Archives: history

By Sharanya Iyer

Everybody loves a good story, but only some have the true gift of storytelling. One such gifted individual was Anant Pai. So intense was his love for storytelling that he built his entire life around it. Known as the father of the Indian comic industry, Anant Pai was an immensely generous person who had a vision for the benefit of others and turned it into reality. 

A bright and gifted student from the very beginning, Anant Pai never backed down when met with challenges. After losing his parents at the age of two, and after the subsequent loss of his grandparents who raised him, Anant Pai moved to the big, bustling city of Mumbai, where he met the additional challenge of a language barrier. He didn’t speak any English, and it was a mark of how intelligent he was that he not only went on to study and learn in English-speaking institutions but came out at the very top at all these schools. 

Growing up, Anant Pai was a natural storyteller, entertaining his siblings with easy skill. As an adult, he wanted to regale children with the endless supply of mythological and historical stories that Indians possess, along with the vibrant varieties of folk tales and regional lore every state has. The most well-known incident in Anant Pai’s life is the time he watched Indian children on a quiz show. These children had ready knowledge of Greek gods but failed to deliver answers to well-known Indian mythological questions. This incident was the spark that gave birth to the still-burning flame of Amar Chitra Katha. 

A name synonymous with long journeys and summer holidays, Amar Chitra Katha has shaped the childhood of generation after generation of Indians. Our country’s cultural background is vast, and it is next to impossible to know each and every story and folk tale there is here. Through Anant Pai’s vision of making these stories readily available and well known amongst children, so many of these stories are now widely enjoyed and retold. Countless stories of our gods and goddesses, our kings and their queens, of the brave freedom fighters who fought for the freedom we enjoy today, of seldom-heard folk tales that old grandmothers have preserved and passed on, and everything in between, have all been beautifully illustrated and told to us by Amar Chitra Katha.  

Anant Pai saw his dream of children learning about Indian culture and heritage come true. He had stories and storytelling in his heart and soul, and he loved it so deeply that he was determined to make everybody around him love it too. He had complete faith in his dream and was convinced that it was important enough that it became reality. By turning stories into illustrated comics, he ensured that children read more books and knew more stories.  

Anant Pai singlehandedly took on the role of writer, art director and editor, working very hard to give children what they enjoyed. With his uniquely quirky, yet simple, way of presenting his characters and story, he and his team created something that everybody wanted more of. And when children repeatedly demanded more books and more stories, he took it a step further, added funny stories and characters, and created everybody’s beloved Tinkle comics! Even today, both old and new issues of Tinkle are widely enjoyed and treasured, each story urging children to find the hero within themselves. 

Both Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle are equally iconic features in the lives of their old fans and in the lives of their fresh, young readers. For millions, the books will always be an incontestable part of their childhood. The readers have enjoyed a deep bond with the books along with a personal rapport with their creator, which is how Anant Pai fondly became known as ‘Uncle’ Pai. He was an expert at recognising the needs of children everywhere, along with possessing a keen eye for their interests. Today, all of us at Amar Chitra Katha work towards sustaining Uncle Pai’s legacy by maintaining the impeccable standard he set for educational story telling. 

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He was the man who popularised the slogan Satyameva Jayate, Truth will Triumph. Patriot, educationist, social reformer and lawyer, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya is a towering figure in the story of our independence. His vision and hard work created Benaras Hindu University (BHU). He was a prolific writer and journalist. Pandit Malaviya’s political career saw him thrice elected as President of the Indian National Congress. He also accompanied Mahatma Gandhi to the Round Table Conference in England. He played an important role in the removal of untouchability. Panditji’s great-granddaughter, Brinda Upadhyaya, pays a tribute to the stalwart in an exclusive piece for Amar Chitra Katha.

Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya shaped India’s struggle for freedom by using the tool of higher education to spread self awareness among the Indian masses.

As a great-granddaughter of Pandit Malaviya, I grew up hearing stories of a courageous struggle against a foreign rule, and several sacrifices that were made by the family. His daughter-in-law, my maternal grandmother, Usha Malaviya was educated and led the womens’ movement against the British rule, spending several days in jail even while nursing her tiny daughter.

Pandit Malaviya has often been misunderstood as a Hindu fundamentalist. Nothing is further from the truth as a true educationist could never be parochial or community minded. He was grateful to the Muslims who donated generously towards setting up a Hindu University. Several students from different religions enrolled and received education under him at the BHU.

Pandit Malaviya was a brilliant orator. He interpreted the scriptures lucidly and explained the relevance of the Bhagavad Gita, vedant philosophy and the message of devotion and goodness contained in the Ramayana to the masses who poured in to hear him.

His compassion for animals was exemplary and stands out in his relentless campaign to protect the cow, who, he believed, was an important economic asset to an Indian family. He laboured to ban the slaughter of cows and protested against the killing of calves for leather. My mother recounts several stories where dogs, cats and sparrows were fed regularly and cared for by him.

