Amar Chitra Katha forays into the genre of "Contemporary Classics"

Amar Chitra Katha announced its foray into the genre of Contemporary Classics with the launch of its new title ‘The Blue Umbrella’ – Stories by Ruskin Bond.

 

Commenting on the inclusion of contemporary Indian literature in the comics format Ms. ReenaPuri, Editor, Amar Chitra Katha, said, “We already have a section called ‘Indian Classics’ which has stories by Kalidasa, Shudraka and Harsha amongst others. We thought a section on contemporary children's writing would complete our vast range of stories. There are beautiful stories in regional languages waiting to be shared with children”. 

 

“The comic, The Blue Umbrella - Stories by Ruskin Bond, opens a new door for us and I do hope to have the best of Indian contemporary stories in the ACK format”, she further added.

 

Commenting on the idea of including Ruskin Bond stories in Amar Chitra Katha, Ms. Puri shared, “Ruskin Bond is an internationally acclaimed writer and we are honoured to use two of his short stories in Amar Chitra Katha. His stories lend themselves very well to the comic format - both in terms of plot and visuals. When we suggested the idea to Bond, we got a very positive response from him”.

 

“It’s a great pleasure to see my literary work in a comic book format, especially in Amar Chitra Katha comics. I have personally been a huge fan of Amar Chitra Katha from the days the comics were launched. My congratulations to the talented artists and script-writers at Amar Chitra Katha for making my stories so attractive in comic book form. Both The Blue Umbrella and Angry River are among my early books written especially for children, and their popularity has increased over the years. When the Blue Umbrella was published in the USA, it was named 'Book of the Month' by the Parenting magazine. Recently, it was made into a wonderful film by Vishal Bharadwaj. And now here it is in a new avatar. My good wishes to all my readers and Amar Chitra Katha. May you all prosper and be happy”, said Ruskin Bond.

 

The newly launched title is a 32-page comic book with two stories, The Blue Umbrella and the Angry River. The Blue Umbrella is about a little girl named Binya who comes to own a beautiful umbrella. Soon, Binya and the umbrella become inseparable companions and her fondness for it grows with each passing day. However, people in the village get jealous of the little girl and are willing to do anything to get hold of the umbrella. Angry River is the story of Sita who lives with her grandparents on a tiny island in the middle of a big river. One day, the river swells and destroys Sita's beloved home when her grandparents are away. Her only hope of survival is to cling on to a sturdy peepul -- the only tree on the island. But even the fifty-year-old tree, she discovers, can't withstand the angry flood. 

 

“Both these stories have strong, resourceful and inspiring child protagonists. Also, both these stories are set in very picturesque locations, so there was a lot of scope as far as the illustrations were concerned”, said Ms. Puri on her selection of these two stories from the treasure trove of Ruskin Bond books. “Comics are essentially pictures. And that is the difference from the original Ruskin Bond books. The stories are a visual treat with fresh and vibrant illustrations. A lot of thought has been put in by the artist, Sabu Sarasan, into perfecting the feel. The new title will serve to acquaint young children with the world of Ruskin Bond. It would be an interesting experience for them to see their favourite stories come alive through illustrations”, she further added.

 

 “The stories have wonderful characters and simple but strong plot-lines. Working on The Blue Umbrella has been a happy experience for all of us, especially since Bond was reading the scripts and encouraging us at every step. It has been an insightful journey into a gentle world”, said Nimmy Chacko, the scriptwriter for The Blue Umbrella.