Sumita Misra, managing director of Haryana Tourism Corporation launched Amar Chitra Katha’s (ACK) 32-page comic “Do Bael - Munshi Premchand ki Kahaaniyan” last week at the World Book Fair, comprising two of Premchand’s stories — Budhi Kaki and Do Bael. The former is the story of a little girl Laadli’s love for an aged and abandoned grandaunt while the latter is about two oxen who are astonished at the cruelty of human beings towards animals.
Describing the new title as a tribute to one of the greatest writers in Hindi, Munshi Premchand, Manas Mohan, chief operating office of ACK said: “Budhi Kaki and Do Bael are two of the author’s beautiful works waiting to be shared with children, and what better way to do it than a comic book.”
The executive also added that, “We believe that the best way to connect to a wider audience base is by spreading the reach of our comics to various regional languages. Our first Hindi title from Indian literature legend opens a new door for us and we have more of such Indian contemporary stories in the Amar Chitra Katha format in pipeline.”
Reena Puri, editor, ACK described the comic as an “attempt to introduce a writer of Premchand’s stature to younger children who may not be very familiar with his work. Though, his stories have been present in school text books for senior classes, we felt that an introduction at a middle school level would help the child understand and enjoy the stories even more.”
She added that the “two stories selected have messages that are relevant today — caring for elders and compassion and understanding towards all living beings.”
Nandini Nair, the scriptwriter of the comic, commented that “Premchand’s genius lies in his ability to identify human emotions and conditions that remain relevant years after he wrote about them. The story Budhi Kaki helps us to understand how, in our fast-paced life, we sometimes ignore the old and the feeble.”
Available at book stores, the comic is priced at Rs.50.
