Indian heroes, in comic strips!

It’s a day when the bravehearts of the country ought to be remembered. And what better way to do that than reading about them via the most interesting medium available perhaps — comic books. Yes, comic books are very much in the picture when it comes to commemorating our heroes.

Amar Chitra Katha has always eulogised the country’s bravehearts in their illustrated strips, in a bid to educate the masses in a non-academic manner. This Republic Day, ACK Media launches ‘Nation Builders’, a collection of 20 carefully chosen Amar Chitra Katha titles dedicated to some of the stalwarts and visionaries who helped shape our country. The titles include Shivaji, Akbar, Ashoka, Chandragupta Maurya, Prithviraj Chauhan, Noor Jahan, among others. Says Reena Puri, Editor Amar Chitra Katha, “The need to remember kings and queens who contributed to the shaping of our history and the creation of our identity as a nation is important. A child who knows the history of his country will be able to understand his own roots. Our rulers should be icons and we hope that with these stories, children grow to respect their heritage.” Reena recalls how the series of titles on freedom fighters had done exceedingly well. “Those include all-time favourites like Mahatma Gandhi, Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose,” she informs.

The Republic Day fervour is palpable in the enthusiasm of kids across the country, who send in letters to Tinkle to be published. “For children, Republic Day and Independence Day are big events. And as such their response is enthusiastic and uninhibited. We see this in the letters, poems and pictures they send us,” says Rajani Thindiath, Editor, Tinkle. Although Tinkle doesn’t have a special Republic Day edition, they do have a special feature in the January issue — Uniforms of the Indian Army — that traces the roots of the army through its uniforms. The cover also reflects the colours of our flag in the numbers 2012. Rajani enthuses, “There was a story Beyond Borders that won the First Prize in the 15th Tinkle Original Story Competition. Earlier, we had asked our readers to talk to their grandparents who were present when India celebrated its first Republic Day and share those memories with us. The response was overwhelming with grandparents writing in to us, telling us how much they enjoyed reliving those days.”

Indian War Comics had released titles depicting the life, bravery and martyrdom of the heroes who lost their lives fighting terrorism. The books include Braveheart of Mumbai — 26/11 (Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, AC), The True Maratha (Col. N. J Nair, AC, KC) and Yeh Dil Maange More (Capt. Vikram Batra, PVC). “If the heroes are not highlighted, they remain unsung. If terrorism is what we fight now, then it’s still a fight. These comics tell what inspired the heroes to be in that space and fight it out,” says Prathibha Sastry, Head Publications of Techjini that introduced this series on digital platform. Indeed, options are galore, so which hero would you pay a tribute to this Republic Day?