alan Moore.

India's First Graphic Novel

Corridor by Sarnath Banerjee.
Published by - Penguin Group.

Plot summary
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 H-1B 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
24
Connaught Place and Calcutta, the story captures the alienation
and fragmented reality of urban life through an imaginative
alchemy of text and image.

25
 10. Comparison of Indian Comic scenario
with foreign scenario
U.S.A JAPAN INDIA AUSTRALI U.K
A
Conception 1842 1798 1947 1931 1891
First Comic The Shiji no Chandamama The The Boy’s
Book Adventu Fushosha Kookaburra Own Paper
re of
Obadiah
Old Buck
Publishing English Japanese, Hindi, English English English
Language English, and Regional
French Languages
Genres Crime, Action, Mythology, Crime, Crime,
Preferred Horror, Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Horror,
Mystery, Romance, Action Adventure Mystery, Mystery,
Sports and Romance Romance,
Romanc
games,
e Science
Historical
Fiction,
Science- Drama,
War
Fiction, Comedy, Scifi,
War, Fantasy,
Western Mystery,
Horror,
Sexuality,
Business
Area Served Worldwi Worldwide National National National
de
Big Publishers DC, Akita, Diamond ,Raj, Dee vee Welsh,
Fushosha Indrajaal Press,
Marvel Penguin
Down
under

26
 comics
Famous Comics Spiderm Dragonball, Chacha Batrisha The Beano
an, Astroboy Chaudhary, the
Nagraj Vampire
MAD
Girl
Target 18-45yrs 18-30yrs 12-25yrs 18-30yrs 18-30yrs
Audience
Revenue $ 1.8 406.7 Billion Marginal Marginal Marginal
Generated(200 Billion Yen
7)
Alternative Availabl Available Not Available Not Available
Comics e Available
Graphic Novels Availabl Available Available Available Available
e
Conventions Availabl Available Not Available Available Available
e
Award Availabl Available Not Available Available Not
e Available
Web comics Availabl Available Not Available Available Available
e
Online Availabl Available Available Available Available
Purchase e

27
 11. International Case Study
Taiwan offers comics on mobile phones.

Taiwanese mobile service providers have started a comic’s service

on cell phones following the huge success of the business in
nearby Japan. Chunghwa Telecom, the island's largest phone
company, began offering a cartoon service last month mainly
about boxers and warriors, using the technology of Celsys Inc. A
Japanese company that develops browser software for mobile
content distributors signed a contract with Cartoon Network to
have its popular shows "Powerpuff Girls" and "Ben 10" remade
into comics for handset users to download and view, the first such
venture by the Time Warner Inc.-owned network.

Industry sources said the comics-on-phone business generated

US$90 million in revenues in Japan in 2006.

As in Japan, the service mainly caters to junior and senior high

school students who want a moment of relaxation from the
pressures of studying.

28
 12. Potential in Comic Media

The Rajasthan Girl Child Campaign

From October 2005, World Comics India started a campaign in
Barmer district of Western Rajasthan to create awareness on the
issues related to girl child. This particular area has one of the
lowest girl child sex ratios in the country. Since the pre-natal sex
determination technique is not widely available here, girls are
often killed soon after they are born. Various techniques are used
to kill them. There is also a prevalence of child marriage and
unmatched marriages.
With this background, the campaign focused on equal
opportunities for girls and their right to education. It also
campaigned against the existing social practices in the area like
female foeticide, early marriages and dowry practices.
To initiate a debate on girl child rights, World Comics India
conducted a series of comic workshops, where children and adults
were trained in comics making. They in turn used their skills in
preparing more than 300 comics posters on issues pertaining to
the girl child.
With this prepared material, WCI along with a local human rights
organization Vikalp and ‘Dream on Wheels’ organised a bike rally
towards the end of January 2006.During the stopovers at about
100 villages, the campaign material in the form of comics was
distributed and the campaign activists had discussions with local
village leaders and public along the route. The comics created a
debate and brought the issue of the girl child to the forefront.

The Goa Campaign

29
The Goa campaign was powered with people’s activism and
initiatives. Goa has emerged as a favorite spot for the tourists,
Indian as well as International. However, the tourism industry has
brought with it many social problems. People from backward
areas of the country migrate to Goa in search of a livelihood. Not
only men but also women and children in big numbers migrate to
Goa. Uncertainties of employment make them vulnerable to
exploitation. Let alone physical and economic exploitation of men
and women, the children are even sexually exploited. Large inflow
of foreign tourists to Goa has brought with it the malice of
pedophilia.
To bring about a change in the mindset of the people, World
Comics India helped Metamorphosis and UNIFEM in an impressive
campaign that focused on serious issues related to displacement,
migration, prostitution and child abuse. Comics Workshops were
conducted in 5 colleges of Goa. In the workshops, participants
were asked to write their stories on these issues. They were
systematically coached and were given preparatory exercise in
sketching and drawing. As an outcome of the workshops in five
different colleges, 200 comics’ wall posters and 50 comics’
booklets were prepared.
In different parts of Goa, students formed groups and distributed
it amongst the people. All these comics were also displayed in an
exhibition organised at Panaji’s ‘Kala – Academy’.
The success of this campaign lays down in the ownership. All
these students pasting comics’ posters on the streets had a sense
of involvement in the campaign since they were the creators of
the material. It also translated into a sense of responsibility
among the youths to generate awareness in their community
through their creations.

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Madhya Pradesh comic wall poster
In a village everybody is falling sick. The village committee finds
that the use of chemical fertilizers has caused the problem. They
all decide to start using compost instead.

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Mizoram comic wall poster
The story tells us about a child finding condom and mistaking
it for a balloon. The lesson is that condom should be disposed
in a better way.

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 13. Conclusion

The Downside
Our characters are long forgotten. The boom in other forms of
media like television and internet has eaten up Indian comic
market. The Indian comics industry as it stands today is extremely
underdeveloped, and relies heavily on the retelling of classic
Indian myths and some original comics that are funny for children
at an entertainment level but don’t have any sense of production
or stylistic qualities of contemporary international work. One
major reason for this, of course, is a lack of money in the industry
as far as creators are concerned because the production of comics
is a laborious, time-consuming and difficult process.

The Upside
Many Foreign players are now foraying into Indian market.
Writers, artists and visualizers with Indian backgrounds are being
roped in to co-produce comic books with international teams.
Therefore giving international exposure to our Indian characters.
Let’s wait and watch how far these revamped look of our favourite
mythological characters manages to make impact on the hearts
and minds of Indian households. India is also witnessing other
forms of medium like graphic novels which is a good sign. The
future is hopefully bright for both the industry as well as
consumers.

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 14. Recommendations

➢ Opening of comic training schools in India and introduction

of related courses and diplomas.
➢ Foraying of more private companies into this segment.
➢ Heroes should be more defined and have depth in their
characters.
➢ Comics on different genres and not only on comedy and
action.
➢ Introduction of Web comics which is economical and mess
free.
➢ Publishing of comics in different vernacular languages.
➢ Understanding comics as a powerful medium of
entertainment and educating people on different issues.
➢ Producing comics for mature segment and shedding the
notion that it's a child's domain.
➢ Opening of comic stores which will sell comic books and
other merchandise and memorabilia related to characters.
➢ Giving a celluloid look to paper characters.
➢ Giving emphasis to online buying of comics which in turn
give international exposure to our Indian characters.
➢ Commencement of awards in this category to honour the
works of different artist.
➢ Commencement of conventions and exhibitions for comic
lovers.
➢ Formation of committees that looks after the functioning of
this medium.

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➢ Considering it as an important medium for advertising.

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