Prof. Deepa Sreenivas, Centre for Women’s Studies, University of Hyderabad gave a talk on The Past in our Present: Revisiting Amar Chitra Katha on 14 February as part of the HSRC talk series. Prof. Deepa Sreenivas, spoke of how Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) re-authenticated certain dominant cultural norms by distancing itself from the dates-and-facts approach of the school history textbook and thus reclaimed a universal status for them during the post-Nehruvian phase of the nation.

 The visually appealing series offered children’s literature that emulates values approved and encouraged by elders and society at large. ACK trained generations of upper-caste middle-class children to internalise and embody the individualist ideals of perseverance, excellence, and merit. During the talk, Deepa urged the audience to wonder if more than half a century after the ACK was established, could it have become obsolete, when faced with a plethora of new digital content addressed to the young audience or if it continues to animate our present in indelible ways. She also reflected critically on the content of and how themes shifted across time to cater to new generations and changing crowds.

February 2024