Spice trail: Raja of Jungle arriving with an NRI twist
Well-known Indian artist and author Balraj Khanna’s ‘Raja of Jungle’ is all set to be made into an animated series and according to the author, “the series is basically meant to tell about Indian values to NRI kids.”
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: Fed on a diet of Johny Bravo, Dexter, Popeye and Mickey Mouse for long, Indians kids now have something from their own land to watch in animation.
Well-known Indian artist and author Balraj Khanna’s ‘Raja of Jungle’ is all set to be made into an animated series and according to the author, “the series is basically meant to tell about Indian values to NRI kids.”
“It would be screened in India also,” Khanna, who is here for an art exhibition, said. The series which has been conceptualised as a UK-US-India venture will later be made into several other languages and dialects. But, the artist wants it to be released here in Hindi with a distinctive Indian flavour.
‘Raja of Jungle’ is a compilation of 11 inter-linked stories with 20 major characters. The story revolves around the lives of different animals living in the dark jungles.
Asked if the story will remind the kids of “Mawgli”, the animated hero of the Kipling story, Khanna said his story is not merely the story of the animals that live in the forest, but it is about the Indian values and family bonds. “The book that I wrote was basically to familiarise children with Indian ethos.”
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The author has penned some books on art and novels as well. His “Nation of Fools” was a satire on the father-son relationship in an Indian family. For Balraj, literature was the first love even though it was art that won him more honours. “I lived my life like a passionate eccentric who never dreaded any challenges. I simply followed my heart, irrespective of odds in life,” he said.
Khanna was born in undivided Punjab and at a young age he moved to London to pursue art. It was difficult for the 66-year-old painter to forget his home in India and he felt alienated when he first came to London 25 years ago. “I always recalled my house, toys and friends,“ he reminicenced.
However, Balraj always felt drawn to his first love of writing. “My life seemed to be maddening. I would spend hours painting and still save time to write,“ he says. He wanted to write for the Indian children in London and tell them about the cultural richness of India.
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