_d.png "Independence Day 2025")
Three decades of storytelling and over 600 comic books later, a new biography charts the legacy of India’s master storyteller Anant Pai
Illustration
Rajessh Iyer
From a small village in Karnataka to Mumbai, Pai’s journey and vision, which eventually touched countless lives across many generations, is as interesting as the books he created. Pai passed away in February 2011, but Iyer was adamant about writing the book. “I was shocked about the lack of material on him and collating them from different sources took longer than envisaged. This was compounded by the fact that barring a few, none of his close colleagues from the heyday of ACK are alive to give better insight into the events that helped create these iconic brands, also understand the psyche of the man” Iyer shares.
And so, around two-and-a-half years later, Iyer finished writing Uncle Pai—a biography that delves into every aspect of the iconic creator of ACK and later Tinkle (fortnightly children’s magazine started in the 1980s). “One propelling factor for writing was a sense of disappointment and shame at how Uncle Pai and his legacy have been treated with such indifference. It’s rather sad that in a country where at least three generations have known their cultural roots through his creations, there’s neither official recognition nor any other major acknowledgement for his precious legacy. This book is but a small token of gratitude from millions of those children whose lives became more enjoyable and knowledgeable, thanks to Pai’s creations. Hopefully, this book kickstarts a spate of bigger recognitions for the man who deserves a lot more,” Iyer adds.
Anant Pai with former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and GL Mirchandani, publisher of ACK
There are nuggets galore of how some of our most cherished titles of Amar Chitra Katha were created and, of course, about the man himself. “For example, the first ACK title we know of [Krishna] is actually the eleventh title. There’s [also] a major blooper in one of the most iconic covers of ACK that no one knows about… Mr Pai had some troublesome memories of his parents, which perhaps helped shape him. [Moreover] the character Little Raji is based on a small kid in Mr Pai’s neighbourhood, who is now a renowned doctor in the US,” Iyer says.
WHAT: Uncle Pai, A Biography
WHERE: Amazon, Flipkart
FOR: Rs 299
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
