Desi toons offer infotainment

Animated tales

With the reopening of many schools, if you thought kids have less to enjoy, think again. Pogo and Cartoon Network are all set to take all kids on a roller coaster ride of Indian folk art and culture with many shows like Kumbh Karan, Krish Trish and Baltiboy (KTB) I and II.

Krish Trish and Baltiboy is a musical trio of minstrels or sutradhars who share with you the gems of folk art and music and present each story in the unique folk art from the particular region. Krish, the monkey, is a street-smart character, sarcastic and has a slapstick sense of humour.

Trish, the cat, is well behaved, proper and disciplined at all times. She is intelligent and has a sanctimonious aura around her. Baltiboy is a donkey, simple but not completely dumb. He is just a little slow and innocent. His simplicity sometimes makes him stubborn like a mule, and then it’s very difficult to make him change his mind or opinion. This is a 60 minute program which was aired on the channel recently without any
break and talked about three stories from different states.

The first one from Karnataka was a classic story of the monkey and the crocodile who become friends. The second one from Bihar was about two monkeys and a cat while the third story from Bengal showcased the tale of ‘The Barber & The Brahmarakshasa’. Says Munjal Shroff, Director & COO, Graphiti Multimedia, “KTB is a bold and different experiment to engage kids by taking them back to their roots and educate them about Indian folk, art and music. Our story in the state of Rajasthan depicts Mughal miniature painting, Kerala depicts temple art and Punjab showcases the hallmark music and vibrant colours of the state.”

The story about the lovable characters of Kumbh Karan too premiered on Pogo recently. It’s about identical twin boys who stay in a small colony of a fictional village Ajab-Gajabpur. Kumbh is perennially sleepy and hungry and loves food (especially honey) while Karan is big, strong, an archer and karate expert and an agile, sharp and better (looking) version of his twin.

But whenever Karan gets into trouble, Kumbh comes to his rescue. As 10-year-old lads, adventures and challenges are not uncommon in their lives. Together with their best friend Tara and Kumbh’s pet porcupine Kaddu, they travel the world rescuing trapped princesses to battling crazed creatures and tackling various problems head-on.
Explains Krishna Desai, Director Programming, South Asia, Turner International India, “From our past experiences and survey data, our ratings hit the roof when we air Indian animation titles. We are delighted that today, kids’ love watching stories set in rich story telling heritage of India. It’s also satisfying to share that Indian animation rates extremely well. In fact, all our local animations have been runaway success on both our kids’ networks – Cartoon Network and Pogo.”

She adds further, “According to the data available with us, shows like My friend Ganesha, Return of Hanuman Pavanputra Hanuman, Little Ravana were liked by many kids. We are looking at expanding the characters to merchandising, gaming and online ventures.” So kids, get set for one helluva journey that promises not just entertainment but information as well; it’s an infotainment package like no other!
Bindu Gopal Rao