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The articles in this section question the agenda of the widely read and hugely popular Amar Chitra Katha comics. The series was started in 1967 (when publishing for children was just beginning) by Anant Pai, and published by India Book House (Bombay), to counteract the impact of Western culture on those children who read nothing but imported comics and books. Over the past 33 years, the series has sold over 80 million copies and has published 436 titles in 30 languages.-Ed.
"The Glorious Heritage of India": Notes on the Politics of Amar Chitra Katha
Growing up in a middle-class Hindu Indian family in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia, I was provided with an engaging way to learn about India's history, cultures, and religions through the Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) comic books. Part of the appeal of the series is that it presents history, mythology, and folklore in a deliciously palatable manner. Nevertheless, it is important to situate these texts within a broader societal framework so as to note how the series is deployed to reaffirm a patriarchal, Hindu version of Indian identity, both in India and in the diaspora. Such questions have acquired a certain urgency given India's current socio-political climate.
As I look back at the series, it has become apparent that the body of "knowledge" it presents about India is Hindu-centric. While I acquired tidbits of knowledge about each of the Mughal emperors, a few Sufi mystics, and some Sikh gurus, I learned a lot more about Hindu deities, devotees, saints, mythology, and historical characters (e.g., Birbal, a minister in Akbar's court). Why, therefore, does this comic book series that bills itself as an Indian series (the caption "Glorious Heritage of India" appears on the covers of the new edition) fail to seriously explore the stories and histories of India's non-Hindu populations? Why are non-Hindu subjects not featured as prominently in this series?
While researching this topic, I found many issues of ACK archived on the extensive website of a North American-based Hindu Students Council affiliate, Free India. This website disseminates information about India's heroic past by placing special emphasis on Hindu culture and religion, and ACK features prominently on its home page. While the current contract expired in 2000,...