Jamsetji Tata
They said Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata turned mud into gold or was it skilful management, clear tHinking and honesty that did the trick? He had an uncanny knack for recognizing a good business opportunity and a selfless will to improve the lot of his countrymen. Thus a little known Zoroastrian family became the foremost business house in India’s industrial history.
Jagadis Chandra Bose
Jagdis Chandra Bose was the first Indian scientist in modern times to have won international recognition. Gifted with a mind that was at once inquisitive and discerning, Bose wondered about the how and why of things from a very young age. His contribution to the world of science was invaluable. As the 1945 edition of ‘Encyclopedia Britannica’ wrote: “His work was so much in advance of his time that its precise evaluation was not possible.”
How The Jackal Ate The Elephant
In Vishnu Sharma’s famous Panchatantra tales, animals talk and act like humans. A wily jackal or a deceiving donkey, an impetuous frog-king or an arrogant lion often mirror our everyday world. Through these tales the master storyteller reveals the secret of living life wisely yet happily to generations of readers all over the world.
Fa Hien
To learn true wisdom, he traversed bone-dry deserts, scaled snow-laden mountains and grieved over lost friends. To spread his hard-won knowledge, he battle stormy seas and unimaginable dangers. But his lord’s blessings seemed to protect this brave Chinese monk, who spent 15 years retracting the steps of the Buddha and his teachings. Arriving in Gupta-ruled India, Fa Hien kept a record of his travels (between A.D. 399 and 414), which fascinate even to this day.
Ellora Caves
The Rashtrakootas who ruled in Deccan for two and a half centuries (752 to 985 AD) respected all faiths of their time. This is reflected in Ellora where we find rock-cut cave-temples representing the Vaishnava, Shaiva, Jaina and Buddhist faiths. This Amar Chitra Katha tells the story of the Rashtrakoota heroes who have left us a lasting legacy, the Ellora caves.
Durgadas
The life of Durgadas was one of the most extraordinary in the history of Rajasthan. Women of Marwar were often blessed with the words, “May you have a son like Durgadas”. Durgadas staked his all to preserve the throne of Jodhpur after the death of King Jaswant Singh. Durgadas was a model Rajput, as wise as he was brave and a savior of his land.
Deer Stories
Deer, in the Jataka tales, are often gentle bodhisattvas or Buddhas-to-be. They are noble, selfless, wise and virtuous. Models of right thinking and right living, they strongly advise a life of non-violence and peace for ultimate happiness. Even if greed leads them astray, they are soon guided back to the correct path.
Tales Of Vishnu
Vishnu, they say, is just one of a powerful threesome, the highest lords of the universe. However, though Brahma has created the universe and Shiva can destroy it, it is up to the great god Vishnu to keep all creatures within it well and happy. Always compassionate, he is also the wisest of the trinity. It is he who good-naturedly sorts out the mess the others create and above all, Vishnu always favors the good and the pure.
Nandi Vishala
These Jataka tales are a wake-up call to all ungrateful, arrogant, hypocritical and self-serving liars. Full of humor and sound advice, they reveal the tyrannical power of money, the foolishness of superstition and the dangers of losing self-control. So, read and be entertained and laugh as you learn and remember, the good always triumph.
Bravehearts of the South
Medieval India was filled with little kingdoms, bitterly fighting each other to maintain their territory and sovereignty. In South India, the many sea ports and the flourishing spice trade also brought unwanted attention from across the seas. Hakka and Bukka had to defend their lands against the armies of the powerful Delhi Sultanate, while Rani Chennamma had to fight her own neighbors. Rani Abbakka had to defend her people from the invading Portuguese, while Kochunni and Othenan had to fight injustice in their own homelands. The heroes in this collection are just some of those who fought enemies both internal and external, to maintain the unity of their lands against all threats and to serve justice as best as they could.
Bird Stories
The heroes of these tales value their friends, their families and their honor. They are brave and selfless. Though each one of them is a bird they are almost always exceptionally wise, at times cunning and often blessed with a sense of humor, just the sort of role models people need to survive the workaday world.
Bikal The Terrible
Bikal is the original ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’. The best way to ward off Bikal the Terrible is to avoid taking his name. The word Bikal inspires such fear and awe that even a tiger gets scared of Bikal and tamely allows himself to be fooled by two daredevils. This is a delightful folktale from Madhya Pradesh.
Baladitya and Yashodharma
In the 5th century AD the Hunas of Gandhara or modern Afghanistan had their eyes trained on the rich kingdoms of India. Toramana, the leader of the Hunas and after him his son, Mihirakula, were determined to conquer the prosperous kingdom of Magadha. But they had a formidable rival in its ruler, Narasimha Gupta Baladitya and when the Hunas turned their eyes on Malwa it was King Yashodharma who fought them off.
Babur
Descended from the house of Timur and Genghis Khan, Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur founded the Mughal dynasty in India. Babur lived for most of his early life as an exile in and around his homeland in Central Asia. Declared ruler of Farghana at the age of 12, the young boy had to contend with treacherous uncles, tyrant neighbors and rebellious generals. But he dealt with all of them even while moving towards his historic tryst with India.
Andher Nagari
A disciple walks into a town where sweets and vegetables cost the same amount of money. Thrilled at being able to eat sweets so cheaply, he decides to stay there, ignoring his guru’s warnings. Bharatendu Harishchandra is one of the greatest playwrights in Hindi and Andher Nagari, written in 1881, is his masterpiece. Harishchandra’s vision of a kingdom so ill-run that it is effectively blind to injustice remains a powerful image even today and the phrase ‘andher nagari chaupat raja’ (in the city of darkness, the king is insane) has passed into popular usage.
