The Interview : Reena Puri

Rachna Singh, Editor, The Wise Owl talks to Reena Puri, the Editor-in-chief  of Amar Chitra Katha. Reena has been writing and editing comics for the last three decades. While creating new books, she has always kept in mind Anant Pai’s vision of bringing untold stories of India to the children of India, and acquainting them with their heritage. Earlier, she worked with various newspapers, magazines and television production houses, even becoming a radio jockey with All India Radio for a short while, till she discovered that writing and editing comics was what she loved best. Now at the helm of Amar Chitra Katha, she continues her wonderful work of storytelling that entertains as well as ensure that children understand Indian heritage, values and heroes.  

Thank you, Reena, for talking with The Wise Owl. I’m so looking forward to this interview as I have been an ardent fan of Amar Chitra Kathas as a child and enjoy them even today. In fact, I would honestly admit that my early knowledge of mythology, history and folklore was based on my reading of Amar Chitra Kathas. I remember my first comic was Prahalad and I still have a copy of the comic. 

RP: Wonderful to know that! 

RS: Your journey with Amar Chitra Katha has spanned over three decades, and you also worked very closely with Anant Pai, the creator of ACK as well as Tinkle. What are some of the most enduring lessons you imbibed from him, both as an editor and as a communicator with children? 

RP: Can I call him Unc, because that’s what we all called Mr Pai. Working with Unc was like constantly being in contact with a bundle of high energy, laughter and optimism. I had never read a single Amar Chitra Katha before I joined the group. And I took the job at Tinkle because I loved comics as a medium and more because my children were great fans of Tinkle. 

From Unc I learned to take children very seriously. He loved them a lot but also respected them. I learnt from him that to be childlike was to have hope and curiosity in your heart. Once you had that, then what you did as an editor or writer couldn’t possibly go wrong. 

As an editor he could be very exacting. He believed in extensive research, getting to know facts even for a fictional story, mastering the English language, speaking correctly and with no ambiguity. In comics we need brevity. He would say, “You don’t have to put everything you know into the story. You must put what will be interesting to a child.” If we used difficult words in our scripts, he would ask us, “Are you writing to show the world what big words you know or are you aiming to communicate with an 8-year-old.” 

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RS: For you comics are not just about entertainment but also about conveying inspiration, encouragement, hope and joy. In your opinion, what makes the comic format uniquely powerful in shaping young minds compared to other forms of storytelling like books, films or television? 

RP: It can convey any message or story clearly, simply and briefly to a reader. For children, and also for adults who don’t like to read too much, it is a colourful and attractive medium because of the illustrations. Once you look at the pictures you don’t mind reading the few words that are in the panel. And before you know you have read the whole story! 

RS:  Amar Chitra Katha has long been known for its retellings of mythology, history and folklore. Yet we are now seeing stories about environmentalists, sportspersons and social changemakers entering the ACK fold. What motivates these editorial choices, and how do you strike a balance between preserving cultural tradition and opening doors to contemporary narratives? 

RP: We need to keep in touch with subjects that are relevant to every generation. Sports has always been a favourite topic, but we haven’t done much on sportspeople. Just the biography of Dhyan Chand. Yes, we have done on a few environmentalists though I would love to do a collection on more of them. Social changemakers like Savitribai and Jyotiba Phule must be made known to children. When I see girls confidently going to study or work, I feel they must know about women pathbreakers like Pandita Ramabai or Anandibai Joshi or Rukhmabai, who made the way easier for us, by fighting regressive tradition. Or the 15 women in the constituent assembly because of whom we have so many rights and privileges.  

Contemporary narratives are a continuation of cultural tradition or history. I just see it all as a natural flow of stories that picks up thoughts from every generation and carries on mixing the past with the present. 

RS: Your own career has been wonderfully diverse—you worked with newspapers, magazines, television and even as a radio jockey before discovering that your true passion lay in comics. How did those early experiences in media and communication help shape your instincts as a storyteller and editor at ACK? 

RP: Actually, I started writing stories at a very young age. I was a voracious reader and I also loved writing my own stories. It all started in Class II or so when my father gave me a diary and asked me to write down whatever I had done during the day. That led to my imagining stories about what I had done during the day and then spun into many notebooks crammed with long adventures and mysteries. Each story would fill up a 200-page notebook. I continued writing in my 20s and published a lot of short stories in magazines like The Illustrated Weekly, Femina, Caravan, Imprint etc. I had two of my short stories broadcast over BBC World Service radio. 

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Storytelling has always been there, accompanying me right through my life as a reporter and journalist. With Tinkle and ACK, I just entered another phase – that of creating comics and focusing on children. 

