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Amar Chitra Katha Title List
Indian classic comics, from India Book House (IBH) 1 |
永恆圖畫故事
印度古典連環圖畫 First in the series? 2 |
Amar Chitra Katha's original numbered series of 426 Indian classical comics began in 1969 with #11, Krishna;7 it ended in 1991 with #436, Jawaharlal Nehru.8 This original series also included three larger special issues.9 In addition, between 1969 to 1991 IBH reprinted many of the early titles individually,10 published at least 35 "Bumper Issues" (each re-printing three of these titles as one volume11), and at one time re-printed the earliest issues in "21 deluxe bound volumes, each containing 10 Amar Chitra Katha titles serially from No. 11 to 210" (sic.12). For some reason IBH also printed some of the original issues under a different label, Chaturang Katha.13 They also published some specialty titles under other labels, such as Amar Charitra Katha.14 (Other labels with similar content, such as Adarsh Chitra Katha, seem to have been unrelated to IBH.15)
From 1991 to 2008 ACK mostly reprinted earlier issues, but these were on better paper and with new numbers. By 2008 this new series consisted of 244 issues numbering from 501 (Krishna) to 744 (Chokha Mela). Although these 244 issues were mostly republications of issues from the original series, they also included five new titles.16 During this period they also published a number of special issues, all but one a combination of earlier single issues. Two of these new special issues are of particular note here: Bhagawat - The Krishna Avata (although it consists of earlier issues, I am missing most of the originals); and Ram Charit Manas17 (though sometimes drawing on earlier versions of the story, it was completely new).
Meanwhile, in 2007 ACK came under new ownership. By 2009 some media articles were suggesting that under its new ownership ACK might soon publish more new issues, for the first time writing about living people.18 Unfortunately, ACK's own online listings are generally only alphabetical rather than numerical or chronological, and the addresses of their listings keep changing, and so it is not always easy to find an updated listing there. It does seem that through July 2010 they issued only reprints from the original series, at the same time withdrawing at least one or two.19 However, after that, although re-issues remained their focus, in August 2010 they added the first of a series of new titles.20
Original list as of 2011
My own focus in collecting ACK issues was of course the original series. In May 2009 I took my list and updated it, adding new series reprints, as my wife and I prepared to
move to India. I put this all online mainly because the existing online lists were at that time very inadequate, and I hoped this would help me find my missing issues. At the time there was considerable online confusion about the numbers of the ACK issues, regarding both combined and single publications.21 This was of particular note with regard to the March to Freedom series.22 While living in India I updated the list considerably. Then in 2011 we left India, and later that year I was very happy to learn that the Wikipedia list had finally been corrected and updated (with reference in part to my own online list). As a result in places where the present web page may not be accurately up to date (particularly on details of publications after 2011) one can now consult the Wikipedia list.23
Below I list first the 426 titles (subtitles in quotes) of the original Amar Chitra Katha issues, next 8 titles of special issues, the 5 new titles added between 1998 and 2005, then new series titles that began to come out in 2010 (as of 2014 this list may be out of date). After the footnotes, Appendix I is a numerical list of the new series issues, while Appendix II lists the old series numbers that have not yet been reprinted. As for my personal collection, the missing issues are listed below in Appendix III.
001. - 010. | European fairy tales | ||||||||||
011. Krishna | "The childhood of the eighth avatar of Vishnu" (Wiki: Krishna) | ||||||||||
012. Shakuntala | "An adaptation of Kalidasa's famous Sanskrit play" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
013. The Pandava Princes | "The early life of the heroes of the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Pandavas) | ||||||||||
014. Savitri | "Retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Savitri and Satyavan) | ||||||||||
015. Rama | "Based on Ram Charit Manas" (7th avatar of Vishnu; Wiki: Versions of Ramayana) | ||||||||||
016. Nala Damayanti | "Retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Nala, Damayanti) | ||||||||||
017. Harischandra | "The story of the mythological king whose name is synonymous with truth" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
018. The Sons of Rama | (Luv and Kush: "based on the 'Uttararamacharita' of Bhavabhuti"; Wiki: Luv, Kusha, Bhavabhuti) | ||||||||||
019. Hanuman | "Retold from the Valmiki Ramayana" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
020. Mahabharata | (attrib. Veda Vyasa; Wiki: Mahabharata, Veda Vyasa; fuller renditions from #329) | ||||||||||
021. Chanakya | ("an adaptation of the famous Sanskrit play - Mudrarakshasa"; Wiki: Chanakya, Mudrarakshasa) | ||||||||||
022. Buddha | "The founder of Buddhism" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
023. Shivaji | (1630-1680; Wiki) | ||||||||||
024. Rana Pratap | "The heroic struggle of a Rajput king against the might of an empire" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
025. Prithviraj Chauhan | "the legend of a renowned Rajput hero" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
026. Karna | "one of the most important characters of the Mahabharata" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
027. Kacha | "the boy who placed duty above all else" (inside title: Kacha Devayani; Wiki) | ||||||||||
028. Vikramaditya | "the legend of a king of the Gupta dynasty" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
029. Shiva Parvati | "Retold from Kalidasa's Sanskrit poem 'Kumarasambhavam'" (Wiki: Shiva, Parvati) | ||||||||||
030. Vasavadatta (and Udayana) | "Retold from the Pali treatise, Dhammapada Atthakatha" (Wiki; compare SwapnaVasavadatta) | ||||||||||
031. Sudama | "the story of a divine friendship" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
032. Guru Gobind Singh | "the tenth guru of the Sikhs" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
033. Harsha | "the great ruler of Thaneshwar" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
034. Bheeshma | "the grand old man of Mahabharata" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
035. Abhimanyu | "the valiant son of Arjuna, the Pandava" (Wiki: Abhimanyu, Arjuna) | ||||||||||
036. Mirabai | "a touching tale of a great devotee of Krishna" (1498-1547; Wiki) | ||||||||||
037. Ashoka | "the life of a great son of India, as depicted in the Pali texts" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
038. Prahlad | "the child devotee of Vishnu, from the Bhagawat Purana" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
039. Panchatantra | "The Jackal & the War Drum and other stories" (10 stories; Wiki: Panchatantra) | ||||||||||
040. Tanaji | "the great Maratha warrior" (Wiki; also Tanhaji, Taanaji) | ||||||||||
041. Chhatrasal | "the founder of the kingdom of Bundelkhand" (1649-1731; Wiki) | ||||||||||
042. Parashurama | "the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
043. Banda Bahadur | "...a recluse turned soldier, whose martyrdom led to the foundation of the Sikh kingdom" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
044. Padmini | "the legend of a valiant queen of Chittor" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
045. Jataka Tales: Monkey Stories | (Wiki/ignca; The Monkey King's Sacrifice; The Stupid Crocodile and the Monkey; +2) | ||||||||||
046. Valmiki | "the story of the author of the epic, 'Ramayana'" (Wiki: Valmiki, Ramayana) | ||||||||||
047. Guru Nanak | ("the founder of Sikhism"; Wiki) | ||||||||||
048. Tarabai | "the valorous queen of Rajasthan" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
049. Ranjit Singh | (1780-1839; king of Punjab; Wiki) | ||||||||||
050. Ram Shastri | "the Maratha judge - a model of Integrity" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
051. Rani of Jhansi | "one of the bravest leaders of the 1857 War of Independence" (Wiki: Lakshmibai, 1857) | ||||||||||
052. Uloopi | "from the Mahabharata" (daughter of a Naga king; Wiki) | ||||||||||
053. Baji Rao I | "the greatest of the Peshwas" (Wiki); also: Bajirao | ||||||||||
054. Chand Bibi | "the valorous princess who withstood the might of the Mughals" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
055. Kabir | "the mystic who tried to bring the Hindus and the Muslims together" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
056. Sher Shah | "the story of one of the greatest rulers of medieval India" (1486-1545; Bihar; Wiki) | ||||||||||
057. Drona | (from the Mahabharata; Wiki) | ||||||||||
058. Surya (the sun god) | "retold from the Markandeya Purana" (Wiki: Surya, Markandeya Purana) | ||||||||||
059. Urvashi (and Pururavas) | (adapted from Kalidasa's Vikramorvashiam; Wiki) | ||||||||||
060. Adi Shankara | "the story of the expounder of the Advaita school of philosophy" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
061. Ghatotkacha | "son of Bheema, the Pandava" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
062. Tulsidas | (16th c. author of "Ramcharit-manas"; Wiki) | ||||||||||
063. Sukanya | "retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
064. Durgadas | "the valorous statesman of Mewar" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
065. Aniruddha | "the grandson of Lord Krishna" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
066. Zarathushtra | "the founder of Zoroastrianism" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
067. The Lord of Lanka | "retold from the Ramayana" (Uttara Kanda; Wiki: Ravana) | ||||||||||
068. Tukaram | "the famous poet saint of Maharashtra" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
069. Agastya | "from the Ramayana" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
070. Vasantasena | "an adaptation of the famous Sanskrit play, Mrichchakatikam" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
071. Indra & Shachi | "retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: only Indra) | ||||||||||
072. Draupadi | "queen of the Pandavas" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
073. Subhadra | "the beloved sister of Krishna" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
074. Ahilyabai Holkar | "The pious Maratha queen" (1725-95: "philosopher queen" of Malwa, 1767-95; Wiki) | ||||||||||
075. Tansen | "the musician of the court of Akbar" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
076. Sundari | "an adaptation of the first novel of Punjabi literature" (details), by Bhai Vir Singh (Wiki); not Sundari Nanda | ||||||||||
077. Subhas Chandra Bose | "one of the most fearless freedom fighers of India" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
078. Shridatta | "retold from the ancient Sanskrit classic - Kathasaritsagara" (other titles) | ||||||||||
079. Jataka Tales: Deer Stories | True Friendship; Ruru, the Golden Deer; The Hunter Outwitted; Caution Pays; +2 | ||||||||||
080. Vishwamitra | "retold from the Ramayana" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
081. The Syamantaka Gem | (based on the story in the Bhagawat Purana; Wiki) | ||||||||||
082. Mahavira | "the prince who became a recluse and propagated Jainism" (Wiki: Mahavira; Jainism) | ||||||||||
083. Vikramaditya's Throne | "adapted from the Vikrama Charita - the history of a legendary king of India" (Wiki: Vikramaditya & Vetala) | ||||||||||
084. Bappa Rawal (Missing) | "Father of a united Rajasthan" (Eighth century; I have #705; Wiki) | ||||||||||
085. Ayyappan | "the legend of the deity of Shabari Malai" (Kerala; Wiki) | ||||||||||
086. Ananda Math | "an adaptation of the famous Bengali classic by Bankim Chandra" (Wiki: Ananda Math, Bankim) | ||||||||||
087. Birbal the Just | "the legends about the brilliant wit at Akbar's court" (7 stories; one of 8 ACK Birbal issues) | ||||||||||
088. Ganga | "the legend of the most sacred river of India" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
089. Ganesha | "the story of one of the most popular deities of the Hindu Pantheon" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
090. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu | "the story of the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism" (1486-1533; Wiki) | ||||||||||
091. Hitopadesha | "Choice of Friends and (three) other stories" (see also #185 and #843; Wiki) | ||||||||||
092. Sakshi Gopal | "The legend of a famous temple near Puri" (Orissa); Wiki: Gopal; temple) | ||||||||||
093. Kannagi | "adapted from the famous Tamil epic, Silappadikaram" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
094. Narsinh Mehta | "the beloved poet-saint of Gujarat" (15th c.; Wiki) | ||||||||||
095. Jasma of the Odes | "an adaptation of a famous legend of Gujarat" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
096. Sharan Kaur | "an adaptation of Bhai Vir Singh's Punjabi novel about a famous woman spy" (not in Wiki) | ||||||||||
097. Chandrahasa | "retold from the Jaimini Bharata" (Wiki: Jaimini) | ||||||||||
098. Pundalik
| "two famous saints of Maharahstra"
(Wiki: under Vithoba)
(Wiki: see Sant Sakhu [film]) | ||||||||||
099. Raj Singh (Rajsimha, Rajasimha) | "an adaptation of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya's famous Bengali novel" (Wiki: under Bankim) | ||||||||||
100. Purushottam Dev & Padmavati | "a legend of Orissa" (search "Raja Pursottem Deo", etc.) | ||||||||||
101. Vali | "from the Ramayana" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
102. Nagananda | "an adaptation of Harsha's famous Sanskrit play" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
103. Malavika | "an adaptation of Kalidasa's Sanskrit play 'Malavikagnimitra'" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
104. Rani Durgavati | "the life of a Rajput princess who became queen of the Gonds" (see in Rajput India) | ||||||||||
105. Dasharatha | "the story of Rama's father" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
106. Rana Sanga | "the famous Rajput king" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
107. Pradyumna | "the son of Krishna and Rukmini" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
108. Vidyasagar | (1820-1891; Bengali writer and social reformer; Wiki) | ||||||||||
109. Tachcholi Othenan | "a legendary hero of Kerala" (Wiki: Thachcholi Othenan) | ||||||||||
110. Sultana Razia | "the only queen who ruled from the throne of Delhi" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
111. Sati and Shiva | (Sati was Shiva's wife; Wiki: Dakshayani and Shiva) | ||||||||||
112. Krishna & Rukmini | (ends with their marriage; Wiki: Krishna, Rukmini) | ||||||||||
113. Raja Bhoja | "adapted from the Sanskrit classic 'Bhojaprabandha'" (Wiki: Bhoja) | ||||||||||
114. Guru Tegh Bahadur | "the story of the ninth guru of the Sikhs" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
115. Pareekshit | "the grandson of Arjuna, the Pandava" (Wiki: Parikshit) | ||||||||||
116. Kadambari | "an adaptation of Bana Bhatta's Sanskrit classic" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
117. Dhruva
| "...the child devotee of Lord Vishnu, based on the
Bhagawat Purana"
(Wiki)
"...a great child prodigy of the Vedic age, based on the Mahabharata" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
118. King Kusha (and Jayampati) | "a Jataka tale" (ignca) | ||||||||||
119. Raja Raja Chola | "one of the greatest rulers of south India" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
120. Dayananda | "the founder of the Arya Samaj" (1839-1883; Wiki) | ||||||||||
121. Veer Dhaval | "an adaptation of Nath Madhav's famous Marathi classic" (Nath: 1882-1928) | ||||||||||
122. Ancestors of Rama | "adapted from Kalidasa's Sanskrit epic 'Raghuvamsham'" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
123. Ekanath | "the story of a famous saint of Maharashtra" (1533-1599; Wiki: Eknath) | ||||||||||
124. Satwant Kaur | "the story of a brave Sikh girl based on a novel by Bhai Vir Singh" (in Wiki: Bhai Vir Singh) | ||||||||||
125. Udayana (see #30) | "an adaptation of a famous Sanskrit play by Bhasa" (Wiki: SwapnaVasavadatta, Bhasa) | ||||||||||
126. Jataka Tales: Elephant Stories | (The Greedy Forester; The Brave Quail; The Royal Elephant) | ||||||||||
127. The Gita | (Bhagavad Gita: spoken by Krishna in the Mahabharata; Wiki) | ||||||||||
128. Veer Hammir | "the story of a famous Rajput hero" (Wiki: Rana Hamir) | ||||||||||
129. Malati and Madhava | "an adaptation of the famous Sanskrit play by Bhavabhuti" (Wiki: Bhavabuti) | ||||||||||
130. Garuda | "the legend of the vehicle of Lord Vishnu" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
131. Birbal the Wise | (4 stories; one of 8 ACK Birbal issues | ||||||||||
132. Ranak Devi | "the story of a great queen of Saurashtra" (Wiki: a Rajputani of Junagadh in Gujarat) | ||||||||||
133. Maryada Rama | "the legends about a brilliant judge from Andhra Pradesh" (7 tales of "Rama the Just"; NFI) | ||||||||||
134. Babur | "the first Mughal emperor of India" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
135. Devi Choudhurani | "an adaptation of the famous Bengali classic by Bankim Chandra" (Wiki: under Bankim) | ||||||||||
136. Rabindranath Tagore | (1861-1841; Bengal; Wiki) | ||||||||||
137. Soordas | "the blind bard who sang about Lord Krishna" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
138. Panchatantra (see #39) | "The Brahmin & the Goat and other stories" (6 stories) | ||||||||||
139. Prince Hritadhwaja | "retold from the Markandeya Purana" (Wiki: Markandeya Purana; and Maladasa; also Ritudhwaj) | ||||||||||
140. Humayun | "the second Mughal emperor" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
141. Prabhavati | "the story of Krishna's daughter-in-law" (?; not Wiki) | ||||||||||
142. Chandra Shekhar Azad | "great Indian revolutionary" (1906-1931; Wiki) | ||||||||||
143. A Bag of Gold Goins | "two tales retold from Anwar-i-Suhaili" (Persian Panchatantra) | ||||||||||
144. Purandara Dasa | "the father of Karnatak music" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
145. Bhanumati | "the grand-daughter of Krishna" | ||||||||||
146. Vivekananda | "the patriot-saint of modern India" (1863-1902; (Wiki) | ||||||||||
147. Krishna & Jarasandha | "the story of how the invincible Magadhan emperor was vanquished" (Wiki: Jarasandha) | ||||||||||
148. Noor Jahan | "the most powerful Mughal queen" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
149. Elephanta | "the legends about the sculptures on Elephanta island" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
150. Tales of Narada | "the most famous sage of the Puranas" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
151. Krishnadeva Raya | "the greatest emperor of Vijayanagara" (16th c. Karnataka; Wiki) | ||||||||||
152. Birbal the Witty | 5 stories; one of 8 ACK Birbal issues | ||||||||||
153. Madhvacharya | (1238-1317; Karnataka; Wiki; also Madhwacharia) | ||||||||||
154. Chandragupta Maurya | "retold from the Mudra Manjusha" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
155. Jnaneshwar | "the founder of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra" (Wiki: Dnyaneshwar) | ||||||||||
156. Bagha Jatin | "the saga of a great Indian revolutionary" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
157. Manonmani | "retold from a famous Tamil classic" (a play by Sundaram Pillai; q.v.) | ||||||||||
158. Angulimala | "the robber who became a saint" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
159. The Tiger & the Woodpecker | "and other stories; retold from the Telugu classic Keyurabahu Charitramu" (6 stories) | ||||||||||
160. Tales of Vishnu | "retold from the Bhagawat Purana" (Gajendra [Indrayumna]; Ambarisha; Vrikasura; Rantideva) | ||||||||||
161. Amrapali
| "two Buddhist tales"; first: from Maha-Parinibbana Sutta and Malasarvastivadas (Wiki)
second: adaptation "omits a few gruesome details" | ||||||||||
162. Yayati | "retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
163. Panchatantra (#39) | "How the Jackal Ate the Elephant and (5) other stories" | ||||||||||
164. Tales of Shiva | (one each from the Mahabharata, Tiruvachagam and Skanda Purana [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
165. King Shalivahana | "the potter who became a great king" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
166. The Rani of Kittur | "the brave rani who defied the might of the British" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
167. Krishna & Narakasura | (from the Bhagawat Purana and other sources; Wiki: Narakasura) | ||||||||||
168. The Magic Grove | "a Jain story" (from Vardhaman-Desana; see Wiki Jainism) | ||||||||||
169. Lachit Barphukan | "the story of one of the greatest generals of Assam" (Wiki: Lachit Borphukan) | ||||||||||
170. Indra & Vritra | "the story of Indra's encounter with his arch enemy" (Wiki: Vritra) | ||||||||||
171. Amar Singh Rathor | "the dashing Rajput who valued self-respect above everything else" (Wiki: Rathore) | ||||||||||
172. Krishna & the False Vaasudeva | (from the Bhagawat Purana; Wiki: Paundraka Vasudeva) | ||||||||||
173. Kochunni | "the beloved bandit of Kerala" (Wiki: under Kayamkulam) | ||||||||||
174. Tales of Yudhishthira | "retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Yudhisthira) | ||||||||||
175. Hari Singh Nalwa | "a great general of Punjab" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
176. Tales of Durga
| "stories of the mother goddess retold from the Markandeya Purana"
(Wiki:
Durga,
Devi,
Shakti.
177. Krishna & Shishupala
| (also concerns Rukmini - see in
Wiki) | 178. Raman of Tenali
| "the inimitable court jester of Krishnadeva Raya"
(Wiki: Tenali Ramakrishna) | 179. Paurava & Alexander
| "...the encounter between a great conqueror from the West and a brave king from the East" (Wiki: Porus) | 180. Indra & Shibi
| "and other tales; four tales of Indra, the King of the Devas"
(Wiki: Shibi, Uttanka, Asura King, Yavakrita) | 181. Guru Har Gobind
| "the saint-soldier who was the sixth guru of the Sikhs"
(Wiki) | |
182. The Battle for Srinagar | "the heroic saga of the battle fought in 1947" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
183. Rana Kumbha | "the great ruler of Mewar who built the tower of victory in Chittor" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
184. Aruni
| "the story of two devoted disciples of ancient India"
(Wiki: Aruni)
(disciple of Gautama Maharishi [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
185. Hitopadesha | "How Friends Are Parted, and (two) other stories" (see also #91; Wiki) | ||||||||||
186. Tiruppan
| "two tales of devotion" (Tiruppan: in Tamil Nadu, "last of the 12 Alvars"; Wiki: Alvars,
Valluvar)
(Wiki: Kanakadasa; in Karnataka) | ||||||||||
187. Tipu Sultan | "the tiger of Mysore" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
188. Babasaheb Ambedkar | (1891-1956; Wiki: B. R. Ambedkar) | ||||||||||
189. Thugsen | "a Marathi folktale" ("the prince who became a thief and trickster in order to avenge an injustice) | ||||||||||
190. Kannappa | "the devotee who offered his eyes to Lord Shiva" (Wiki: under Kannappa Nayanar) | ||||||||||
191. The King in a Parrot's Body | "a Jain tale" (story of King Shuklapaksha) | ||||||||||
192. Ranadhira | "the valorous king of Mysore" (1638-1659; Wiki: under Maharajas of Mysore) | ||||||||||
193. Kapala Kundala | "based on Bankim Chatterji's novel" (Wiki: Kapilkundala, under Bankim) | ||||||||||
194. Gopal & the Cowherd (Krishna) | "a popular folktale" ("based on the version in Cradle Tales of Hinduism, by Sister Nivedita" [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
195. Jataka Tales | "Jackal Stories" (The Jackal and the Rats; ...and the Lion; The Clever Jackal; +3) | ||||||||||
196. Hothal | "based on a famous ballad from Gujarat" (story of Odha and Hotal, an apsara) | ||||||||||
197. The Rainbow Prince | "two folk tales from Bengal" (other is The Faithful Shepherd) | ||||||||||
198. Tales of Arjuna | (Arjuna, the monkey and the boy; Arjuna defeats Indra; Arjuna humbled; Wiki: Arjuna) | ||||||||||
199. Chandralalat | "the prince with a moon on his forehead" (popular Bengali folktale) | ||||||||||
200. Akbar | "the great Mughal" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
201. Nachiketa | "and other stories from the Upanishads" (Wiki: Upanishads, Nachiteka, Satyakama, Prajapati) | ||||||||||
202. Kalidasa | "the famous Sanskrit poet" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
203. Jayadratha | "retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Jayadratha) | ||||||||||
204. Shah Jahan | "the fifth Mughal emperor" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
