Amar Chitra Katha pays tribute to Uncle Pai with a comic title

In a tribute to Father of Indian Comics, Anant Pai, the Amar Chitra Katha Media (ACK) is launching a biography of the veteran storey teller who transformed the way folklores and mythological stories were told.

"What could be the best way to pay tribute to the story teller than through a book? ACK media pays tribute to Pai by launching Amar Chitra Katha title "Anant Pai-the master storyteller," said Amar Chitra Katha editor Reena Puri.

"This is a tribute to the man who created Amar Chitra Katha...It is an acknowledgement of the revolution he brought not just by creating comics based on Indian stories but also by bringing into the limelight stories of our country which needed to be shared and told.

It is a tribute from all of us who have worked with him and learned from him," she said.
The book will be available on stands from February 24 commemorating the first death anniversary of "Uncle Pai" as he was fondly called.

Known as the Walt Disney of India, Pai told stories from mythology, history and literature to generations of children using the comic book format.

Pai quit his job as chemical engineer to follow his dream. He created Amar Chitra Katha and later launched Tinkle.

The Amar Chitra Katha title on Anant Pai traces the story of the man who left behind a legacy of learning and laughter. This is his life story from his childhood days in a village in Karnataka through his education and then the pursuit of his dream till he succeeded, Puri said.

The 32-page biography in comics format took 11 months to compile and has been researched and scripted by Gayathri Chandrasekaran who has also worked with Anant Pai and was assistant editor of Tinkle.

It has been illustrated in the traditional ACK style by acknowledged artist Dilip Kadam.
"A lot of people who worked with  Pai had to be met and extensive interviews conducted with his wife, Lalita Pai, his sister and other relatives. Subba Rao, who was one of the first associate editors of ACK gave us very valuable inputs and helped us refine the script," Puri said.