Pandit Malaviya could not come to terms with Gandhiji’s call to students to boycott British-run schools and colleges. He felt that such boycotts were not in national interest, specially when there was a dearth of educational institutions. Moreover, a large number of teachers employed in these schools were Indians and the schools were financed by Indian money. He suggested that instead of boycotting schools and colleges, the students should take to Swadeshi.

Today, though we lament the loss of values and principles, I see many youngsters respectfully rise to their feet at the sound of the national anthem. I know then that the sacrifices of leaders like Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya have not been in vain.

Read about more such legendary figures from Indian history on the ACK Comics app!

By Nainika Nambiar

The 19th century saw a lot of changes in Indian society. It was a time of reform and progress in areas like education, gender equality, caste equality and more. During this phase of promoting an equal society, Tarabai Shinde was one of the very few courageous women who stood up to advocate for equality between the sexes.

Birth and Background

Tarabai was born into an elite Maratha family in the Berar province of Buldana around 1850. Her father, Bapuji Hari Shinde, decided to educate his daughter since she was the only child he had. Therefore, Tarabai was taught Marathi, Sanskrit, and even English. Bapuji was also involved in Jyotirao Phule’s ‘Satyashodhak Samaj’ – otherwise known as the Truth-seeking Society, which was reformist in nature. 

Tarabai was eventually married off as a child bride. This was because child marriage was a prominent practice in 19th century India. Fortunately for her, unlike the traditional patrilocal marriages that took place, her wedding had a ‘ghar jamai’ wherein her husband came to live in her house (matrilocality).

Tarabai’s journey with her first and only piece of writing began when she heard of the Vijayalakshmi case in 1881. Vijayalakshmi was a Brahmin widow who had aborted her illegitimate child, and was convicted for the same. After repeated appeals, her death penalty was changed into a sentence of ‘transportation for life’ (banishment or exile). 

Soon after, a series of articles were published in the Pune Vaibhar, a prominent newspaper, which criticised and denounced women for having ‘loose morals’. Angered by such a response to the incident, Tarabai decided to write a book against it, called ‘Stri Purush Tulana’.

Stri Purush Tulana

“But do men not suffer from the same flaws that women are supposed to have?”

– Tarabai Shinde

‘Stri Purush Tulana’, written in Marathi, translates to ‘A Comparison between Women and Men’. It was one of India’s first feminist texts. It was published in 1882 but received a hostile response from the readers and was clamped down, remaining unknown for a long time. Eventually, S.G Malshe re-published it in 1975 and the author, Rosalind O’Hanlon, translated it to English in 1994.

The book discusses the maltreatment of women in India, highlighting the gender hierarchies stemming from patriarchy. Tarabai not only rejects this hierarchy, but also challenges it. We see this in the first choice she makes in this text – the title. By placing ‘Stri’ (woman) before ‘Purush’ (man), she has chosen to give women a primary position for a change.

Tarabai critiques how various religious texts have prescribed the ways in which a woman “must” think, act and behave. Her book begins with a paragraph that questions the Gods:

“Let me ask you something, Gods! You are supposed to be omnipotent and freely accessible to all. You are said to be completely impartial. What does that mean? That you have never been known to be partial. But wasn’t it you who created both men and women? Then why did you grant happiness only to men and brand women with nothing but agony? Your will was done! But poor women have had to suffer for it down the ages.”

Her language too is an important influence. Her critique is unfiltered and targets the male population as a major audience. While men called themselves “indestructible”, Tarabai pointed out that they are just as flawed as they consider women to be. 

We see an instance of this in how she chooses to point out that society regards adultery as the gravest sin that a woman could commit. Tarabai flips the narrative, holding husbands accountable for failing to keep their wives happy. She further argues that women deserve the right to choose their own husbands to prevent such cases from happening. 

The book also advocates for widow remarriage. Tarabai points out how men have been allowed to remarry upon the death of their wives but widows cannot choose to do the same. Seen as an “ill omen”, they are forced to lead an isolated life and abandon all desire to pursue any other romantic or sexual relationship. By being deprived of their ornaments, jewellery and hair, they have been stripped of their sense of “beauty”. When widows do not oblige as expected, they are openly ostracised from mainstream society. We thus see how Tarabai painted a picture of the ruthless double standards that were laid out by society. 

Tarabai also openly fights against child marriages as well as caste/income marriages, forced marriages and polygamy. Having lived in a society that has repetitively looked down on prostitutes, she is understanding of their plight. Her method in writing has been to expose the patriarchy, call out the important flaws of its strict rules and show possible solutions wherever applicable. 

Influence of Jyotirao Phule

Jyotirao Phule’s ideas had a good amount of influence on Tarabai’s expression of her own ideas. In the year 1854, the Phules began a shelter for upper caste widows who were forbidden from remarriage and ostracised from society. They later involved Tarabai in these initiatives and she became an active participant of the Satyashodhak Samaj.