205. Ratnavali | "an adaptation of King Harsha's famous Sanskrit play" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
206. Jayaprakash Narayan | (1902-1979; freedom fighter, politician - Wiki) | ||||||||||
207. Mahiravana | "the son of Ravana" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
208. Jayadeva | "author of the famous Gita-Govinda" (Wiki: Jayadeva; Gita Govinda) | ||||||||||
209. Gandhari | "the mother of the Kaurava princes" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
210. Birbal the Clever | 9 stories; one of 8 ACK Birbal issues | ||||||||||
211. The Celestial Necklace | "a Jain story" ("based on a version by Muni Mahendrakumar) | ||||||||||
212. Basaveshwara | (1134-1196; Wiki: Basava) | ||||||||||
213. Velu Thampi | "a valiant son of Kerala" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
214. Bheema & Hanuman | "retold from the Mahabharata" (Wiki: see under Hanuman; see also Bhima) | ||||||||||
215. Panna
| "two tales of self-sacrifice" (from Rajasthan; 1: the maid Panna helps Uday Singh of Mewar)
(2: Ratna Singh and Hadi Rani help Raj Singh and Prabhavati) | ||||||||||
216. Rani Abbakka | "the queen of Ullal who stood up to the might of the Portuguese" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
217. Sukhu & Dukhu | "folktales from Bengal" (also The Seventh Queen, The Value of Tears) | ||||||||||
218. Jataka Tales | "The magic chant and other stories" (Also: The Drummer; The Sadhu and the Ram; +3) | ||||||||||
219. Lokmanya Tilak | (1856-1920; Wiki) | ||||||||||
220. Kumbhakarna | "retold from the Krittivasa Ramayana" (Wiki: Kumbhakarna, Versions of Ramayana) | ||||||||||
221. Jahangir | "the fourth Mughal emperor" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
222. Samarth Ramdas | "Shivaji's spiritual guide" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
223. Baladitya & Yashodharma | "the valiant kings who stood up to the Hunas" (see Wiki: Mihirahuna) | ||||||||||
224. Jataka Tales | "Nandi Vishala and other stories" (The Servant and the Treasure; The Hypocritical Sadhu; +2) | ||||||||||
225. Tales of Sai Baba | (d. 1918; Wiki: Sai Baba of Shirdi; Baba comes to Shirdi; Baba and the Oil Vendors; +9) | ||||||||||
226. Raman the Matchless Wit | (court jester of Krishnadeva Raya, 1509-1529) | ||||||||||
227. Sadhu Vaswani | (1879-1966; try Wiki or ?) | ||||||||||
228. Birbal to the Rescue | 6 stories; one of 8 ACK Birbal issues | ||||||||||
229. Shankar Dev | "the story of a great saint of Assam" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
230. Hemu | "a forgotten hero" (16th c. Delhi; Wiki) | ||||||||||
231. Bahubali | (first Tirthankara revered by Jains; Wiki) | ||||||||||
232. Dara Shukoh & Aurangzeb | (Wiki) | ||||||||||
233. Panchatantra (#39) | "The Dullard & Other Stories" (The Greedy Barber; The Mongoose and the Brahmin's Wife; +3) | ||||||||||
234. Bhagat Singh | "the story of a martyr" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
235. The Adventures of Agad Datta | "two Jain tales retold from Vasudeva Hindee" (Vasudevahindi; also: The Royal Priest) | ||||||||||
236. Bahman Shah | "the founder of the Bahmani dynasty" (Wiki: Hasan Gangu) | ||||||||||
237. Gopal the Jester | "the clever barber of Krishnanagar" (Gopal Bhand: Gopal Measures the Earth; +6) | ||||||||||
238. Friends and Foes | "Animal Tales from the Mahabharata" (The Tiger and the Jackal; The Sage and the Dog; +1) | ||||||||||
239. Hakka & Bukka | "the founders of the Vijayanagara Empire" (Wiki: Harihara I, Bukka) | ||||||||||
240. Sahasramalla | "a Jain story" ("from the Vardhaman-desana") | ||||||||||
241. Balban | "the iron man of the Slave Dynasty" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
242. Panchatantra (#39) | "Crows and owls and other stories" (The Noble Enemy; The Bird and the Monkeys; The Camel beguiled) | ||||||||||
243. Ramanuja | (1017-1137 [sic.]; Tamil; Wiki) | ||||||||||
244. The Pandavas in Hiding | "Retold from the Mahabharata" | ||||||||||
245. Tyagaraja | "the saint who sung his way to the feet of the lord" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
246. The Giant & the Dwarf | "a Jataka tale" | ||||||||||
247. Jataka Tales | "Stories of Wisdom" (The Wide Leader; The Prince and the Seedling; The Clever Son; +3) | ||||||||||
248. Bidhi Chand | "based on a popular Sikh legend" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
249. The Learned Pandit | "and other tales told by Ramakrishna" (The Traveller and the Wish-Tree; +4) | ||||||||||
250. Sambhaji | "Son of Shivaji" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
251. Baddu & Chhotu | "The adventures of....; a folktale from Bengal" | ||||||||||
252. Karttikeya | "adopted from the Skanda-Purana-Samhita" (Wiki: Muruga, Skanda Purana) | ||||||||||
253. The Golden Mongoose | "and other tales from the Mahabharata" (The Enlightened Butcher; The Pigeon's Sacrifice) | ||||||||||
254. Hanuman to the Rescue | "Retold from the Krittivasa Ramayana" (Wiki: Hanuman, Versions of Ramayana) | ||||||||||
255. Mystery of the Missing Gifts | "a Folktale from Madhya Pradesh" (+ The Sound of Music, from Karnataka) | ||||||||||
256. Sakhi Sarwar | "a Folktale from Punjab" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
257. The Queen's Necklace | "and other stories from Jatakas" (The Greedy Fisherman; The Greedy Hawker) | ||||||||||
258. The Secret of the Talking Bird | "a folktale from Karnataka" (retold from narration of Dr. Chandrashekar Kambar [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
259. The Miraculous Conch | "and A Game of Chess" (as told by John Dorairaj in a collection of folktales) | ||||||||||
260. Sri Ramakrishna | (1836-1886; Wiki) | ||||||||||
261. The Fool's Disciples | "a tale of humour from South India" (adapted from book in Tamil by Fr. C. J. Beschi [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
262. Rash Behari Bose | "story of a revolutionary" (1886-1945; Wiki) | ||||||||||
263. The Prince & the Magician | "based on the Telugu folktale, Bala Nagamma" (Andhra Pradesh; Mother: Bala Nagamma; Prince: Balaraju) | ||||||||||
264. The Hidden Treasure | "a Jataka tale" (Janaka becomes King of Mithila [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
265. Echchama the Brave | "a historical tale from the south" (17th c.; also: Echchama Nayak, Yachama, q.v. under Rama Deva Raya) | ||||||||||
266. Manduka - the lucky astrologer | "a tale from the Kathasaritsagara; plus The Hidden Meaning" (inspired by Manduka) | ||||||||||
267. The Pandit & the Milkmaid | "and other tales told by Ramakrishna" | ||||||||||
268. Tales of Shivaji | "Hira the Milkmaid; The Rani of Belavadi; The Gift" | ||||||||||
269. Jataka Tales | "The Mouse Merchant; also The Invaluable Treasure" | ||||||||||
270. The Tiger-Eater | "and The Bear Comes to Dinner; two folktales from Punjab" | ||||||||||
271. Lal Bahadur Shastri | (1904-1966; Wiki) | ||||||||||
272. Andher Nagari | "adapted from Bharatendu's famous Hindi play" (Wiki: Bharatendu Harishchandra, 1850-1885) | ||||||||||
273. The Churning of the Ocean | "mostly from the Bhagavata (Purana) and the Mahabharata" (Wiki: Ocean of Milk/Samudra manthan) | ||||||||||
274. Kesari, the flying thief | "and other Jain tales" (also: Vasudeva; Jinadatta) | ||||||||||
275. Subramania Bharati | "the story of the poet-patriot of Tamil Nadu" (1882-1921, Wiki) | ||||||||||
276. Animal Tales from Arunachal Pradesh | The Pig and the Dog; The Owl and the Tiger; Why Crabs have Flat Bodies; +5 more | ||||||||||
277. Jataka Tales | "Tales of Misers": Ilisa, the Gildmaster; Kesiya | ||||||||||
278. Bimbisara | "the emperor of the Magadha" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
279. Jataka Tales: Bird Stories | The Value of Friends; Greed does not Pay; The Loyal General; Practise what you Preach; +1 | ||||||||||
280. Kumanan | "the generous Tamil king of the Sangam age" (1st c. CE [Wiki: Sangam]; praised in Purananuuru [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
281. Shunahshepa | "retold from the Aitareya Brahmana" (Wiki; Shunahshepa attains divine powers) | ||||||||||
282. The Taming of Gulla | "retold from a Kannada classic" (Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu by G. R. Iyengar; made into a film: Wiki) | ||||||||||
283. Jagannatha of Puri | (In Orissa; Wiki) | ||||||||||
284. Albert Einstein | "the scientist who belonged to mankind" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
285. Joymati | "a tale from Assam" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
286. Thanedar Hasan Askari | "the extraordinary police officer of Uttar Pradesh" (in 1930s) | ||||||||||
287. The Pious Cat & other tales | "Animal tales from Rajasthan" (+ The Quick Witted Frog; A Deer Story) | ||||||||||
288. Bikal the Terrible
| Two "tales from Madhya Pradesh" ("Bikal" means something to be feared)
(two young boys tame a tiger) | ||||||||||
289. The Elusive Kaka (village chief) | "retold from a Kannada classic" (from the play Kakana Kote by Srinivasa [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
290. Ramana Maharshi | (1879-1950, Tamil Nadu; Wiki) | ||||||||||
291. The Prophecy | "A Tibetan tale" (Buddhist story: Goshthili helps the youngest son become king of Varanasi) | ||||||||||
292. Chokha Mela | "Poet-saint of Maharashtra" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
293. Beni Madho
| "Glimpses of 1857" (Rana Beni Madho of Baiswara fights British; Wiki:
1857)
(A tailor from Patna hanged by British) | ||||||||||
294. Durgesh Nandini | "a historical romance from Bengal" ('Daughter of the Fort Lord'; from the 1st novel of Bankim) | ||||||||||
295. Guru Arjan | (1563-1606; fifth Sikh guru, first martyred saint [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
296. Mahamati Prannath | "the founder of the Pranami sect" (Wiki: under Panna) | ||||||||||
297. The Lost Prince | "A Tibetan tale" (Buddhist Sanskrit story of Papankara and Kshemankara, retranslated from Tibetan) | ||||||||||
298. Damaji Pant
| 15th c. devotee of Vithala/Vitthala
(Wiki: Vithoba)
14th c. devotee of Vithala | ||||||||||
299. The Silent Teacher | "a Buddhist tale" (Abja renounces the throne; plus Buddhism in Tibet) | ||||||||||
300. Delhi | "the historic city of...." (Wiki) | ||||||||||
301. Tripura | "The Puranic story of the creation and destruction of three satellite cities" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
302. Dhola & Maru | "Retold from a Rajathani Ballad" (see under Mehrangarh Fort) | ||||||||||
303. Senapati Bapat | (1880-1967; Wiki) | ||||||||||
304. Doctor Kotnis in China | (1910-1942; Wiki) | ||||||||||
305. Ravana Humbled | "Three tales about the Lord of Lanka" (At the Feet of Shiva; The Mahishmati Episode; Taipiece) | ||||||||||
306. The Story of a Scientist | "Yellapragada Subbarow" (1895-1948; Wiki) | ||||||||||
307. The Bridegroom's Ring | "Two Pahari tales" ("from Garhwal in Uttar Pradesh; other is The Kayastha & his Guest) | ||||||||||
308. Andhaka | "the demon son of Shiva" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
309. Veer Savarkar in the Andamans | (1883-1966; Wiki) | ||||||||||
310. The True Conqueror | "and other Buddhist Tales" (The Bowl of Rice; Duggata's Guest) | ||||||||||
311. Kunwar Singh | "Glimpses of 1857" (Wiki: Kunwar Singh, 1857) | ||||||||||
312. Tales of Balarama | (Krishna's elder brother; Wiki) | ||||||||||
313. Shantala | "the queen who lived and died for a principle" (wife of Vishnu Vardhana [Wiki], 1108-1152) | ||||||||||
314. The Acrobat | "and other Buddhist Tales" (+ The Harvest; The Golden Maiden; Buddha and Krisha Guatami) | ||||||||||
315. The Golden Sand
| "a tale from Nepal" (Sakhwal the sand merchant becomes Shankhdhar)
(mother of Dravyashah and Narharishah; plus The Kingdom of Nepal) | ||||||||||
316. The Parijata Tree | "and other tales of Krishna" (+ Lakshmana; Tulabhara) | ||||||||||
317. Annapati Suyya | "Retold from Kalhana's Rajatarangini" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
318. The Cowherd of Alawi | "and other Buddhist tales" (+ The Path of Moderation; The Witness) | ||||||||||
319. Ashwins to the Rescue | "adapted from the Rigveda" (New Series title: Ashwini Kumar; Wiki: Ashvins, Rig Veda) | ||||||||||
320. Chandrapeeda | "and other tales of Kashmir" (+ Raja Jayapeeda; Raja Yashaskara Deva and the Purohit; from Rajatarangini) | ||||||||||
321. The Green Demon | "and (4) other Sufi tales" (The Perfectionist, etc.; also Sufi Saints of India) | ||||||||||
322. Shrenik
| ("Jaina tales"; #1: from Harishena's Bhrihat Katha Kosha, 10th c.)
