Dr Parul Sood addressed a Panel Discussion in the CBAM Summit

Dr. Parul Sood, Associate Professor and Academic Coordinator, Chitkara College of Education, Chitkara University, Punjab shared her valuable insights in a panel discussion on the topic ‘Teaching the Comic Way’ during the Comic Books and More Summit and Awards on April 9th, 2021. She talked about how comic books could be employed as a pedagogical tool in the classrooms. The CBAM summit saw an eclectic gathering of stalwarts like Aniruddho Chakraborty – Founder, Chariot Comics, Abhijeet Kini- Founder, Abhijeet Kini Studios and Karan Vir Arora – CEO/Publisher and Editor-in-chief, Vimanika Comics, Sanjana Kapur – Associate Editor, Amar Chitra Katha, Saumin Suresh Patel – Chief Design Officer & Artist, Indusverse and Charbak Dipta, Illustrator & Graphic Novelist. Mr. Dipta talked about tips and tricks of weaving the world of comics.

The session casted a fresh look at the models and case studies that could help sustain it in the long run. The Summit brought together the stakeholders of the industry under one roof, right from the comic creators, merchandisers to the publishers to discuss the scope, challenges faced and different ways to leverage the Indian comic industry. The Summit’s key themes were Web Comics, Digital Comics, Comic Adaptations, Merchandising and Cosplay. It was a four days long event. Day 1 was dedicated to Comic Industry Fiesta, Day 2 for Wormhole of Art, Business and Everything in Between, Day 3 was the day when valuable tips were unleashed for aspiring artists and comic book writers and Day 4 was dedicated to the CBAM Awards. The session on the Topic- ‘Cracking the World of Comics’ was headed by Ram Venkatesan, an Award-winning Author, Anil Wanvari, Founder, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, AnimationXpress.com. The session on the topic ‘The Art of Storytelling – Tips & tricks to sustain in comic world’ was addressed by Abhijeet Kini- Founder, Abhijeet Kini Studios and Karan Vir Arora – CEO/Publisher and Editor-in-chief, Vimanika Comics, Sanjana Kapur – Associate Editor, Amar Chitra Katha, Saumin Suresh Patel – Chief Design Officer & Artist, Indusverse and Charbak Dipta, Illustrator & Graphic Novelist. The session on the topic ‘Creativity in Online Education’ was headed by Rajiv Malik, Senior Director, Wacom India.

Many Comics have been successfully used as a pedagogical tool and further enriched for educational purposes. Comics as an educational tool can enhance critical thinking and have the ability to motivate the students. The combination of engaging pictures and text along with a strong storyline can improve learning. Comics can be leveraged in the education by the teachers to develop thought-provoking content, wherein, students can create Comics to develop creative thinking, critical thinking, communication skills and literacy development. Comic books are a saviour for many, an escape from reality for some and to a travel buddy and even a stressbuster to others. The comic/webtoon/manga industry has been embraced with open arms and is thriving in countries like US, South Korea, Japan. India is a nation where comics have been available for a long time, but the industry and its talented artists are yet to attain their rightful places under the sun.