Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Think action and fantasy is all that is there to a comic book? Think again. A comic book dealing with the sensitive issue of communalism in India was launched here Wednesday.

“Communalism Explained! A Graphic Account” has been written by Ram Puniyani, while Sharad Sharma, founder world comics India, has done the illustrations. The book is published in Hindi and English in association with Oxfam India, an NGO.

“This is not a book or project but a revolution which aims at educating the masses about the severe repercussions of communalism in a diverse country like India. It also breaks many myths related to various religions of the country,” said Puniyani.

“There is no lack of knowledge in the academic world, but sadly these great books just lie in libraries. I took it as a challenge to bring them out in the form of comics to the masses,” he added.

However, it was not an easy task for the author to go ahead with the book, owing to the fact that a complex issue was being portrayed comically and graphically.

“It was a challenge for us to decide whether people would accept a comic or graphic book on a sensitive issue like communalism, especially in a country where people attach comics to kids. But we went ahead and worked hard on this,” said Sharma.

According to social activist Shabnam Hashmi, this was a unique way to spread the message and she urged the audience, consisting mainly of journalism students, to join the movement and help the authors to promote the book.

A nationwide campaign will follow the book launch in the form of grassroot level comics workshops, film shows, and discussions.

“The comics, books, videos, will be made available free to download, allowing individuals to share and give their inputs and ideas,” added Sharma.