Amar Chitra Katha has launched a 32 page comic book,’ The Blue Umbrella’ –Stories by internationally acclaimed writer Ruskin Bond.
This is the first comic by ACK that blends stories from Contemporary Indian literature. The book consists of two stories, The Blue Umbrella & the Angry River. The Blue Umbrella is about a 10-year-old little girl named Binya who comes to own a beautiful umbrella. Soon, Binya and the umbrella become inseparable companions and her fondness for it grows with each passing day. However, there are some people in the village who envy the little girl and are willing to do anything to get hold of the umbrella.
The second story, Angry River revolves around Sita, who lives with her grandparents on a tiny island in the middle of a big river. One day, the river floods and destroys Sita’s beloved home when her grandparents are away. Her only hope of survival is to cling on to a sturdy peepul — the only tree on the island. But even the fifty-year-old tree, she discovers, can’t withstand the angry flood.
Elaborating on the concept of introducing stories of Ruskin Bond in Amar Chitra Katha, Reena Puri, Editor, ACK, said, “At ACK, we have a segment called Ancient Indian Classics which includes stories by Kalidasa, Bana Bhatta, Ilango Adigal and other great writers of long ago.
But we felt the need to have stories from contemporary Indian literature because Contemporary Classics bring us closer to our times and the issues that are important to children today. So, our thoughts immediately went to Ruskin Bond as his stories have simple yet strong plots and lend themselves beautifully to the visual format.
With these stories I hope to tap the rich variety of stories that have been written in India, for children, in the last 100 years – not just in English but in all Indian languages.”
The special part of this book is the rapport we shared, during its making, with Ruskin Bond. He was very supportive and encouraging and did not change even one word of the final script, which was the biggest compliment for ACK.
The Blue Umbrella & the Angry River have strong child heroes who confront difficult or complex situations with simple courage and compassion. The comic is priced at Rs 50 & it is available at most bookstores and online.
Readers can order it from: http://www.amarchitrakatha.com/amar-chitra-katha/blue-umbrella-837
“My congratulations to the talented artists and script-writers at Amar Chitra Katha for making my stories so attractive in comic book form. Both The Blue Umbrella and Angry River are among my early books written especially for children, and their popularity has increased over the years.
When the Blue Umbrella was published in the USA, it was named ‘Book of the Month’ by the Parenting magazine. Recently, it was made into a wonderful film by Vishal Bharadwaj. And now here it is in a new avatar. My good wishes to all my readers and Amar Chitra Katha. May you all prosper and be happy”, shared Ruskin Bond
Highlighting more on the Blue Umbrella-Stories by Ruskin Bond, Reena, stated, “I think the USP of the Blue Umbrella Stories is launching it in the comic’s format. In this medium, the story is told with more visuals than words and becomes easier for a younger child to read and understand.
Nimmy, our scriptwriter has been careful not to disturb Ruskin Bond’s style and has retained his use of words as much as possible. The stories are a visual treat with fresh and vibrant illustrations.
A lot of thought has been put in by the artist, Sabu Sarasan, into perfecting the feel. The attractive element of this book is its color fusion. Colorist Ramesh has managed to portray through his palette the freshness of the hills and the darkness of a river in spate.”
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