Amar Chitra Katha: Is India's storybook relevant in digital era?
A homegrown comic series, once a cultural staple for Indian children, is reinventing itself in the digital age. As it navigates Gen Z's swipe-driven world, we examine its nostalgic pull and whether it still holds meaning in a hyper-connected, globalised India
Amar Chitra Katha embedded a shared Indian memory across generations. It is the childhood comfort of familiar stories, traditions, gods, and heroes.
Image: Courtesy Amar Chitra Katha
Imagine an audacious little comic book series launched in 1967 with a mission to teach Indian kids more about their own gods than Greek heroes. Fast-forward nearly six decades, and that plucky little hero—Amar Chitra Katha (ACK)—is still marching, albeit with a few new tattoos, a Netflix account, and an Instagram handle. So, how did this mythological muscle memory survive inflation, cartoon character saturation, cable TV, and social media? And perhaps more intriguingly—does Gen Z even care?
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Today's India is a kaleidoscope of cultures, campaigns, and content. With influencers scarfing down momos, it's easy to miss traditional narratives. But that's exactly where Amar Chitra Katha can wag its tail in delight. In a time when pop culture is supersized, saturated, and sometimes soulless, ACK's human-sized tales—multigenerational, mythic, moral—cut through the noise. Parents feel safe handing it to kids, and educators nod approvingly. ACK's stories come with moral anchors and cultural scaffolding, unlike most online noise. And that trust is like a branded vitamin shot—but one with sparkle. Imagine a Gen Z influencer opening a beautifully printed ACK comic in a café. They tag #StoryRoots, sip cold brew through a bamboo straw—and suddenly mythic India becomes meme-able!
From fairy tales to cultural blueprint
ACK's genesis was humble—founder Anant Pai was mortified that Indian kids could name Zeus's siblings but not Rama's mother. In 1967, he launched a Kannada comic lineup, which later transitioned to English with the introduction of the Krishna series. The idea struck a chord with parents seeking to engage children in fruitful habits and provide grounding in mythology. Sales skyrocketed to 5 million copies a year by the late 1970s, and by 1995, over 500 titles had been released—on mythology, history, saints, folk tales, freedom fighters—essentially all the stories parents wanted their children to read.
ACK etched itself into middle-class consciousness by delivering cultural identity wrapped in illustrated fun—college-toppers with glasses read Krishna like bedtime stories, while Suppandi schooled everyone on mischief. They even squeezed in fairy tales like Snow White at the beginning, just to test the waters.
The superpower: Brand nostalgia and cultural capital
ACK embedded a shared Indian memory across generations. It is the childhood comfort of familiar stories, traditions, gods, and heroes. Their cliff notes of the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and freedom struggle made mythologies accessible in student-friendly editions. Writers like Subba Rao and Margie Sastry, and illustrators like Ram Waeerkar and Dilip Kadam, gave ACK a serious credibility glow. It wasn't flimsy pulp, but a curated window into India's rich heritage. Published in multiple languages, it reached kindergarteners in Mumbai and Mysore alike, connecting regional identities under a national umbrella. In an era of reboots and heritage models, ACK is like the original vintage denim—worn, trusted, and emotional. Old copies now fetch collector's prices.
[This article has been reproduced with permission from SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai. Views expressed by authors are personal.]
