How Tiger Comics Aims To Bring Back The Joy Of Reading Indian Epics And Mythology
His first set of 12 books was released in 2021.
Tiger Comics has titles that tell lesser-known stories from Indian epics and history such as Cappozza Thampan: The Illusionist, Barbarika: The Mightiest Warrior of Mahabharata and Princess Sukkha Di: Queen of Odisha, among others.
It is hard to fathom the thought that an entire generation is growing up without a copy of Amar Chitra Katha in hand. And while this idea may bring back many memories, it is an undeniable fact that many of us have a better understanding of our history and mythology thanks to these simplified versions of them. Based in Kochi, Tiger Comics is perhaps a worthy successor and companion to this reading experience.
Started by Naveen Nair, with the aim of bringing indigenous Indian stories to the fore, Tiger Comics is a completely professional work that is indistinguishable from any set of comics out there.
“It was my husband’s dream and idea to start something like this,” says Preethi Nair, his wife and co-founder.
“Many of us grew up on myths and stories from history. We felt that side of our lives should be present in the lives of future generations. But we also wanted to tell stories that were not told. There are many stories to be told from our traditions.
Naveen Nair was a corporate consultant who started Tiger Comics as a passion project. “He wanted to build it slowly. He started it in 2019 and he didn’t want to go to market yet. In the beginning he just wanted to start making good content. He funded the whole thing with his own money. What,” revealed Preeti.
Preeti herself is an advertising writer and along with her daughter, an illustration artist and animator, has been part of the initial setup. The company will go public sometime this year, following the death of Naveen Nair, who took over the company’s funding and marketing responsibilities, last December.
“The idea of Indianness and what we know about our mythology comes from these books. We wanted to do it on the same lines but also more relatable. We wanted children to be interested in it as well,” ’ Preeti says how these stories have shaped the minds of generations.
Collaborated with other professional artists, animators and historians, the books come across as well-researched well-illustrated works sharing fascinating snippets of Indian history.
“We were very excited. We work with artists on a project-to-project basis. We also work with research scholars and historians. We also have Vedic scholars. Many of our stories come from the ancient inscriptions of Karnataka. There are, so naturally we need scholars. Scholars who have spent their entire lives understanding and telling these stories.
“For the last two years we have only been creating content. Most of our artists are well-known senior artists from Kerala like Shabhi Kurvata and Shaji Vasan. We are yet to enter the market,” adds Nair, adding that these forms of storytelling. How to get young minds back to reading
“Today, everyone spends a lot of time on digital media. Comic books have always been appealing to people for generations. This could be the start of bringing their interests back to reading.
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