(from Rajashekara's Vinodakathasangraha, 14th c.) | ||||||||||
323. Samudra Gupta | (4th century CE; Wiki) | ||||||||||
324. Nahusha | "an ancestor of the Pandavas" ( Wiki) | ||||||||||
325. Jagadis Chandra Bose | (1858-1937; Wiki) | ||||||||||
326. Tales of Avvaiyaar | "a poet saint of Tamil Nadu" (Avvai and Paari; The Sole Consideration; Avvai to the Rescue; +1; Wiki) | ||||||||||
327. Tapati | "The daughter of the Sun God, two tales from the Mahabharata" (Samvarana/Tapati; Ruru/Pramadvara) | ||||||||||
328. Rajbala (and Ajit Singh)
| "two tales from old Sind" (now in Pakistan; Rajbala dresses as a male warrior)
(Sunderbai also dresses as a male warrior) | ||||||||||
329. Veda Vyasa | "Mahabharata-1" (Veda Vyasa is reputed author; short: #20; Wiki: Mahabharata, Vyasa) | ||||||||||
330. Vidyut Chora | "a Jain tale" (from Shivakotyacharya's Vaddaradhane [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
331. Bheeshma's Vow | "Mahabharata-2" | ||||||||||
332. Birbal the Genius | 5 stories; one of 8 ACK Birbal issues | ||||||||||
333. The Advent of the Kuru Princes | "Mahabharata-3" (Wiki: Kauravas) | ||||||||||
334. Mangal Pande | "Glimpses of 1857" (Wiki: Mangal Pande, 1857) | ||||||||||
335. The Pandavas at Hastinapura | "Mahabharata-4" (Wiki: Kunti, Hastinapura) | ||||||||||
336. The Fearless Boy | "and other Buddhist tales" (The Two Disciples; The Great Architect) | ||||||||||
337. Enter Drona | "Mahabharata-5" | ||||||||||
338. The Legend of Lalitaditya | "retold from Kalhana's Rajatarangini" (Wiki: Lalitaditya Muktapida of Kashmir) | ||||||||||
339. Enter Karna | "Mahabharata-6" | ||||||||||
340. The Making of a Swordsman | "Zen tales from Japan" (+ Gift versus Theft; The Theft of the Cotton Rolls; +6) | ||||||||||
341. The Conspiracy | "Mahabharata-7" | ||||||||||
342. The Battle of Wits | "a Jataka tale" (King Vaideha adopts Aushadha Kumar) | ||||||||||
343. The Escape | "Mahabharata-8" | ||||||||||
344. Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das | (1870-1924; Wiki) | ||||||||||
345. Birth of Ghatotkacha | "Mahabharata-9" | ||||||||||
346. Legend of Maarthaanda Varma | "a historical romance from Kerala" (from an 1890 novel by C. V. Raman Pillai [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
347. The Pandavas at Ekachakra | "Mahabharata-10" | ||||||||||
348. March to Freedom 1 | "Birth of the Indian National Congress" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
349. Enter Draupadi | "Mahabharata-11" | ||||||||||
350. Guru Ravidas | (1450-1540; near Varanasi; Wiki) | ||||||||||
351. Draupadi's Swayamvara | "Mahabharata-12" | ||||||||||
352. The Adventures of Pratapan | "Retold from the famous Tamil classic Pratapa Mudaliar Charitram" (by Vedanayakam Pillai, 1826-1889) | ||||||||||
353. The Pandavas recalled to Hastinapura | "Mahabharata-13" | ||||||||||
354. Sea Route to India | (concerns Vasco da Gama [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
355. Arjuna's 12-year Exile | "Mahabharata-14" | ||||||||||
356. March to Freedom 2 | "A Nation Awakes" (events in Bengal ca. 1900-1910) | ||||||||||
357. A Hall for Yudhishthira | "Mahabharata-15" | ||||||||||
358. Jallianwalla Bagh | "the beginning of the end of the British Raj" (in Amritsar, 1919; Wiki) | ||||||||||
359. The Pandavas conquer the world | "Mahabharata-16" | ||||||||||
360. March to Freedom 3 | "The Saga of Indian Revolutionaries" (armed struggles, from Phadke [Wiki] to Bose) | ||||||||||
361. Yudhishthira's Rajasooya Yajna | "Mahabharata-17" | ||||||||||
362. The Priceless Gem | "a Jataka tale" (concerns Aushadha Kumar Wiki) | ||||||||||
363. Indraprastha Lost | "Mahabharata-18" | ||||||||||
364. Khudiram Bose | (1889-1908; Wiki) | ||||||||||
365. Pandavas in the Forest | "Mahabharata-19" | ||||||||||
366. Patali Putra | "and other tales from the Kathasaritsagara" (The Right Moment; Punyasena) | ||||||||||
367. Arjuna's quest for weapons | "Mahabharata-20" | ||||||||||
368. The Nawab's Dream | "and other Tamil tales" (same source as #352; Kanakan Finds a Home; A Bet; +4) | ||||||||||
369. Arjuna in Indraloka | "Mahabharata-21" | ||||||||||
370. Raja Desing | "the legendary hero of Tamilnadu" (see Raja Tej Singh under Wiki Gingee Fort) | ||||||||||
371. The Reunion | "Mahabharata-22" | ||||||||||
372. Panchatantra (#39) | "The Greedy Mother-in-law & other tales" | ||||||||||
373. Duryodhana Humbled | "Mahabharata-23" (Wiki: Duryodhana) | ||||||||||
374. Hamsavali | "based on a story from the Kathasaritsagara" | ||||||||||
375. The Twelfth Year | "Mahabharata-24" | ||||||||||
376. Lila & Chanesar | "a legend from Sind immortalised by Shah Abdul Latif" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
377. The Pandavas at Virata's Palace | "Mahabharata-25" | ||||||||||
378. Shringabhuja | "Based on a story from the Kathasaritsagara" (The Golden Arrow) | ||||||||||
379. Panic in the Kaurava Camp | "Mahabharata-26" | ||||||||||
380. Padmavati | "a tale from Vetala Panchavimshati" (Wiki; a prince of Varanasi woos Princess Padmavati of Karnataka) | ||||||||||
381. Sanjaya's Mission | "Mahabharata-27" | ||||||||||
382. G. D. Birla | "who revolutionised Indian industry" (1894-1983; Wiki: Ghanshyam Das Birla) | ||||||||||
383. Duryodhana Refuses to Yield | "Mahabharata-28" | ||||||||||
384. Megasthenes | "the Greek ambassador to India" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
385. Krishna's Peace Mission | "Mahabharata-29" | ||||||||||
386. Fa Hien | "the Chinese traveller who visited India during the Gupta period" (Wiki: Fa Xian) | ||||||||||
387. The War Begins | "Mahabharata-30" | ||||||||||
388. Sundarasena | "Based on a story from the Kathasaritsagara": Story of Sundarasena and Mandaravati | ||||||||||
389. Bheeshma in Command | "Mahabharata-31" | ||||||||||
390. Hiuen Tsang | "the Chinese pilgrim who toured India during Emperor Harsha's time" (See Tripitaka; Wiki: Xuan Zang) | ||||||||||
391. The Fall of Bheeshma | "Mahabharata-32" | ||||||||||
392. Tales from the Upanishads | Shvetaketu, Raikva the Cartman, When the Devas were Humbled; The Bold Beggar | ||||||||||
393. Drona's Vow | "Mahabharata-33" | ||||||||||
394. Pulakeshi II | "the king who defeated emperor Harsha" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
395. The Slaying of Abhimanyu | "Mahabharata-34" | ||||||||||
396. The Glory of the Rashtrakootas | (8th-10th c.; Wiki; in the new series (q.v.) the main title is Ellora Caves (Wiki) | ||||||||||
397. Arjuna Fulfils his Vow | "Mahabharata-35" | ||||||||||
398. Chennamma of Keladi | "She braved the wrath of Aurangzeb to protect Rajaram" (Wiki) | ||||||||||
399. The Battle at Midnight | "Mahabharata-36" | ||||||||||
400. The Deadly Feast | "a Jataka tale" | ||||||||||
401. Ajatashatru | (Wiki; son of King Bimbisara during time of the Buddha) | ||||||||||
402. Karna in Command | "Mahabharata-37" | ||||||||||
403. Narayana Guru | (1856-1928; Kerala; Wiki) | ||||||||||
404. The Kurus Routed | "Mahabharata-38" | ||||||||||
405. Prince Jivaka | "The heroic tale of..." (Wiki: Civaka Cintamani) | ||||||||||
406. After the War | "Mahabharata-39" | ||||||||||
407. Kohinoor | (An Indian diamond now in England; Wiki) | ||||||||||
408. Yudhishthira's Coronation | "Mahabharata-40" | ||||||||||
409. The Ashwamedha Yajna | "Mahabharata-41" | ||||||||||
410. Kanwal & Kehar | "a legend from Rajasthan" | ||||||||||
411. The Celestial Reunion | "Mahabharata-42" | ||||||||||
412. Roopmati | (Rani Rupmati, 16th c. singer and bin player in Malwa [now in Madhya Pradesh]; Wiki) | ||||||||||
413. Krishna, the Darling of Gokul | Bhagawat Purana-1 (Wiki: Bhagawat Purana) | ||||||||||
414. Mahatma Gandhi (Wiki) | "The early days" (see comment under March to Freedom series) | ||||||||||
415. Krishna, the Subduer of Kalia | Bhagawat Purana-2 | ||||||||||
416. Mahatma Gandhi | "The father of the nation" (see comment under March to Freedom series) | ||||||||||
417. Krishna, the Upholder of Govardhana | Bhagawat Purana-3 | ||||||||||
418. The French Revolution | (Wiki; published October 1, 1989) | ||||||||||
419. Krishna: Victory over Kamsa | Bhagawat Purana-4 | ||||||||||
420. Inimitable Birbal | 10 stories; one of 8 ACK Birbal issues | ||||||||||
421. Krishna, Lord of Dwaraka (Missing, but:) | Bhagawat Purana-5 (I have it in Bhagawat, The Krishna Avatar, 2000) | ||||||||||
422. Louis Pasteur | (French biologist; 1822 – 1895 [Wiki]) | ||||||||||
423. Krishna, the Enchanter (Missing, but:) | Bhagawat Purana-6 (I have it in Bhagawat, The Krishna Avatar, 2000) | ||||||||||
424. The Clever Dancer (Missing, but:) | "A Story from the Katha-Saritsagara" (Muladeva and the Bhahman's Daughter [Transl.; I have it as #806]) | ||||||||||
425. Krishna, the Victorious | Bhagawat Purana-7 | ||||||||||
426. Jataka Tales: True Friends (Missing, but:) | (True Friends; Kanni, the Unlucky; A Monk in Need is a Friend Indeed [I have it as #614]) | ||||||||||
427. Krishna, Ally of the Pandavas (Missing, but:) | Bhagawat Purana-8 (I have it in Bhagawat, The Krishna Avatar, 2000) | ||||||||||
428. Napoleon Bonaparte | 1769 – 1821 (cover missing; Wiki) | ||||||||||
429. Krishna, the Saviour (Missing, but:) | Bhagawat Purana-9 (I have it in Bhagawat, The Krishna Avatar, 2000) | ||||||||||
430. An Exciting Find (Missing, but:) | "The Route to your roots" (I have it in the Indus Valley Adventure, which also includes #432) | ||||||||||
431. Jataka Tales (Missing, but:) | "Stories of Courage" (The Brave Pig; The Deer's Disciple; The Golden Crab; The Faithful Samukha [I have it as #615]) | ||||||||||
432. The Indus Valley Adventure | "The Route to the Roots" (also as continuation on from #430: two kids take time machine back to the Indus Valley; Wiki) | ||||||||||
433. The Quick Witted Birbal (Missing, but:) | 8 stories; one of 8 ACK Birbal issues; new series #602 (withdrawn;24 I have .pdf) | ||||||||||
434. The Chosen Bridegroom (Missing, but:) | "Stories from the Katha-saritasagara" (Ratnavati marries a thief [Google books]);
also: "The Gods as Witnesses" (Upakosha retains her honor [Google books]); further; I have .pdf) | ||||||||||
435. Pierre and Marie Curie (Missing, but:) | (Wiki: Pierre and Marie; I have it as #778) | ||||||||||
436. Jawaharlal Nehru (Missing, but:)
(End of old series; see footnote; new series starts with #501) | (Wiki; my copy, new series #700, has on back the subtitle "The Early Days") |
1. Dasha Avatar
(1978; new series 10002) | "The 10 Incarnations of Vishnu" (Wiki
Vishnu,
Avatars:
Matsya,
Kurma,
Varaha,
Narasimha,
Vamana,
Parashurama,
Rama,
Krishna,
Buddha,
Kalki [future];
elsewhere it also sometimes includes Hayagriva, Balarama.) |
2. Valmiki's Ramayana (Missing)
(1978; new series 10001) | Compare Ram Charit Manas, another version of the Ramayana (Wiki)
my copy is in the new series |
3. Jesus Christ
(1980; new series 10003) | Preface by Cardinal Lawrence T. Picachy, S.J.
|
- Mahabharata (Missing)
(1989; no old or new series number) | A set of 3 volumes reprinting the original 42 issues;
I have this from the original issues: odd numbers above from #329 to 411 |
Special issues: new series
| Not numbered
|
- Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar
(2000) | One volume reprinting 9 issues, retold from Bhagawat Purana
(Wiki)
see odd numbers above from #413 to 429 |
- Ram Charit Manas
(2007) | Wiki; by Tulsidas; also called "Tulsidas' Ramayana" - compare Valmiki's Ramayana
160 pp., combining five new volumes |
- Mahatma Gandhi
(2009) | "Father of the Nation"; my copy consists of #414 and #416 (for uncertainty regarding this title see comment on the March to Freedom Series, specifically The Tryst with Destiny). |
- Dhyan Chand
(2014) | "The Wizard of Hockey" (issued 29 August 2013; Wiki) |
Amar Chitra Katha has also issued numerous other special issues combining new and/or old series issues. The following is mentioned in particular not just because it has five titles not re-issued separately in the new series, but because it includes The Chosen Bridegroom, which I was not able to get from the old series.
Stories from the Kathasaritasagara
(Wiki; "5 in 1"; #1035) | Includes: The Chosen Bridegroom, Hamsavali, Shridatta, Shringabhuja and "Pataliputra" (i.e., Patali Putra); does not have ACK#s 266 (Manduka) or 388 (Sundarasena) |
New series additions (plus Ram Charit Manas a new series special edition)
From 1998 to 2005 ACK added the following five titles not in the original series (see also the further comments regarding the three missing titles in the March to Freedom series). I have all but the first, #679.
