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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Of heroes and hero worship
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Of heroes and hero worship

A comic-book series, based on the lives of Param Vir Chakra winners, takes off

The illustrations are competent and the text is pared downPremium
The illustrations are competent and the text is pared down

Last month Roli Books launched a comic-book series based on the lives and careers of those who have been honoured with the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest award for gallantry, given in recognition of outstanding bravery.

Conceived by Ian Cardozo, a retired major general, and based on his previous book, Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle (2003), so far four books, illustrated by Rishi Kumar, have been announced in the series.

The first two, released in December, are based on the careers of Major Somnath Sharma, the first recipient of the award, and Captain Manoj Pandey, respectively. Sharma showed exemplary courage in the fight at Badgam, Kashmir, in 1947, preventing the takeover of the Srinagar airport. Pandey, who was given the Param Vir Chakra posthumously, played a decisive role during the Kargil War of 1999, when he helped secure the Batalik sector from the enemy.

The next two titles will focus, respectively, on Indian Air Force officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, who performed valiantly in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, and Major Shaitan Singh, leader of a small group of soldiers, who displayed immense fortitude in the battle of Rezang La during the Indo-China War of 1962.

Yet, in spite of the tense subject matter, the books do not make for a gripping read. The illustrations are competent, the text is pared down, but there is not much going on except for pitched battle for most of the 32 pages that comprise each of the books. This is hardly surprising. War, though tragic and painful, can only offer that much visual variety. In the comics, the enemies behave in line with their status, swearing lustily at the “infidels", and the defenders retaliate with the fierceness that is expected of them. “Eat this grenade," a soldier cries out in the thick of action, while a number of speech bubbles have expletives, though carefully blanked out.

Presumably, the series is intended to make young readers aware of the unsung glories of the Indian Army, and the crucial role it plays in keeping the country safe. While such an intention deserves to be lauded, one cannot help wonder whether a sequence of panels with dull, repetitive imagery and a highly simplified version of a complex sequence of events are the best means of achieving it.

Somnath Sharma and Manoj Pandey, in the Param Vir Chakra comics series, each priced at 99, are available in book stores. Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon and Shaitan Singh will be out in February.

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Published: 06 Jan 2014, 07:00 PM IST
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