Graphic Novels/Picture books and comics originating in India and published in various other languages are known as “Chitrakatha” -‘chitra’ meaning paintings and ‘katha’ meaning stories. Chitrakatha mainly focused on Hindu mythology and folklores to keep the cultures and traditions alive. Indian Comics were so popular at one point of time that it sold around 500,000 copies in the early 80’s and 90’s.
The very first resemblance of what we call a comic today can be traced back to 1947 when two famous Telegu movie producers, B.Nagi Reddy and Aluri Chakrapani started a comic series named ‘Chandamama’ for kids, with stories on Hindu Mythology and adaptations from Ramayana and Mahabharata, in their native language Tamil and Telugu which later were adapted into various other languages around the country.
The advent of the Indian Comic Industry started off in the year of 1960’s when Times of India launched “Indrajal Comics”. Indrajal Comics focused on the Western comic characters like The Phantom Stories, Mandrake, Flash Gordon and Rip Kirby and thus attracted a lot of readers which in turn attracted a lot of other publishers to expand the Indian Comic Industry.
Source-thephantom.fan
The late 1960’s revolutionized the whole Indian Comic Industry with the arrival of the publication “Amar Chitra Katha” in the year of 1967, by the famous Indian educator and comic artist Mr. Anant Pai who later was popularly given the title “Uncle Pai’. Mr. Anant Pai was very disappointed with the fact that Indian children hardly knew about their own cultures and mythology and thus he started making mythology interesting with his comics. The first Indian comic published in ACK was “Krishna” and was an immediate hit in the market.
Source-Goodreads.com
Who doesn’t love Tintin? Tintin is one of the most famous comic series loved by Indian readers. In Bengal, every year a thick magazine named “Anandamela” is released during the time of Durga Puja and according to the BBC reports this kid’s magazine was the one to first introduce Tin tin to Indian readers in a local language. The magazine started in March, 1976. This magazine also consists of other short stories and various other comic strips like ‘Batul the Great’ by Narayan Debnathetc.
Source- Wikipedia (Sharadiya 2002 cover of Anandamela)
In the year of 1971, Pran Kumar Sharma, one of the most famous Indian cartoonist’s gained popularity through one of the comic character’s he created, named “Chacha Chaudhury” which published in a Hindi magazine named “Lotpot” and later in “Diamond Comics”. This comic became so popular among the readers that it sold off over a million copies. Pran Kumar Sharma took inspiration from the fact that how elderly people in villages helped children with their knowledge of everything and thus created Chacha Chaudhury and his dog ‘Rocket’ which also has a different fan following.
Source-Storypick.com/Animationexpress.com
The 80’s marked another great launchwith the appearance of “Tinkle” magazine by Anant Pai’s ACK publication and was a massive hit among the young readers. Famous characters such as Shikaari Shambhu, Ramu and Shamu and Suppandi has gained nationwide recognition since.
Source-Wikipedia (First copy of Tinkle 1980)
Another very different aspect of Indian Comics could also be seen through the advent of Political cartoons from the British era. Though the idea of ‘political cartoons’ is a very western concept, some unique Indian comic artists have created their own kind of genre in the same, which has been widely accepted in our country.
The commencement of Indian Political Cartoons started off from the 1850’s. English owned newspaper companies like The Bengal Harkaru and The Indian Gazette were the first to include political cartoons. Soon within a few decades political cartoons started making its way in all the newspapers, with the intention of removing colonial administration. ‘Sulav Samachar’ in 1870’s started off as the first newspaper to highlight the injustices by Europeans, during the colonial rule.
The 20th century marked another prominent shift with the advent of Gaganendranath Tagore’s cartoons. Previously the cartoons mainly focused on political problems but now it also focused on the Social injustices, inequalities, caste-system and all other difficulties India as a country faces.
Source-thewire.in (Indian Lady Dancing with European Gentleman)
R.K. Laxman was one of the most prominent political cartoonist and humorist in the time of 1950’s. His famous “Common Man “character gained a lot of popularity, since common people could relate their own problems with his comics as his cartoons dealt with serious political issues with a hint of humor in it. He was also the brother of R.K. Narayan and he helped his brother illustrating “Malgudi Days” which again is one of the most beloved cartoon series in India.
Source-ndia.com (R.K.Laxman on right and his character ‘Common Man’ on left)
Anand Milk Union Limited or Amul as we know is one of the most prominent dairy brands in India. The Amul Ad Campaign with their mascot of a little girl attracted the attention of everyone as intended, and thus justified their campaign, starting in the year of 1966. Their ads were made with not only the intention of marketing but it also started to address the various political problems through their advertisements. The company also had to face a lot of backlash from various political parties but that didn’t stop DaCunha’s agency to state hard hitting facts.
Source-marketingmind.in