679. Swami Pranavananda (1998) | (Never made available to the general public; Wiki) |
732. Swami Chinmayananda (2001) | "Modern life meets ancient wisdom" (Wiki) |
735. JRD Tata (2004) | "The Quiet Conqueror" (Wiki) |
736. Kalpana Chawla (2005) | No subtitle: Indian astronaut (Wiki) |
737. Jamsetji Tata (2005) | "The Man Who Saw Tomorrow" (Wiki) |
ACK (search) began to add more new titles in August 2010. As of March 2014 these apparently were as follows (further comment):
800. Mother Teresa | "Little acts of love" (Wiki) |
825. Surjya Sen | "The Chittagong Uprising" (1930; Wiki: Surya Sen) |
826. Heroes of Hampi | "The Mythology of Kishkinda" (Vidyaranya [Wiki] praises Hampi [Wiki] to Hakka and Bukka) |
827. Tales of Indra | "Lord of Thunder" (Wiki); "and the flying mountains"; "and the many Indras"; "and Sarama" |
828. Tirupati | "Lord of Tirumala" (Wiki; Vishnu/Lakshmi and Shrinivasa/Padmavati [Wiki]) |
829. Vaishno Devi | "Goddess of the Hills" (Wiki) |
830. Ganesha and the Moon
| "And other stories" (1. Ganesha and the moon [Wiki]; 2. Ganesh, Ravana and Atmalinga [see Murudeshwara Wiki]; 3. Ganesha anger at injustice and foolishness.) |
831. Tenzing Norgay | "The top of the world" (1914-1986; sherpa: Wiki) |
832. Stories of Creation | "From the Brahma Purana" (Wiki) |
833. Konark | (Wiki: Konark Sun Temple, Orissa) |
834. Anant Pai | "Master Storyteller" (Creator of this Indian classic comic series [ACK]; 1929-2011; Wiki) |
835. Salim Ali | "The bird man of India"; wrote The Book of Indian Birds, etc. (1896 - 1987; Wiki) |
836. Thanjavur | "City of Brihadeeswara" (stories surrounding this ancient town and its monuments; Wiki) |
837. The Blue Umbrella | "Stories by Ruskin Bond" (Wiki; also The Angry River) |
838. Jim Corbett | "Friend of the Wild" (Wiki) |
839. Kubera | "The Lord of Wealth" (Wiki) |
840. Saraswati | "Stories of the Goddess of Wisdom" (Wiki) |
841. M. S. Subbulakshmi | "Queen of Carnatic Music" (Wiki) |
842. Srinivasa Ramanujam | "Man of Mathematics" (Wiki) |
843. The Unhappy Tiger | "Stories from the Hitopadesha" (compare #91 & #185) |
844. Amba | "A Saga of Revenge" (Wiki) |
845. Verghese Kurien | "The Man with the 'Billion-Litre' Idea" (Wiki) |
846. Two Oxen | "Stories by Munshi Premchand" ("Buddhi Kaki" [The Old Aunt] & "Do Bail"; Wiki) |
Overall summary
In sum, as of March 2014 ACK had published 452 different single titles plus five special issues with new material. The single titles included the 424 old series + 28 new series titles, i.e., all of the old series numbers (#11 to #434) plus only the new issues within the new series (#501-#814). As for their special issues, although these have been quite numerous, only five have had new material.
This does not include some other titles also published by India Book House, such as the 10 European fairy tales, the
20 Chaturang Katha titles, and one published under the label Amar Charitra Katha.
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Footnotes (Shorthand references are explained on a separate page)
1.
Amar Chitra Katha (Sanskrit: "Immortal Pictorial Classics"; "Immortal Illustrated Tales", "Immortal Picture Stories")
In 1967, when India Book House (IBH;
Wiki originally began to publish this series of illustrated stories ("comics"), it was based at 29 Wodehouse Road, Bombay 400 039
(Facebook update; interesting old photos). Credit for this is given to Anant Pai ("Uncle Pai", 1929-2011;
Wiki and
issue #834). Pai had originally worked at Indrajal comics, which mainly did comics on Western stories. Disappointed that stories from his own tradition were neglected, and that in fact the education system at that time seemed mostly geared to teaching children only about Western history and culture, he is said to have persuaded H. G. Mirchandani (or perhaps G. L. Merchandani) of India Book House to publish traditional stories from India itself.
However, another story adds (source: t.g. Shenoy @theBekkU), | Original ACK #1 (of 10) |
The success & popularity of these titles prompted IBH to take the idea of a truly Indian comic seriously and brought in Anant Pai to take Amarch Chitra Katha forward, and this era began with Krishna (written by Pai himself [original image]).
From 1969 to 1991 India Book House was very active in bringing out new issues of ACK, but for many years after this they mostly reprinted earlier ones on better paper.
As of 2008 this was about to change. According to the Amar Chitra Katha Wikipedia entry (December 2008),
"In 2007, the imprint and all its titles were acquired by a new venture called ACK Media. On September 17, 2008, a new website by ACK-media was launched called www.amarchitrakatha.com."
ACK Media
(FAQ)
Information on the ACK Media website and elsewhere suggested that as of 2008 the company was planning on issuing new titles and that these would include, for the first time, living people. The first of their new titles came out in 2010.
For further information on Amar Chitra Katha see:
Some of the books listed above are online or partially online: search within them for "Amar Chitra Katha".
To purchase copies of the latest issues you may need to order them online. Unfortunately, ACK's own sites, e.g., the
India Book Distributors website, seem to be singularly unreliable (written 2014).
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2. Image: First in the series: Krishna (? compare at right) | Original ACK #11 (details) |
3.
Travel to India
The first visit, in 1981-2, included a very memorable five weeks at the music festivals in Chennai, then called Madras. My plan had been to spend the time traveling around Tamil Nadu, but with festival performances every day starting at 10 AM and going on into the evening, followed by a week of events at the annual festival of the Kalakshetra Institute, I was never able to get out of the city.
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4.
Amar Chitra Katha versions of history
ACK comic books became so popular that their versions are widely considered accurate and canonical. However, for many of the most popular ancient tales there are numerous regional versions. And many modern critics have pointed out what they see as certain biases in the re-tellings. See, e.g., McLain, p. 81ff.
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5. The First 10 issues of Amar Chitra Katha (at right; in Kannada; see #1) | 10 European Fairy Tales |
Ajay subsequently posted covers for these in
Dec 2009 and
Feb 2010.
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6.
Language and nature of Amar Chitra Katha comics
These comics were all originally written in English and this has always been the primary language, but some (I do not know how many) of them were also published in major Indian languages: Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. As told here all these stories are basically children's versions. As can be seen from the links here, Wikipedia now provides a lot of information on most of these subjects. Hopefully this information will continue to expand and improve, making it easier to learn the wide, deep and varied manifestations of all these stories as told over time and in different Indian communities.
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7.
Publication dates of the original series
Some new series reissues state that, "Since they were introduced in 1967, there are now over 400 Amar Chitra Katha titles to chose from" (see details). More specific information can be found in the online list by Prabhat Singh, which includes the year of publication for a number of issues. The information on early issues in the following list is mostly taken from a file Prabhat personally sent me. (See above regarding the Fairy Tales published during 1967-69.)
8.
End of the old series
In 1991 ACK sales were dwindling and the old series ended that year with #436, Jawaharlal Nehru. The same year ACK began their new series by republishing old issues on better quality paper. The first original titles in the new series do not appear until almost 10 years later, and as yet none of the new issues has retold a story from India's past. All this leaves open the question as to why sales were dwindling. The most popular issues apparently concerned Indian heroes and heroines from India's past but, after #412 Roopmati, only one issue in the original series brought up a new story from pre-modern India, #424 The Clever Dancer. Certainly there are other such personages available; in some cases perhaps finding reliable enough information about them to allow their tales to be told appropriately is too costly, in other cases the editors have apparently not considered those subjects appropriate. The company itself has suggested that the main reason for the drop in sales was competition from other popular media, television in particular.
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9.
Special editions
See listing above.
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10.
See publication dates: my own copies are dated 1981 and later, thus my earlier (lower numbered) ones are original series reprints, while my later (higher numbered ones) may be new series first editions.
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11.
Bumper Issues (see announcement)
My collection does not now include any of these bumper issues; I once had a few, but gave them away once I had the individual issues of which they were comprised. Announcements listing 35 bumper issues, such as the attached, were common in reprints from mid 1980s; ones from the early 1980s have fewer. The new series also groups individual issues. Some seem to be reprints of the earlier bumper issues; others are "Special Collections" that apparently are not bound together.
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12.
Deluxe Bound Volumes
This quote comes from my March 1981 re-print of No. 208. Note that "11 to 210" is actually 200 issues, and there is no explanation of how they made 21 volumes of 10 issues each from this. The advertisement shows the cover of Volume 14; this volume presumably included numbers 141-150, as at the bottom of the cover there are pictures of the covers of issues 148, 147, 149, 146 and 145 (left to right).
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13.
Chaturang Katha (CK)
Chaturang (or Chaturanga), literally "four colors" or "four aspects", is best known as the Indian ancestor of chess but is also used in many other contexts. The IBH Chaturang Katha series, which consists mostly if not all of love stories, was apparently published between 1976 and 1980 and had at least 18 titles, the lowest known issue number being #501, the highest #517. Some were later reprinted in the original ACK series proper, though perhaps with the title changed. There were apparently 20 titles in all, including the 16 listed on this
back cover (thanks again to Ajay Misra; as of 2015 those marked "q.v." - all but #505 and #511 - could be obtained online via the blog of Parishi Misra: parishi26.blogspot.com):
#501 Padmavati (1977?; q.v.) | ACK #380 Padmavati (One of the Vetala Stories [Wiki: Baital Pachisi]; CK attrib. Lakshmi Lal) |
#502 Hamsavali (q.v.) | ACK #374 Hamsavali (From the Kathasaritsagara; script and editing: Lakshmi Lal) |
#503 Lila and Chanesar (q.v.) | ACK #376 Lila & Chanesar (ACK script: Kamala Chandrakant) |
#507 Sundarasena (q.v.) | ACK #388 Sundarasena (from the Kathasaritsagara; script: Lakshmi Lal) |
#508 Shringabhuja (q.v.) | ACK #378 Shringabhuja (from the Kathasaritsagara; CK: Lakshmi Lal; ACK: Kamala Chandrakant) |
#513 Roopmati (q.v.) | ACK #412 Rani Rupmati (script: Jagjit Uppal) |
#517 Muladeva (1980?; q.v.) | ACK #424 The Clever Dancer (Editor: Lakshmi Lal; Script: Jagjit Uppal) |
#504 Virvar (q.v.) | not in ACK (A Vetala Story; connected to King Rupsen? Gokula? ) |
#505 The Strange Sacrifice | not in ACK ("A story riddle from the Vetala" (Wiki; attrib. Lakshmi Lal; compare ACK #83) |
#506 Chemmeen (q.v.) | not in ACK; Wiki: 1956 Malayalam novel by T. S. Pillai |
#509 Heer-Ranjha (q.v.) | not in ACK; one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab (Wiki/film/etc.; attrib. Lakshmi Lal) |
#510 Nildevi (q.v.) | not in ACK; "romance and chivalry of Rajput history"; Nil Devi? See details; attrib. Lakshmi Lal |
#511 Sassi Punno | not in ACK; one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab (Wiki) |
#512 Lavanyavati (q.v.) | not in ACK; (also Gunakar, both from Vetala Panchavimshati; online; compare later) |
#514 Chandraprabha (q.v.) | not in ACK; Chandra Prabha: a Vetala story; character in Deo Langkhui? (Wiki); probably not 8th Jain Tirthankar (Wiki) |
#515 Rupinika (q.v.) | not in ACK; a story in the Kathasaritsagara (further info) |
#516 Mastani (q.v.) | not in ACK; Wiki: Muslim wife/mistress of Baji Rao I |
#518 Mirza Sahibanh (q.v.) | not in ACK; one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab (Wiki) |
#519 Kandarpa (q.v.) | not in ACK; from the Kathasaritsagara (Kesata and Kandarpa, who wed Rupavati and Sumanas) |
#520 Chauladevi (q.v.) | not in ACK; Chaula Devi was dancer at the Somnath temple (14th century) |
Note that most of the CK scripts identified so far seem to have been either written or edited by Lakshmi Lal (search internet for other publications: example). As far as I can tell the earliest ACK script attributed to her was #126 Jataka Tales: Elephant Stories (1977; see the ACK issue dates). Since 1976 or 1977 seems to be the earliest date given at ACK as well as at CK for titles attributed to Lakshmi Lal, one might suspect that Lakshmi Lal was largely responsible for the Chaturang Katha series, that its issues were originally published between 1977 and 1980, and then some of them were incorporated into the ACK series in 1987 and perhaps 1988.
The above information comes from various internet searches. Inconsistencies such as in dating are as yet unresolved. Note that #505 has been described as a strange tale in which the heads of two people are interchanged (from Vetala Panchavimshati?), and #510 seems to be based on Bharatendu's play "Nil Devi" about "the scheming Muslim chief, the valiant Rajput king and his loyal wife, always prepared to follow him in death".
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14.
Amar Charitra Katha
As yet I have heard of only one title with this label:
Presumably this issue was done especially for an outside society: it comes with the following statement: "Script approved by the International Publications Council of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Sciety of India".
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15.
