| Indian comics | |
|---|---|
| Earliest publications | 1960s |
| Languages | Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali |
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of India |
|---|
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Chitrakatha are comics or graphic novels originating from India published in a number of Indian languages.
India has a long tradition of comic readership and themes associated with extensive mythologies and folk-tales have appeared as children's comic books for decades.[1] Indian comics often have large publication. The comic industry was at its peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s and during this period popular comics were easily sold more than 500,000 copies over the course of its shelf life of several weeks. Currently, it only sell around 50,000 copies over a similar period.[2] India's once-flourishing comic industry is in sharp decline because of increasing competition from satellite television (children's television channels) and the gaming industry.[3]
Over the last six decades Diamond Comics, Raj Comics, Tinkle, Balarama and Amar Chitra Katha have established vast distribution networks countrywide and are read by hundreds of thousands of children in a wide range of languages.[4] Famous comic creators from India include Pratap Mulick, Chandu, Harvinder Mannkar, Sukhwant Kalsi, Anupam Sinha, Aabid Surti, Uncle Pai, Ram Waeerkar and cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma, Neerad and famous characters are Chacha Chaudhary, Bahadur, Meeku, Motu Patlu, Detective Moochhwala, Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruva, Doga, Suppandi and Shikari Shambu and many more .[5][2] Anant Pai, affectionately known as "Uncle Pai," is credited with helping to launch India's comic book industry in the 1960s with his "Amar Chitra Katha" series chronicling the ancient Hindu mythologies.[6]
- ^ Patel, Atish. "Graphic novelists shake up world of Indian comics". Reuters. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Business Line : Features / Weekend Life : Homecoming for the superheroes". Thehindubusinessline.com. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ "BBC News – Changing habits illustrate decline of India's comics". Bbc.co.uk. 27 November 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ "Comic, Dead Serious | Samit Basu". Outlookindia.com. 3 May 2004. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ Shweta Sharma (13 November 2011). "Documentary homage to comics Gods". Sunday-guardian.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ The Associated Press – Fri 25 February 2011 (25 February 2011). "Indian comic book pioneer 'Uncle Pai' dies at 81 – Yahoo! News India". In.news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
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