Echchama The Brave
When the old king of Vijayanagara died, he nominated his nephew Srirangaraya to succeed him, and not his son Chikkaraya. Among the nobles gathered to swear oaths of loyalty to Srirangaraya, was a chieftain named Echchama Nayak. When Chikkaraya usurped the throne with the help of his uncle and captured Srirangaraya, Echchama found his loyalty tested.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Could a man of flesh and blood be lord Vishnu himself? The infant who insisted on claiming the offerings made to the lord had matured into a single-minded Vaishnava. People thronged to him for his happy, simple message of love. This is the story of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the renowned Vaishnava saint (16th century) who popularized the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. His followers regard him as an avatar of Krishna.
The Greedy Mother-in-law
Saumitri’s mother-in-law is a tyrant and a greedy one too. So when Saumitri discovers the pure gold sands of Suvarna Dweep, her mother-in-law decides to go there at once. In another story a pretentious owl tries to match the status of his friend the king of swans and oversteps the boundaries of caution. The Panchatantra, though originally written by Pandit Vishnu Sharma, was reworked by successive writers. The stories in this Amar Chitra Katha are taken from the Kannada translation, of Vasubhaga Datta’s version by Durgasimha, a minister at the court of the Chalukya king, Jayasimha.
The Deadly Feast
Even wily parrots risk their lives for the gentle Aushadha Kumar, a shining example of right thinking and right living described in the Buddhist Jataka tales. Scheming rivals, foolish rulers and wicked courtiers leave him undaunted. He can organize king Vaideha’s security, a network of spies and a royal wedding with equal flair. So, when a deadly plot is revealed, it is Aushadha who swings into action.
Dayananda
His grip could halt two galloping horses but it was his intellectual strength that instilled pride in the people of his country. Their old customs were often foolish and unjust and it took Dayananda’s courage and wisdom to fight for reform. By establishing a string of Arya Samaj centres, he helped in uniting different classes of people who could, eventually, fight together for the freedom of their country.
Crows And Owls
Pandit Vishnu Sharma found an ideal teaching tool in story- telling. He called his tales, the Panchatantra. Gently guiding his pupils towards a life of honour and nobility, his fables provided joyful entertainment as well. They are read even today 2,000 years later, in various languages, by peoples of diverse cultures. The stories in this collection reveal all that is foolish as well as unkind in the human character and also give some useful advice: pick your friends wisely!
A Bag Of Gold Coins
The precious bag contains the fruits of a lifetime of hard work. Thieves and scoundrels lay claim to it, but foolishness and downright dishonesty snatches their dream away. As these tales reveal, fate eventually favors only the honest. But before that, the bag of gold enjoys some strange adventures and seems to like only the kind-hearted.
The Dove, Crow, Brahmin and Goat
An Illustrated Children Story Book from the Jataka Tales-The Jātaka tales are a voluminous body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha. These are the stories that tell about the previous lives of the Buddha, in both human and animal form. The future Buddha may appear in them as a king, an outcast, a god, an elephant—but, in whatever form, he exhibits some virtue that the tale thereby inculcates.
Parallel Lines
These comics start describing development from where the earlier ones left and take it a level further, not just in terms of description but visual aesthetics and storytelling techniques as well. All stories have a different art as well as narration style owing to the different backgrounds of the artists. It is to be noted that most of them are not trained artists and have learnt the art over a period of time working with World Comics and their local organizations. The stories this time are longer (14-16 pages). The comic took an year in the making and throughout that period the creators had extensive discussions and workshops on the art of making comics, visualization, frame composition, inking, texturing etc. They also had prolonged discussions on their stories where each had to defend their story from the critical view of the rest as well as accept suggestions. It has a foreword by Polyp, a cartoonist based in Manchester.
The Miserly carpenter & Roots of the sweet
An Illustrated Children Story Book on Raman of Tenali-Tenali Ramakrishna, who was known as Vikatakavi (jester poet), was a Telugu … He shared his life story with Krishnadevaraya, who granted him the post of the … Tenaliraman is 2014 Tamil film featuring Vadivelu as Tenali Raman as well as Krishna Devaraya
The Fox and the drum the bird with two heads
Illustrated Panchatantra Story Book for Children-Panchatantra stories need no introduction. Kids were once too crazy over Panchatantra stories. There was a period where Panchatantra stories formed a vital part of kids’ entertainment and life. It is a combination of exciting facts, mystical moments, fairy tales, folklores and fascinating stories.
The good old Panchatantra stories are back in form to educate as well as entertain the children. Published by Om Books International, New Delhi, 101 Panchatantra Stories HB is one of the must to have in your collection.
The book has many interesting stories plotted in different zones. From simple morals to life changing perceptions, the satires are narrated with fun. Besides the narrative and captivating storylines, the book has the visual impact. Kids will definitely love the illustrations, which is a visual delight.
The Ant, Pigeon, Lion and Jackal
An Illustrated Children Story Book from the Jataka Tales-The Jātaka tales are a voluminous body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha. These are the stories that tell about the previous lives of the Buddha, in both human and animal form. The future Buddha may appear in them as a king, an outcast, a god, an elephant—but, in whatever form, he exhibits some virtue that the tale thereby inculcates.
Whose Development ?
By Sharad Sharma Whose Development (English) and Vikaskalhe Vipreet Buddhi (Hindi) are first comics anthologies on Development recently published by World Comics India. This comics book is also an example of comics journalism at very local level. Last many years World Comics India is actively working to promote the idea. The Grassroots Comics are are different from the mainstream comics and drawn by the people themselves. The activists use these comics for communication purposes in their respective organisation and area. Over the period of time many of them have picked up the comics as their main profession.