Other labels
From time to time I have come across other Indian classic comic labels. Although some, such as Chaturang Katha and
Amar Charitra Katha, seem to have had a connection to Amar Chitra Katha, others apparently did not. One of the most interesting of these is the Adarsh Chitra Katha series edited by " D. Kumar" and "published by Geeta Kumar for Argus Central Enterprises. 16, Golf Links, New Delhi-110003...." Of these I have only one, #7, Ahalya. Between 1980 and 1983 there were apparently 46 titles published, as follows:
The information here on issue names and numbers comes from the online copies, linked above. I do not know how many issues there were in all.
There are/were many other companies; most apparently did modern stories and/or translations of foreign comics, others mixed in some traditional Indian stories as well. Examples include:
Bharti received more attention that Bharati, but Bharati seems to have had more in common with ACK.
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16.
Amar Chitra Katha New Series
The new series begun by IBH in the early 1990s consists mostly of reissues on better paper, re-numbered beginning with #501 (Krishna). However, from #679 (1997) to #737 (2005) they also added five new titles (listed above). The last issue before its 2007 acquisition by ACK Media was #744 (reprinting #292 Chokha Mela). This made 244 new series individual issues in all (compare the Wikipedia
title list (updated 2011) and see my comment below on Issues in ACK numbering). Since then its seems that more have been re-issued, but apparently there was for a long time a limit on this due to the destruction in a 1994 fire of the artwork and negatives for many of the other original series issues (McLain, p.47).
My new series collection
As of 2014, issues I had from the new series (compare the
complete list) were of three types, listed here in three places. Most important for my collection then became issues from the old series for which I did not have the original. At that time, eight of these volumes missing from the new series had become available (the "availables"). Next were the newly written issues (there seemed to be five of these new series "additions"; I have four of them). Third were new series issues that duplicate issues I already had in the old series ("extras"). As of my
2022 update these numbers had changed but my collection had not.
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17. Ram Charit Manas (2007) (also published as "Tulsidas' Ramayana") | Cover (hardback) |
Ram Charit Manas combines five new volumes of 32 pages each, totalling 160 pages (compare the Ramacharit Manas of 1974):
Each of the five volumes has its own glossy title page, which could serve as a cover. However, I have not heard of these five actually having been released as separate issues.
Ramacharit Manas (1974) | In 2 volumes from Indrajal |
Indrajal comics
(Wiki)
Indrajal published over 800 issues between 1964 and 1990 (Wiki lists them). Its Ramacharit Manas was an outlier: although in 1976 it introduced a new series of stories about a modern Indian superhero named Bahadur (Wiki), its focus was almost exclusively on stories about such Western figures such as the Phantom (Wiki) and Flash Gordon. The creator of the ACK series, Anant Pai (Wiki), originally worked at Indrajal, then at H. G. Mirchandani's India Book House
(Wiki) he started Amar Chitra Katha to focus on traditional stories from India (details).
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18.
Future releases: 2009 update
One announcement for future releases was in a Business Standard
press release dated March 6, 2009; it mentioned such names as N R Narayana Murthy, Sachin Tendulkar, and APJ Abdul Kalam.
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19.
Updating the list of available ACK issues after the end of 2008
As mentioned above, as of the beginning of 2009 ACK issues were of two types: old series (#11 to #436, all out of print) and new series (#501 to #744). Although the latter should have amounted to 244 titles, it seems that only 242 were then in print: one new series reprint was droppped: #602, the Quick-Witted Birbal (q.v.); and one new series new title was never made available to the general public: #679, Swami Pranavananda (q.v.).
In May 2009, when I moved to Mumbai, I re-examined my New series listing and discovered that there were now eight new listings (all reprints from the original series), bringing this number to 250 (taking into account the two that were dropped). As of July 2010 the ACK new series had added only republications of old issues. Specifically, as the lists below show, beginning with a list for January 2009 (244 issues), updated May 2009 and again periodically after this (see latest), the number of reissues was increasing, though at least one or two had also been withdrawn. In addition, some further old issues had also been made available through various ACK special issues, such as the 42 comprising the Mahabharata series, the 9 from Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar, plus one or two others.
Since my own personal focus is finding original series
issues I am missing, listings from new series issues published since May 2009, in particular the Continuing updates, have been added largely at the request of and through the assistance of friends.
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20.
New titles beginning August 2010
ACK seems to be numbering some of these new titles totally out of sequence . The titles of which I am aware are listed under the new additions. The reason for skipping numbers for these new issues is not yet clear.
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21.
Issues in ACK numbering
Although since the beginning of 2009 ACK has continued to republish earlier issues, they seem to have a policy on their website of not including issue numbers (perhaps to hide the fact that the "complete collections" they periodically update are often missing some issues). In addition, they regularly change the web addresses of their lists, which in turn seem sometimes to be contradictory. Thus, the unnumbered alphabetical listing that the ACK website had in 2008, when I first created this page, had been changed early in 2009, and this in turn had disappeared by 2010. The new lists mainly reflect the increasing number of reprinted issues from the first series. To summarize:
In December 2008 the list of titles included the following statement:
There are total 439 titles of ACK, of which 242 are in print. This collection includes 242 ACK titles and 6 special issues as mentioned below.
By May 2009 this had been changed to:
There are total 439 titles of ACK, of which 255 are in print. This collection includes 248 ACK titles and 7 special issues (that webpage, now gone, actually included 250 ACK titles instead of 248).
As of July 2010 this read 439 titles, with 281 of them in print. The alphabetical listing of the collection available at that time said there were then "269 ACK titles and 11 special issues". There do indeed seem to be 269 ACK titles on that page, but compare the numbers on the list of latest updates, including the mention of dropped issues.
As for the consistent figure of 439 titles, it is not at all clear where this comes from. The possible components would seem to be:
As yet I have not been able make any combination of these numbers add up to 439, the closest being 438 if the Western fairy tales are not counted.
As for the other numbers in the above calculations, I have not yet worked out the figure "248". "242 in print" was discussed in the previous footnote. It would seem that this should mean that six more of the original 426 have since been reissued, but the lists do not give them numbers and, as mentioned, there are actually 250 titles on the May list.
Adding to the confusion, many online lists include six titles in the ACK March to Freedom series, but in fact none of the latter three of these was ever published. The following footnote has an outline of this matter.
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22.
March to Freedom Series
The left column below has the information one can find from some online sources about this series, but it is incorrect for #s 4, 5 and 6,. The source for this incorrect information seems to be notices in such places as on the back cover of issue #357 (May 15, 1986) as well as on reprints of issues #235 (April 1986) and #264 (March 1986). These all announced, "Amar Chitra Katha Presents the Epic of New India: The March to Freedom in 6 Volumes". They listed them as in the right column below, but added that all but the first were still "Under Preparation" (note publication dates).
(March to Freedom 1, #348; 1 Jan 1986) | Birth of the Indian National Congress |
(March to Freedom 2, #356; 1 May 1986) | A Nation Awakes |
(March to Freedom 3, #360; 1 Jul 1986) | The Saga of Indian Revolutionaries |
(March to Freedom 4; "#364" on some lists, but see above) | The Call for Swaraj (#414? See next paragraph) |
(March to Freedom 5; "#368" on some lists, but see above) | The Salt Satyagraha (#416? See next paragraph) |
(March to Freedom 6; "#372" on some lists, but see above) | The Tryst with Destiny |
The latter three issues are all included on many online lists, but in fact before publication some controversies about details arose and in the end they were never published, at least as such. According to Karline McClain (personal correspondence),
There was indeed some controversy over issues regarding Gandhi's role in the freedom struggle, which I discuss in chapter 6 of my book."
Perhaps because #2 and #3 were Issues 356 and 360 respectively, some people made the erroneous assumption that 4, 5 and 6 were published as 364, 368 and 372. Note also:
Meanwhile ACK new series includes a "special issue" called "Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation"; it consists of old series issues 414 and 416 (which itself had the same title).
23.
Wikipedia and other Amar Chitra Katha title lists
Another problem in keeping up to date on the latest issues is that stores that sell them rarely have any knowledge of which are the latest issues, and they are usually displayed in a no discernibly organized manner. Before leaving India in 2011 the only way I was able to get the latest issues was by going to their distribution center near Dhobi Gaut in Mumbai. (Mail order details.)
24.
Birbal issues in Amar Chitra Katha
It is not clear why #433, although one of the first of these to be re-issued (as #602), was subsequently apparently withdrawn and is still no longer available.
Appendix I
As of January 2009 ACK seemed to have published 244 reissues, numbered 501 to 744. I incorporated my list of them into this webpage as part of my preparation for moving from New York to Mumbai in May 2009 - to help me try to fill in my missing issues. During my two years in Mumbai (in August 2011 we moved to Singapore) I periodically added updates on issues added in (and occasionally deleted from) the new series, beginning when I first arrived in May 2009. Subsequent updates to this list have been assisted by friends kindly informing me of new issues coming out. (This is not helped by ACK's periodic changing of the web address of own lists of these issues, by their apparently sometimes changing issue numbers, by their often issuing them out of numerical order, or by the fact that they make no apparent effort to get the latest issues into bookstores. On the bright side, though, see the comment on the
Wikipedia list.)
May 2009 update
Continuing updates
The following, then, was list as of March 2014, shortly after we had settled in back in the US):
753 Tachcholi Othenan (#109)
825 Surjya Sen (new title, published November 2010)
2022 update (continued from
here)
After updating the list in early 2014, shortly after we had moved back to the USA, I tried briefly to keep up with changes in the list but they were very irregular and I then stopped indexing new ACK issues. In late 2022, however, in response to several queries from people who had noted that the Wikipedia list seemed to be out of date, I looked it up and noted that ACK itself was (still) not indexing things clearly. In fact both lists were either becoming increasingly out of date or were having trouble following whatever numbering system ACK itself was using. In sum, ACK is still re-publishing old titles and adding new ones (generally from modern times), but many of these do not seem to have numbers.
Of particular note, ACK now releases many issues digitally (website). Again, many of these seem either not numbered or not numbered clearly. It also seems that many new issues have not been digitized. The policy on this is not clear. Thus, since as yet I have not actually seen any of the new issues, the following listing is quite tentative and limited.
2023 update
The new numbered issues that apparently resumed (intermittently) in 2018 apparently first come out digitally. Perhaps the following are now in hard copy but I have not yet seen them, digital or otherwise. Apparently they include the following:
847 Paramahamsa Yogananda
(Wiki;
compare the 1982 version in Amar Charitra Katha; 2018)
What now follows are the names of some of the apparently new titles that are not numbered. These include:
New unnumbered issues that have multiple people perhaps include ones that are compilations from older issues as well as ones that are clearly new. Examples include:
New unnumbered issues for individuals include:
For a list of the old series issues that as of July 2011 had not yet been reissued see Appendix II.
top
After 2010 ACK reissued Old Series volumes, but often as bound sets rather than single issues (see also the Wiki list). Most notable of the bound sets are the Mahabharata and Bhagawat Purana collections listed at the bottom; perhaps these will never be reprinted as single issues.
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Issues in my personal collection were mainly acquired at shops around Connaught Place, New Delhi, through which I generally passed during my frequent visits to India from Hong Kong during the 1980s. Most of the missing issues are at the end of the original series, published in 1990 and 1991, during which time I did not travel there. By the time I went back to New Delhi in 1995 I could find only new series reprints of issues I already had.
In order to help in my effort to complete my collection I made a numerical list of issues for my personal use. Then, when I moved to Mumbai in May 2009, I thought I could use updated online lists to help me find the issues still missing from my collection. Since I could not find any that were reliable (including on ACK's own website), I decided to put my own list online, expanding it where necessary to clarify various matters.
While we were in Mumbai a friend, Ajay Misra, very kindly gave me several of these missing issues. As a result, of the 426 individual issues comprising the original series, by the time we left Mumbai in 2011 I was missing only 13. Of these I have found 11 from the new series, leaving 2 that I have seen only in .pdf form.
Regarding New series additions, I have most of these but
One missing ACK original series special edition available in the new series
(Return)
In December 2011 I was very glad to hear from Sumant Sankaran that he has updated and expanded the old Wikipedia title list; for many years it was very much out of date, with mistakes and even some apparent bogus references. Other lists have seemed to follow Wikipedia, so perhaps they too will now be updated. ACK's own website includes many of these titles, but for some unstated reason they do not seem to want to mention issue numbers, either for the original or new series.