RS: Children’s reading habits have undergone a sea change in the last two decades—with the rise of digital devices, shorter attention spans, and a preference for visual content. How has Amar Chitra Katha adapted to this changing landscape while retaining its essence as a timeless storyteller for generations? 

RP: Storytelling by itself is immortal. We have told stories in cave drawings, on papyrus, in temple sculptures, on paper and now on digital media. We just need to adapt to the reading platform of the era and continue telling stories. At Amar Chitra Katha we have done that with our digital app. Yes, attention spans are getting shorter and scrolling mindlessly an addiction. At ACK we have been creating larger collections with multiple short stories which can be read faster. We have web comics on our web page which people can scroll on their phones.  

RS: The Adventures of Little Shambhu series has won the hearts of many young readers. Could you tell us what inspired you to create this character and his playful escapades? How important do you think humour, mischief and adventure are in building a child’s love for reading? 

RP: Little Shambu had to be created so that one could explain the genius of the older Shambu! We had just created Little Suppandi and we thought that Little Shambu would be fun. I wrote the stories in the comics format and Savio Mascarenhas made perfect illustrations. If you have read the William series as a child, you will understand Little Shambu. When we collaborated with Penguin to convert all the comics into the narrative format, it was like a dream come true for me.  

Humour, mischief and adventure are the only ingredients needed to steal a child’s heart. Every child is an adventurer. If they cannot live out battling an anaconda in real life, they can at least disappear into a world that draws them into thrilling encounters.  

RS: As Executive Editor, you would need to steer the creative vision of ACK as well as nurture a team of writers, artists and editors. Could you walk us through the journey of an ACK story—from the moment an idea is born to the final illustrated comic book? And what role does collaboration play in ensuring that every story resonates with children? 

RP: It’s a much-layered journey with many steps between the ideation and holding the book in your hands. The ideas are based on inputs from the team, our readers and also on some feedback from the digital, retail and marketing heads. But I would comfortably say that 75% is from the team and our readers.  

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The stories are sourced, researched and checked for authenticity. Then they are distributed between the editors who are all scriptwriters as well, and freelance writers. Once a script comes in and is checked by me and finalised, it goes to one of our artists. The artist sends in the pencils which are checked by me and one other editor. Any corrections that are to be done by the artist, are done at this stage. The artist then inks the illustrations and sends them to our design team and to me. The design head sends the page to the colourist who first puts in the flat colouring. It is then sent to a senior artist for shading. Meanwhile the text is put on the inked pages by a letterist. The next step is for the design team to create a final pdf with all these steps integrated. The pdf is checked thoroughly by the editorial and corrections and edits marked.  

Corrections are tedious but a crucial part of this journey. The editorial and design team sit together to complete the corrections and meet the deadline.  

Finally, the book is put together, the cover finalised, the back cover blurb, volume number, price etc, fixed. The print-ready files are then handed over to production for printing. 

I have mentored a number of teams since I joined in 1991. Each one of those artists and writers have remained in touch and worked for Amar Chitra Katha even after leaving. I think we are all touched by the joy of our work. In one way it’s a light-hearted, fun kind of work, but at the same time it’s the responsibility of writing for children that makes it so fulfilling. 

RS: For generations of Indians, ACK has been more than just a comic series—it has been a cultural bridge, shaping how children understand Indian heritage, values and heroes. In today’s world where inclusivity, diversity and sensitivity are vital, how do you ensure that the stories you tell continue to reflect those principles while staying true to ACK’s legacy? 

RP: It’s not just about the world today. Inclusivity, diversity and sensitivity have always been foremost for us. Today, it’s required more than ever, and we are committed to protecting these principles. We are committed to our heritage which has always spoken about these three important aspects of life. We want to remind children about the values taught by our sages, our ancient texts and our very own Indian icons. We want to tell them all the stories that speak of the same principles. That is the legacy of ACK.  

RS: Looking ahead, what is your vision for Amar Chitra Katha? Are there particular genres, historical figures or contemporary changemakers you would love to bring into the ACK universe? And what do you hope a child growing up with ACK in the 21st century will take away from it? 

RP: Yes, I have a lot of dreams for Amar Chitra Katha. There are so many unsung heroes I would like to make books about; there is so much to be written about people who are working for the planet and for the environment. There have been changemakers who have quietly worked for the betterment of our world – for its people, for its street animals and its wildlife.  

We have brought out books on Tribal folktales and Tribal Freedom Fighters but there is tremendous work that is being done by tribal leaders to preserve their identity and their culture. I would like to write about women in sports, women in science, women in journalism, women in education. I could go on and on! 

Thank you, Reena, for taking time out to talk with The Wise Owl. It was a pleasure to connect with you. We wish you the best in all your creative and literary endeavours and salute you for all the wonderful work you are doing at the helm of Amar Chitra Katha.