After the publication of ‘Stri Purush Tulana’, she received harsh criticism. Orthodox communities were appalled and local newspapers published articles that mocked her work. Even Phule’s colleagues, Krishnarao Bhalekar and Narayanrao Lokhande, condemned Tarabai altogether. It was only Jyotirao Phule who took a stand and supported her publicly. He wrote an elaborate article in defence of her critique, which was published in the second issue of the magazine ‘Satsaar’. He addressed her as ‘Chiranjivi’ (daughter) and suggested to his colleagues that they carefully understand her arguments before responding. Phule was beyond proud of her courageous attempt to put forth her views and opinions. 

Read about more such inspiring women from Indian history in the title Women Path-Breakers!

 

By Krishna Priya 

Imagine gazing up at the stars and wondering about the secrets they hold. Now, imagine being able to unlock those secrets with a revolutionary equation that reveals the hidden properties of stars. This is precisely what Meghnad Saha, a visionary Indian astrophysicist, achieved in the early 20th century. Meghnad literally means ‘one who can roar’ (‘nad’) like a cloud (‘megh’), and Professor Saha embodied this spirit throughout his life. He spoke frankly and bluntly about what he believed to be right and wrong.  

Born on 6 October 1893, in a small village in British India called Sheoratali (now Bangladesh), Saha’s groundbreaking work on thermal ionisation fundamentally transformed our understanding of the cosmos. His journey from a small village boy to a towering figure in the scientific community is a testament to his brilliance, perseverance, and passion for unravelling the mysteries of the universe.   

Academic Career

After his schooling, Saha appeared for the entrance exam of Calcutta University, and stood first among the students from East Bengal, obtaining the highest marks in languages; English, Bengali, Sanskrit, and Mathematics. Soon, he took admission in the Presidency College in Calcutta and graduated with a mathematics major. Saha graduated with honors in Mathematics, earning his BSc in 1913 and his MSc in Applied Mathematics in 1915. A year later, he was appointed as a lecturer in the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University College of Science, Calcutta, and he later joined the Physics Department. At the same time, Saha also began translating original German papers by Einstein and Minkowski into English.  

 In addition to teaching, Saha initiated research activities. Despite lack of facilities and guidance, he relied on his self-acquired knowledge and was quite successful.  

 In 1919, an American astrophysical journal published his article, ‘On Selective Radiation Pressure and its Application’ where he put forward the argument for what went on to become the ‘Saha Equation’ or the ‘Thermal Ionisation Equation’. Saha later spent time conducting research at the Imperial College London and at the laboratory of Walther Nernst in Germany. In 1927, he was selected as a Fellow of the ‘Royal Society of London’.   

Groundbreaking Work

Saha first stated his famous ‘Saha Equation’ in 1920. Despite not winning a Nobel Prize, his pioneering work on the Saha Ionisation Equation significantly advanced the field of astrophysics, allowing scientists to better understand the physical conditions of stars. In 1932, the Uttar Pradesh Academy of Science was established under his supervision. He returned to University College of Science, Calcutta, in 1938. After getting interested in nuclear physics and having seen cyclotrons used for research in nuclear physics abroad, he ordered one to be installed in the institute. In 1950, India had its first cyclotron in operation. He also devised an instrument called the solar calorimeter to measure the weight and pressure of solar rays. 

 Campaign for Scientific Literacy 

In addition to his scientific contributions, Saha aspired to enhance scientific literacy in India. During the 1930s and 1940s, he played a key role in founding several societies and journals, including the National Academy of Science, the Indian Physical Society, and the journal ‘Science and Culture’, which he edited until his death.  

Political Career

Beyond his scientific achievements, Saha’s influence extended into the political arena. Elected as a member of the Indian Parliament in 1952, he used his platform to advocate for the development of scientific infrastructure, because of which, institutes such as the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Calcutta, were established.   

As the chair of the Calendar Reform Committee in 1952, Saha also played a critical role in the reformation of the Indian calendar. The committee’s recommendations led to the adoption of the National Calendar of India, which is based on the Saka Era and closely aligns with the Gregorian calendar. This reformation helped synchronize agricultural, civil, and religious events across India, thereby streamlining administration and improving societal cohesion. 

 Saha’s Legacy

Meghnad Saha’s efforts in science education reform modernised curricula and research facilities, benefitting future Indian scientists. His legacy as a scientist, educator, and statesman advanced our understanding of the universe and laid the foundation for a progressive, independent India. Considered as the first astrophysicist of India, he is also the brain behind river planning in India, having prepared the blueprint for the Damodar Valley Project. The humanitarian in him also helped in rehabilitating partition refugees in Bengal.  

Meghnad Saha was also a strong advocate for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. He saw nuclear power’s potential to meet India’s energy needs and promoted its development for civilian purposes. Saha’s vision aimed to harness nuclear energy for industrial growth, improved quality of life, and scientific progress, emphasising safety and avoiding militarisation. His efforts highlighted his commitment to using scientific knowledge for societal and national development. His legacy is a testament to his unwavering dedication to science and his visionary approach to national development. Saha’s life and work continue to inspire future generations to pursue knowledge, advocate for scientific progress, and strive for a better world.  

Read about more such visionaries from Indian history on the ACK Comics app!