Indian comics’ superstars Suppandi and Shikari Shambu have one man to be grateful for. Had Anant Pai, fondly known as Uncle Pai, not conceived the idea of creating a series on Indian mythology, culture and comics, these legendary characters would not have become household names today. It all came to Pai in the 1960s when he watched a quiz show on Doordarshan that left him disgruntled. Why did all the participants know so much about Greek heroes, and yet nothing about Indian ancient and modern history, he wondered.

Pai’s response came in the form of a seminal series of comic books published by the India Book House, titled, Amar Chitra Katha (ACK). Launched in 1967, the books have played an integral role in shaping every child’s idea of Indian culture. Rajessh Iyer, a regular columnist and media professional, agrees. “I am like millions of children across India from the 1970s, ’80s and the ’90s, who not only grew up on his creations, but remain eternally thankful to them for what they inculcated: a sense of identity and pride in our rich heritage,” Iyer tells us, adding, “While I never met Pai personally, in my last corporate avatar, I worked with ACK group as founding editor of ACK Stories Alive. Despite being a storyteller, strangely, the idea of writing a book on Pai never crossed my mind. It was only when my literary agent, Suhail Mathur, suggested this in 2019 that I took it up.”