Growing up Indian, the Amar Chitra Katha way

Last week my kids got special delivery of a veritable treasure chest. Two cartons packed with the entire collection of Amar Chitra Katha. That's more than 400 comic books! It was a gift from a much loved friend of mine. It must have cost her a small fortune. But, to my mind, it's worth every penny, and much, much more. The hours spent with these wonderful books are far more precious than anything money can buy.

Most of us have grown up reading Amar Chitra Kathas. And I am overjoyed that my little boys are doing the same. An unmatched concept, Amar Chitra Katha was the first to introduce Indian children to their rich cultural, religious and historical heritage using the irresistible comic book format. Gone were the dull and weighty accounts of India's past that were heavy on text and low on appeal. The bright colours, rich illustrations and simplified storytelling brought characters from mythology, folklore and history alive for kids, making them real and accessible somehow.

Launched in 1967, the Amar Chitra Katha series introduced us to all our freedom fighters in a way that school and library texts on history never could. From Lokmanya Tilak to Subhas Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi to Bhagat Singh, Veer Savarkar to Jawaharlal Nehru, the series gave us a tantalising glimpse into the lives of men who helped shape our collective destiny. It was the best possible introduction to the world of biographies.

And Amar Chitra Katha simplified the often confusing world of Indian mythology in a way no one else has managed to do. The two great Indian epics, the Ramayan and Mahabharat, are so full of complex characters, relationships, equations and sub-plots that it is easy to lose one's way. So Amar Chitra Katha gave us simple overviews of the main stories and also separate books on the significant sub-plots to the epics. For instance the Gita, which is one of the central tenets of Hindu belief, is based on a dialogue between Lord Krishna and the warrior Arjun while they are poised for a mighty battle between good and evil. There is a separate comic on that exhange. I re-read it last night after decades.

Apart from their entertainment and educational value, I feel Amar Chitra Katha help our children understand the meaning of being an Indian. The books help them see that our nation has no single, monolithic identity or truth. Being Indian can mean being anything, or anyone. They make kids appreciate diversity by offering a basic understanding of many faiths - Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Judaism. Tales of saints and reformers like Kabir, Guru Nanak, Shankaracharya, Ramakrishna give them hope that things can be changed for the better when they start to go wrong. Accounts of our struggle for independence awaken a sense of pride in nationality.

Available in a host of Indian languages as well as English and even French, the Amar Chitra Katha series has tried to keep current by offering new biographies on contemporary personalities like India-born American astronaut Kalpana Chawla (who died in the Columbia explosion in 2003) and the late industrialist J.R.D. Tata, among others. And its Heroes Challenge invites its young readers to nominate heroes on whom Amar Chitra Katha has not yet released a book.

In a way, Amar Chitra Katha has made an invaluable contribution to helping us grow up Indian. And it continues to do so for future generations. I hope this unique venture never runs out of steam.