(Return)
Birbal (1528–1586; Wiki), a Hindu advisor in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar, has the largest number of ACK issues with his name in the title; all are collections of anecdotes told about him: eight. These eight (with the titles of the stories they include) are:
1. The Thief's Stick; 2. The Oilman and the Butcher; 3. The Reliable Witness; 4. The Master and His Slave; 5. Birbal's Khichdi; 6. The Wicked Kazi;
7. The Mango Tree
1. The Wicked Barber; 2. Begum Reconciled; 3. The Dearest Object; 4. Birbal's Visit to Burma
1. The Ten Greatest Fools; 2. The Crows of Agra; 3. Birbal and the Shah of Persia; 4. The Seal; 5. Akbar the Great
1. The Punishment; 2. The Most Beautiful Child in Agra; 3. The Whim of a Child; 4. The Man Who Brought Ill Luck; 5. The Obediant Husband; 6. The Search for Birbal; 7. The Linguist; 8. The Greater Fool; 9. Those Who Cannot See)
1. A Potful of Wisdom; 2. The Emperor's Touch; 3. A Widow's Savings; 4. The Perfect Portrait; 5. Speak the Truth but Make It Pleasant; 6. The Holy Parrot)
1. How Akbar Met Birbal; 2. The Washerman and the Potter; 3. The Corrupt Official; 4. The Answer is No; 5. The Wise Answer
1. Pandit Gangaram; 2. And Curry of Course; 3. The Only Rooster; 4. Parting of Friends; 5. The Phases of the Moon; 6. Value of Waste; 7. The True Owner;
8. Limits of Loyalty; 9. And Off It Flew; 10. A Shared Dream
1. Yakin Shah; 2. The Wax Prince; 3. The Lime-Licking Servant; 4. Birbal Turns Detective; 5. Birbal's Dark Secret; 6. Akbar the Hunter; 7. Who is greater?; 8. The Field of Pearls
(Return)
New Series issues
(These continue to expand; see original series numbers not yet reprinted)
502 Hanuman (#19)
503 The Sons of Rama (#18)
504 Rama (#15)
505 The Gita (#127)
506 Shiva Parvati (#29)
507 Nala Damayanti (#16)
508 Chanakya (#21)
509 Ganesha (#89)
510 Buddha (#22)
511 Savitri (#14)
512 Tales of Vishnu (#160)
513 Hanuman to the Rescue (#254)
514 Tales of Durga (#176)
515 Ganga (#88)
516 Krishna and Rukmini (#112)
517 Vivekananda (#146)
518 Krishna and Jarasandha (#147)
519 Elephanta (#149)
520 Tales of Narada (#150)
521 Angulimala (#158)
522 Krishna and Narakasura (#167)
523 Raman of Tenali (#178)
524 Indra and Shibi (#180)
525 Tales of Arjuna (#198)
526 Mahiravana (#207)
527 Bheema and Hanuman (#214)
528 Kumbhakarna (#220)
529 Karttikeya (#252)
530 Shakuntala (#12)
531 Karna (#26)
532 Sudama (#31)
533 Abhimanyu (#35)
534 Bheeshma (#34)
535 Mirabai (#36)
536 Ashoka (#37)
537 Prahlad (#38)
538 The Churning of the Ocean (#273)
539 Rani of Jhansi (#51)
540 Panchatantra: The Jackal and the Wardrum
(#39)
541 The Lord of Lanka (#67)
542 Draupadi (#72)
543 Jataka Tales: Monkey Stories (#45)
544 Subhas Chandra Bose (#77)
545 Birbal the Wise (#131)
546 Vali (#101)
547 Garuda (#130)
548 Rabindranath Tagore (#136)
549 Tales of Shiva (#164)
550 Sati and Shiva (#111)
551 Tulsidas (#62)
552 Tansen (#75)
553 Jataka Tales: Jackal Stories (#195)
554 Jataka Tales: Elephant Stories (#126)
555 Jataka Tales: Deer Stories (#79)
556 Hitopadesha: Choice of Friends (#91)
557 Birbal the Witty (#152)
558 Birbal the Clever (#210)
559 Birbal the Just (#87)
560 Panchatantra: How the Jackel ate the Elephant
(#163)
561 Panchatantra: Crows and Owls (#242)
562 Panchatantra: The Brahmin and the Goat
(#138)
563 Rana Pratap (#24)
564 Shivaji (#23)
565 Drona (#57)
566 Surya (#58)
567 Indra and Shachi (#71)
568 Vikramaditya (#28)
569 Malavika (#103)
570 Dasharatha (#105)
571 Dhruva and Ashtavakra (#117)
572 Ancestors of Rama (#122)
573 Jataka Tales: Bird Stories (#279)
574 Jataka Tales: The Magic Chant (#218)
575 Jataka Tales: The Giant and the Dwarf
(#246)
576 Jataka Tales: The Mouse Merchant
(#269)
577 Harishchandra (#17)
578 Kesari the Flying Thief (#274)
579 Madhwacharya (#153 Madhvacharya)
580 Birbal the Inimitable (#420 Inimitable Birbal)
581 Raman the Matchless Wit (#226)
582 Mahabharata (#20)
583 Panchatantra: The Greedy Mother-in-law
(#372)
584 Gopal the Jester (#237)
585 Panchatantra: The Dullard and Other Stories (#233)
586 Guru Gobind Singh (#32)
587 Jataka Tales: Stories of Wisdom
(#247)
588 Birbal the Genius (#332)
589 Krishna and Shishupala (#177)
590 Guru Nanak (#47)
591 The Symantaka Gem (#81)
592 Ghatotkacha (#61)
593 The Pandavas in Hiding (#244)
594 Mahavira (#82)
595 Sri Ramakrishna (#260)
596 Raja Bhoja (#113)
597 Tales of Shivaji (#268)
598 Vikramaditya's Throne (#83)
599 Vishwamitra (#80)
600 Kalidasa (#202)
601 Tales of Sai Baba (#225)
The Quick Witted Birbal
(withdrawn; was
original series #433)
603 Akbar (#200)
604 Prithviraj Chauhan (#25)
605 Padmini (#44)
606 Rani Durgavati (#104)
607 A Bag of Gold Coins (#143)
608 Bhagat Singh (#243)
609 Friends and Foes: Animal Tales From The Mahabharata
(#238)
610 Ravana Humbled (#305)
611 Babasaheb Ambedkar (#188)
612 Urvashi (#59)
613 Soordas (#137)
614 Jataka Tales: True Friends (#426)
615 Jataka Tales: Stories of Courage
616 Jataka Tales: Tales of Misers (#277)
617 Jataka Tale: The Hidden Treasure
(#264)
618 Birbal to the Rescue (#228)
619 Jataka Tales: Nandivishala (#224)
620 Hitopadesha: How Friends are parted
(#185)
621 Udayana (#125)
622 The Tiger and the Woodpecker (#159)
623 Kabir (#55)
624 Dayananda (#120)
625 Battle of Wits (#342)
626 The Pandava Princes (#13)
627 Harsha (#33)
628 Ramana Maharshi (#290)
629 Uloopi (#52)
630 Rana Sanga (#106)
631 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (#90)
632 Vidyasagar (#108)
633 Tales of Maryada Rama (#133)
634 Chandragupta Maurya (#154)
635 Amrapali (and Upagupta, #161)
636 Krishnadeva Raya (#151)
637 Yayati (#162)
638 King Shalivahana (#165)
639 Krishna and the False Vasudeva (#172)
640 Paurava and Alexander (#179)
641 Gopal and the Cowherd (#194)
642 Shah Jahan (#204)
643 Ratnavali (#205)
644 Gandhari (#209)
645 Lokamanya Tilak (#219)
646 The Pandit and the Milkmaid (#267)
647 Lal Bahadur Shastri (#271)
648 Samudra Gupta (#323)
649 Tales from the Upanishads (#392)
650 Mahatma Gandhi, The Early Days (#414; NB: 416 not reissued)
651 The Adventures of Baddu and Chhotu
(#251)
652 Aruni and Uttanka (#184)
653 Jayadratha (#203)
654 Tales of Balarama (#312)
655 Anand Math (#86)
656 Adi Shankara (#60)
657 Vasantasena (#70)
658 Jahangir (#221)
659 Devi Choudhurani (#135)
660 Ajatashatru (#401)
661 Kacha and Devayani (#27 Kacha)
662 The Learned Pandit (#249)
663 Aniruddha (#65)
664 King Kusha (#118)
665 The Deadly Feast (#400)
666 Kannagi (#93)
667 Bikal the Terrible (#288)
668 The Acrobat and Other Buddhist Tales
(#314)
669 Ashwini Kumar (#319 Ashwins to the Rescue)
670 The Golden Mongoose (#253)
671 The Cowherd of Alawi (#318)
672 The Priceless Gem (#362)
673 Ayyappan (#85)
674 Vasavadatta (#30)
675 Mangal Pande (#334)
676 Rana Kumbha (#183)
677 The Magic Grove (#168)
678 Veer Savarkar (#309)
Swami Pranavananda
(not in original series; never made available to the general public)
680 Fa-Hien (#386)
681 Amar Singh Rathor (#171)
682 Tanaji (#40; later re-issued as special film edition "Tanhaji, the Unsung Warrior")
683 Bahubali (#231)
684 Lachit Barphukan (#169)
685 Chand Bibi (#54)
686 Chandra Shekhar Azad (#142)
687 Panna and Hadi Rani (#215)
688 Bimbisara (#278)
689 Tripura (#301)
690 The Legend Of Lalitaditya (#338)
691 Hiuen Tsang (#390)
692 Veer Hammir (#128)
693 Jayaprakash Narayan (#206)
694 Guru Tegh Bahadur (#114)
695 Nahusha (#324)
696 The Historic City of Delhi (#300)
697 Chandrahasa (#97)
698 Ram Shastri (#50)
699 Jagadis Chandra Bose (#325)
700 Jawaharlal Nehru (#436)
701 Noor Jahan (#148)
702 Nachiketa and other stories (#201)
703 Tales of Yudhisthira (#174)
704 Jallianwala Bagh (#358)
705 Bappa Rawal (#84)
706 Sakshi Gopal (#92)
707 The Tiger-Eater (#270)
708 Subramania Bharati (#275)
709 Jagannatha of Puri (#283)
710 The Fearless Boy and other Buddhist Tales
(#336)
711 The Celestial Necklace (#211)
712 Andhaka (#308)
713 The Fool's Disciples (#261)
714 The Queen's Necklace (#257)
715 Ramanuja (#243)
716 The Adventures of Agad Datta (#235)
717 Baladitya and Yashodharma (#223)
718 Basaveshwara (#212)
719 Chandralalat (#199)
720 Kapala Kundala (#193)
721 Rash Behari Bose (#262)
722 Megasthenes (#384)
723 Jnaneshwar (#155)
724 Bagha Jatin (#156)
725 Sultana Razia (#110)
726 Ranjit Singh (#49)
727 Raja Raja Chola (#119)
728 Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das (#344)
729 Baji Rao (#53)
730 Shrenik - Jain Tales (#322)
731 Ellora Caves (#396 The Glory of the Rashtrakootas)
732 Swami Chinmayananda
(not in original series)
733 Ghanshyamdas Birla (#382 G. D. Birla)
734 Banda Bahadur (#43)
735 J.R.D. Tata (not in original series)
736 Kalpana Chawla
(not in original series)
737 Jamsetji Tata (not in original series)
738 Zarathushtra (#66)
739 Durgadas (#64)
740 Guru Arjan (#295)
741 Tipu Sultan (#187)
742 Shankar Dev (#229)
743 The Prince and The Magician (#263)
744 Chokha Mela (#292)
745 Tapati (#327)
746 Sher Shah (#56)
747 Sea Route to India (#354)
748 Rani of Kittur (#166)
749 Velu Thampi (#213)
750 Rani Abbakka (#216)
751 Kunwar Singh (#311)
752 Beni Madho and Pir Ali (Glimpses of 1857) (#293)
From about January to May 2009 ACK came out with issues
745 to 752, all from the original series. However, it also withdrew two (#602 and #679). Thus, 250 new series single issues were available as of May 2009 .
Between May 2009 to August 2011, while we were in Mumbai, the list continued to expand. This became particularly rapid after mid-2010 but subsequently seemed slow down. Then from August 2011 to October 2013, while we were in Singapore but periodically returning from there to Mumbai, I still was able regularly to update my collection starting with #753. However, after we returned to the US at the end of 2013 I became dependent on friends to keep me up to date on new issues. Meanwhile the list had became somewhat disjointed as issue numbers often appeared out of chronologicial sequence. This was particularly true of the new titles that started to come out beginning with #800 (see further comment).
