Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Sanjai Banerji, a mountaineer and author from Bhopal, has created India’s first Manga comic, Tagdu and the Wrath of the Serpents. Set in Emperor Ashoka’s time in the 3rd century BCE, the comic is the story of a young stone carver and tells the readers about Sanchi, Udyagiri Caves and Vidisha (earlier known as Besnagar) in Madhya Pradesh.
Manga is a unique Japanese art form of telling stories through black-and-white illustrations and is read from the back to the front. The word Manga means “fanciful pictures.” Manga was born in the 12th century. It gained popularity after World War II. In the 1940s, Osamu Tezuka, often called the God of Manga, revived the art through works like Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion.
Manga comics are created based on action, fantasy, romance, history, and philosophy. Every panel flows from the previous one allowing readers to feel the rhythm of the story.
Banerji,65, told Free Press, Tagdu and the Wrath of the Serpents, is the first authentic Manga from India as it has been created in the true manga format (read right to left, black and white illustrations, with expressive panel art. The characters include Tagdu, Senapati, Serpent Queen Nagani, Talking Eagle Shyena, Princess Prajnavati, Serpent Sage Jaratkaru, King of Sanchi, Acharya Sumedha. It also depicts a fight against the evil forces.
India’s first Manga is presently available in Amazon and Ukiyoto portals and will be launched in the three-day event Comic Con at Hyderabad between October 31 to November 2.
Banerji is India’s oldest certified mountaineer to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with four medical conditions and the oldest Indian to run three Asian marathons in the same year. He is the author of over 22 short stories, three fitness books, and two award-winning comics. His novel, Justice on the Hills, regarding Gorkhaland won international acclaim and has been translated into six languages.
