Flipping through the caricature filled pages of comics, one can decrypt the existence of superheroes all around; some with flying powers, some with magnanimous strength but mostly all men. Let’s take a sneak peak into the adventurous lives of the female superheroes in Indian Comics.
The translucent rays of the scorching yet gentle sun kiss your cheeks through the embroidered curtain of your room; you sip in a glass of chilled lemon sharbat while getting lost with your favourite superhero who resides between the colourful pages of the comic in your lap after a tiring day in school. Nostalgic? For some, yes and no from those adults who still fulfil the desires of the child that resides in their hearts through the medium of comics.
As a child of ten with vivid splashes of imagination and an ardent fan of comics, wonder and curiosity struck me on how my rigorous indulgence with comics never bestowed me with the opportunity of meeting and becoming friends with a female superhero and becoming a part of her adventures in my out-of-this-world dreams. My patience was put to test and my recurring prayers were finally heard by the omnipresent Lord when I came to know about the birth of not only one but numerous female superheroes in the creative world of Indian Comics.
“Comics had always acted as a significant source of knowledge with entertainment for me during my childhood. But, superheroes were mostly male, thus attaching a notion of masculinity to the term of superhero. Female superheroes or should I say superheroines in comics is not only revolutionary but will also provide the upcoming generations of children with a dose of women power.” – Anu Migom Panging, student at St. Stephen’s College, DU.
Introduced in the year 2012 by Tinkle comics, Aisha is a superhero with no flying capes or a shield similar to Captain America but beholds the ability to sense and decipher individuals around her that possess ‘weird superpowers’. We all wanted some superpower or the other, didn’t we? There’s an Aisha in all of us; waiting to discover ‘the superpower’ that becomes our identity.
The train of unfastening the tangled web of discrimination which existed in Indian comics isn’t stopped by Tinkle at the station of Aisha itself. It goes on to launch other female superheroes such as Maya and Mapui, thus forming the power trio. Taking birth in a world of magic, Maya is on a quest to find her lost father and extracts her power from a robotic falcon named Psy. Mapui a.k.a Wingstar is the latest brainchild of Tinkle who hails from Mizoram, thus bringing in the notion of plurality; a teenage superhero that encounters pending homework whenever she gets back home after saving the day.
Priya’s Shakti took birth in the mind of Ram Devineni way back in 2014 after the horrendous incident of gang rape that occurred inside a bus in Delhi in 2012 in the form of ‘Priya’s Shakti’ in its first edition. Since then, it has been published in numerous manners with the latest being ‘Priya’s Mask’ that portrays the protagonist in protecting the world from the deadly COVID-19 and teaching children how to tackle oneself in such odd situations. Priya has earned accolades for her brave actions because of which she was entitled ‘Gender Equality Champion’ by United Nations Women.
The existence of another female superhero character can be deciphered in Raj Comics by the name of Shakti. Based on the Hindu mythological narrative revolving around the destroyer of evil Goddess Kali, Shakti is established as a protector of women all around the country and a preacher of justice for the same. A bundle of supernatural powers altogether, Shakti also has a third eye that is used by her during uncontrollable situations.
Indian comics have surely evolved over time since I last read them and the change is occurring for its betterment. The introduction of female superheroes is just the beginning. With the indulgence of current and prominent issues through the medium of stories and characters provides children with knowledge about the same.
Watch this : https://youtu.be/yU4tznAFevg
Read Also : https://dubeat.com/2018/10/why-comic-books-should-be-recognized-as-literature/
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