754 Vidyut Chora (#330)
755 Indra and Vritra (#170)
756 Roopmati (#412)
757 Babur (#134)
758 Subhadra (#73)
759 Sukanya (#63)
760 Pradyumna (April 2010; #107)
761 Prabhavati (March 2010; #141)
762 Pareekshit (#115)
763 Agastya (#69)
764 Parashurama (#42)
765 Hemu (#230)
766 Bhanumati (February 2010; #145)
767 The Parijata Tree (#316)
768 Purushottam Dev and Padmavati (#100)
769 Valmiki (#46)
770 Sambhaji (#250)
771 The Pious Cat and other tales from Rajasthan
(#287)
772 The Pig and the Dog and other Animal Tales From Arunachal Pradesh (#276)
773 Ahilyabhai Holkar (April 2010; #74)
774 Hari Singh Nalwari (#175)
775 Bidhi Chand (#248)
776 Dhola and Maru (#302)
777 Albert Einstein (#284)
778 Pierre and Marie Curie (#435)
779 Jasma of the Odes (#95)
780 Kanwal and Kehar - a Legend from Rajasthan
(#410)
781 Hothal (#196)
782 Sahasramalla (#240)
783 The Bridegroom's Ring (#307)
784 The Rainbow Prince (#197)
785 Thugsen (#189)
786 The March to Freedom 2: A Nation Awakes
(#356)
787 Balban (#241)
788 Dara Shukoh And Aurangazeb (#232; as of Feb 2012 only in bound set)
789 Humayun (#140; as of Feb 2012 only in bound set)
790 Ekanath (#123; as of Feb 2012 only in bound set)
791 Guru Har Gobind (#181; as of Feb 2012 only in bound set)
792 Narayan Guru (#403 Narayana Guru)
793 Chennamma of Keladi (#398)
794 Kochunni (#173)
795 Hakka and Bukka (Founders of the Vijayanagara Empire)
(#239)
796 The King in a Parrot's Body (#191)
797 The Prophecy (#291)
798 The Lost Prince (#297)
799 The Silent Teacher (#299)
800 Mother Teresa (new title, published August 2010; numbers skipped)
801 (? Originally assigned the title Tales of Ganesha, but never released; instead they did #830 Ganesha and the Moon)
802 Andher Nagari (#272)
803 Manduka, the Lucky Astrologer (#266)
804 The Miraculous Conch (#259)
805 The Golden Sand (#315)
806 The Clever Dancer (#424; new subtitle: A Battle of Wits)
807 The Green Demon (#321)
808 The Mystery of the Missing Gifts
(#255)
809 The Secret of the Talking Bird (#258)
810 Sundari (#76)
811 Sharan Kaur (#96)
812 Satwant Kaur (#124)
813 Marthanda Varma (#346)
814 Kadambari (#116)
815 Veer Dhaval (#121)
816 The Elusive Kaka (#289)
817 Sukhu and Dukhu (October 2010; #217)
818 Shantala (October 2010; #313)
819 Prince Jivaka #405)
820 Kumanan (October 2010; #280)
821 Adventures of Pratapan (October 2010;
#352)
822 Manonmani (#157)
823 Raj Singh (October 2010; #99)
824 Durgesh Nandini (October 2010; #294)
826 Heroes of Hampi (new title)
827 Tales of Indra (new title?)
828 Tirupati (new title)
829 Vaishno Devi (new title)
830 Ganesha and the Moon (new title)
831 Tenzing Norgay (new title)
832 Songs of Creation (new title)
833 Konark (new title)
834 Anant Pai (new title)
835 Salim Ali (new title)
836 Thanjavur (new title)
837 The Blue Umbrella (new title)
838 Jim Corbett (new title)
839 Kubera (new title)
840 Saraswati (new title)
841 M S Subbulakshmi (new title)
842 Srinivasa Ramanujam (new title)
843 The Unhappy Tiger
(Stories from the Hitopadesha; new title? Compare
#91 & #185)
844 Amba (new title)
845 Verghese Kurien (new title)
846 Two Oxen (Stories by Munshi Premchand; new title, issued February 2014)
848 Vikram Sarabhai - Pioneering India's Space Programme
(Wiki;
digital; 2020)
849 Manik Prabhu - A Rare Spiritual Gem
(Wiki;
digital; 2021)
850 Meherbai Tata
(Lady Tata, wife of Dorabji Tata:
Wiki;
digital; 2021)
854 Ardeshir and Pirojsha Godrej: Pioneers of Progress
(Wiki;
digital; 2022)
856 Naval Godreg
(Wiki;
digital)
858 A Day at the Museum (2023?)
Appendix II
Old Series issues that have not been re-released in the New Series as single issues
(After July 2011 these updates may be incomplete)
Compare New Series numbers; search
ACK
Withdrawn?
041. Chhatrasal
048. Tarabai
068. Tukaram
(but in a new 3-in-1, #10057 Poet-Saints of India) 078. Shridatta
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1035 Stories from the Kathasaritasagara) 094. Narsinh Mehta
(but a the new 3-in-1, #10057 Poet-Saints of India) 098. Pundalik (and Sakhu [Sukh-Bai])
102. Nagananda
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1036 Kadambari and other ancient classics) 123. Ekanath
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1027 Poets and Thinkers) 129. Malati and Madhava
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1036 Kadambari and other ancient classics) 132. Ranak Devi
139. Prince Hritadhwaja
(but in a new 3-in-1, #10051 Tales From The Puranas) 140. Humayun
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1031 Great Mughals) 144. Purandara Dasa
181. Guru Har Gobind
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1021 Famous Sikh Gurus) 182. The Battle for Srinagar
186. Tiruppan (and Kanakadasa)
190. Kannappa
192. Ranadhira
208. Jayadeva
222. Samarth Ramdas
227. Sadhu Vaswani
232. Dara Shukoh & Aurangzeb
(but in a new 3-in-1, #10050 The Mughal Court) 236. Bahman Shah
245. Tyagaraja
(but in a new 3-in-1, #10057 Poet-Saints of India) 256. Sakhi Sarwar
265. Echchama the Brave
281. Shunahshepa
282. The Taming of Gulla
(but in a new bound set Great Indian Classics) 285. Joymati
286. Thanedar Hasan Askari
296. Mahamati Prannath
298. Damaji Pant (and Narhari)
303. Senapati Bapat
304. Doctor Kotnis in China
306. The Story of a Scientist
310. The True Conqueror
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1037 The Fearless Boy and Other Buddhist Stories) 317. Annapati Suyya
320. Chandrapeeda
326. Tales of Avvaiyaar
328. Rajbala (and Ajit Singh)
(plus "Bir Singh and Sunderbai") 340. The Making of a Swordsman
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1037 The Fearless Boy and Other Buddhist Stories) 348. March to Freedom 1
("Birth of the Indian National Congress"; incorporated into
The Story of the Freedom Struggle) 350. Guru Ravidas
360. March to Freedom 3
("The Saga of Indian Revolutionaries"; incorporated into The Story of the Freedom Struggle) 364. Khudiram Bose
366. Patali Putra
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1035 Stories from the Kathasaritasagara) 368. The Nawab's Dream
370. Raja Desing
374. Hamsavali
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1035 Stories from the Kathasaritasagara) 376. Lila & Chanesar
378. Shringabhuja
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1035 Stories from the Kathasaritasagara) 380. Padmavati
388. Sundarasena
394. Pulakeshi II
407. Kohinoor
(but in a new 3-in-1, #10050 The Mughal Court) 414. Mahatma Gandhi
("The early days", with #416 as a Special Issue; see also March to Freedom series) 416. Mahatma Gandhi
("The father of the nation", with #414) 418. The French Revolution
422. Louis Pasteur (and Marie)
428. Napoleon Bonaparte
430. An Exciting Find
(re-issued in 2012 not as a single but as part of a new 2-in-1 special issue titled as next) 432. The Indus Valley Adventure
(re-issued in 2012 not as a single but together with #430 as a new 2-in-1 special issue) 433. The Quick Witted Birbal
(was new #602, but withdrawn) 434. The Chosen Bridegroom
(but in a new 5-in-1, #1035 Stories from the Kathasaritasagara)
Mahabarata and Bhagawat Purana:
(these will probably not be reissued separately)
329. Veda Vyasa
"Mahabharata-1" (see under Special Issues, 1989) 331. Bheeshma's Vow
"Mahabharata-2" 333. The Advent of the Kuru Princes
"Mahabharata-3" 335. The Pandavas at Hastinapura
"Mahabharata-4"
337. Enter Drona
"Mahabharata-5" 339. Enter Karna
"Mahabharata-6" 341. The Conspiracy
"Mahabharata-7" 343. The Escape
"Mahabharata-8" 345. Birth of Ghatotkacha
"Mahabharata-9" 347. The Pandavas at Ekachakra
"Mahabharata-10" 349. Enter Draupadi
"Mahabharata-11" 351. Draupadi's Swayamvara
"Mahabharata-12" 353. The Pandavas recalled to Hastinapura
"Mahabharata-13" 355. Arjuna's 12-year Exile
"Mahabharata-14" 357. A Hall for Yudhishthira
"Mahabharata-15" 359. The Pandavas conquer the world
"Mahabharata-16" 361. Yudhishthira's Rajasooya Yajna
"Mahabharata-17" 363. Indraprastha Lost
"Mahabharata-18" 365. Pandavas in the Forest
"Mahabharata-19" 367. Arjuna's quest for weapons
"Mahabharata-20" 369. Arjuna in Indraloka
"Mahabharata-21" 371. The Reunion
"Mahabharata-22" 373. Duryodhana Humbled
"Mahabharata-23" 375. The Twelfth Year
"Mahabharata-24" 377. The Pandavas at Virata's Palace
"Mahabharata-25" 379. Panic in the Kaurava Camp
"Mahabharata-26" 381. Sanjaya's Mission
"Mahabharata-27" 383. Duryodhana Refuses to Yield
"Mahabharata-28" 385. Krishna's Peace Mission
"Mahabharata-29" 387. The War Begins
"Mahabharata-30" 389. Bheeshma in Command
"Mahabharata-31" 391. The Fall of Bheeshma
"Mahabharata-32" 393. Drona's Vow
"Mahabharata-33" 395. The Slaying of Abhimanyu
"Mahabharata-34" 397. Arjuna Fulfils his Vow
"Mahabharata-35" 399. The Battle at Midnight
"Mahabharata-36" 402. Karna in Command
"Mahabharata-37" 404. The Kurus Routed
"Mahabharata-38" 406. After the War
"Mahabharata-39" 408. Yudhishthira's Coronation
"Mahabharata-40" 409. The Ashwamedha Yajna
"Mahabharata-41" 411. The Celestial Reunion
"Mahabharata-42" 413. Krishna, the Darling of Gokul
Bhagawat Purana-1 (see Bhagawat, The Krishna Avatar, 2000) 415. Krishna, the Subduer of Kalia
Bhagawat Purana-2 417. Krishna, the Upholder of Govardhana
Bhagawat Purana-3 419. Krishna: Victory over Kamsa
Bhagawat Purana-4 421. Krishna, Lord of Dwaraka
Bhagawat Purana-5 423. Krishna, the Enchanter
Bhagawat Purana-6 425. Krishna, the Victorious
Bhagawat Purana-7 427. Krishna, Ally of the Pandavas
Bhagawat Purana-8 429. Krishna, the Saviour
Bhagawat Purana-9
The following were once listed as part of the new series but seem to have been withdrawn:
602 The Quick Witted Birbal (original series 433)
679 Swami Pranavananda (apparently it was especially made for his followers and never made available to the general public)
Appendix III
Issues missing from my Amar Chitra Katha collection
(Advice on how I might complete the collection would be much appreciated.)
S#2. Valmiki's Ramayana | (I have the new series #10001 reissue) |
Eleven missing original series ACK titles available in the new series
84. Bappa Rawal. | (I have the reissue, new series 705) |
421. Krishna, Lord of Dwaraka | (I have the reissue in Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar) |
423. Krishna, The Enchanter | (I have the reissue in Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar) |
424. The Clever Dancer | (I have the reissue, new series #806) |
426. Jataka Tales, True Friends | (I have the reissue, new series 614) |
427. Krishna, Ally of the Pandavas | (I have the reissue in Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar) |
429. Krishna the Saviour | (I have the reissue in Bhagawat - The Krishna Avatar) |
430. An Exciting Find | (I have the reissue in a new series special issue) |
431. Jataka Tales, Stories of Courage | (I have the reissue, new series 615) |
435. Pierre and Marie Curie | (I have the reissue, new series 778) |
436. Jawaharlal Nehru | (I have the reissue, new series 700) |
Two missing original series ACK with titles not yet available in the new series
433. The Quick Witted Birbal | (reissued as new series 602, but then apparently dropped; I have only a .pdf copy) |
434. The Chosen Bridegroom | (In new series issued only as part of the "5-in-1" Stories from the Kathasaritasagara; I have only a .pdf copy) |
Missing new issues from the ACK new series
679. Swami Pranavananda | (English version never made available to the general public) |
840. Saraswati | |
844. Amba |
Other issues for which I am looking
In addition to getting some Chaturang Katha and English Golden Fairy Tale issues, I would like to replace several of my issues that are damaged. Worst is #428 Napoleon Bonaparte, which is missing its cover; in addition, covers to several issues have become detached, including those for
Karna,
Vali,
Nachiteka and
Jayadratha.
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This final list has extra issues in my collection that may be available for trade. These are divided into Original Series and New Series extras.
Appendix IV
Extras in my Amar Chitra Katha collection (compare
"Missing")
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Appendix V
Lord Ganesha Plays his Stringless Qin Zither
象頭神迦尼薩彈無絃琴
Ganesha (Wiki [中文]; ACK issues #89 and #830), Remover of Obstacles and Patron of the Arts, is also the deity of intellect and wisdom. The rat represents greed; being underneath shows he is under control (the rat is also Ganesha's vehicle, once again under control). Ganesh in his upper left hand holds a lotus, representing floating above worldly attachments; in his upper right hand he holds a conch shell, its sound representing that of the cosmic universe. Ganesh is often depicted playing (or holding) a veena, representing art and learning.
Here Ganesha plays a qin zither (guqin) with no strings. A Chinese tradition says that the qin represents nature's melody, and thus when in nature no strings are required. A typical Chinese image would be that on this fan painting, with more detail outlined here.
Return to the top or to the Guqin ToC