Lores of yore

Amar Chitra Katha
Sunday 11 p.m,Cartoon Network
The name Amar Chitra Katha is synonymous with Indian epics,stories and mythological tales told in a simple way for children. Repackaging those stories for today’s television addicted generation,ACK Media has launched animated versions of their comics on Cartoon Network. So while we grew up watching Mahabharata on Sunday mornings,children now have the chance to watch some mythological stories as well. Except that these are animated and told extremely simplistically.

You will see most of the characters that have been part of our mythology and fables. The series brings to life the adventures of popular heroes and larger-than-life characters like Hanuman,Birbal,Shivaji,Arjuna,Abhimanyu and Drona. The stories that have been aired so far are those of Kumbhakarna,Hanuman and Mahiravana.
Watching the show immediately brought back memories of the days one spent curled up with an ACK comic. The animation uses the comic art style to depict the characters and so they are drawn exactly like one would have seen them in the comics. All 26 episodes are in Hindi and are extremely easy to understand,even if the viewers are not familiar with any of our mythological characters. The build-up to the climax is exciting and the lessons to be learnt are easy to understand for young audiences. While the series is aimed at children,it can be just as educational for adults who want to brush up their knowledge of India’s lore or just feel nostalgic.

Our only complaint is that each episode runs for just 30 minutes. Since the time is so short,many sections of the stories are rushed. While reading the comics,we were often given explanations for everything. This is missing on the show. Children today might not appreciate the sudden magic,spears turning into mirrors and big beasts being easily killed by smaller people,so some emphasis on the powers of characters like Ram and Hanuman would have been good.
Verdict: Even if you’re not a 10-year-old,you should definitely watch this. The tales are crisply told and bring back memories. A bonus is the moral lessons that these stories teach. It’s a great way to begin your Sunday.