Amar Chitra Katha’s next comic to celebrate the aviation achievements of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

Fans of India’s popular comic book series, Amar Chitra Katha (ACK), may be surprised by the hero in the new title launching next month – Bengaluru-based aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). ACK was commissioned by HAL, known for bringing gods, kings and national icons to life, to tell its story – HAL: The Force Behind the Forces, as part of a larger awareness campaign, people familiar with the matter said.

“Generations of Indians have grown up on ACK comics, which still have a cult following. HAL is India’s aviation story, and we hope it will now reach out and captivate a new generation of readers,” said one of the people cited above.

The comic book tells the complete story of HAL’s 86-year journey and its pivotal role in shaping Indian aviation, from the assembly of its first aircraft, the American Harlow PC-5A, to the development of the first indigenous fighter, the HF-24 Marut, and the manufacturing of aircraft like the MiG-21 and Sukhoi-30 in India.

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last ruling Maharaja of Mysore, also appears on the cover for his role in founding HAL – where he donated and invested 700 acres of prime land $25 lakh in industrialist Walchand Hirachand’s vision of setting up an aircraft company, at a time when other princely states refused to support the proposal.

“He (Walchand Hirachand) dared to dream of an aircraft factory in India when we did not even have a bicycle factory,” a bespectacled Rao told them at the start of the museum tour. It also introduces students to American businessman William Pauley, whom Hirachand met on a transcontinental trip and who later helped establish HAL.

The storyboard said that the maiden flight of the Harlow PC-5A trainer on July 29, 1941 was the first time a made-in-India aircraft had taken to the skies. The Pauley team taught HAL workers how to build American Harlow coaches to exacting standards.

“By the 1960s, India wanted more than just licensed jets. With German designer Kurt Tank and the HAL team, the HF-24 Marut, India’s first jet aircraft, was designed.”

The comic touches on HAL’s newer generation platforms. HAL engineers spent years testing the Prachand LCH in hot deserts and icy mountains to ensure it could fight and survive where other helicopters struggled, the comic notes. It adds that its blades, motors and systems can handle thin air and cold, sudden winds.

“The Dhruv, LCH and LUH (Light Utility Helicopters) give India its own family of helicopters – from rescue and transport to combat in the mountains,” says Rao, in response to a stream of children’s questions.

The comic highlights the drive towards localization, citing LCA as a milestone. “Tejas has flown at global stages like the air shows in Dubai and Farnborough, along with the world’s best fighters and helicopters. The world now knows that Indian aircraft are not just copies, they are innovations,” says Rao.

“See this? This is the Gaganyaan crew module. This will help take Indian astronauts into space safely,” Sapna, an engineer from HAL’s space division, tells the students. “When the Indian astronauts launch, they will board a spacecraft with structures, tanks and systems built by HAL engineers,” the comic adds.

This is not the first time ACK has ventured into telling the stories of organizations and modern-day heroes. In 2018, the comic book published the story of Amul and the man behind India’s milk revolution, Dr. Verghese Kurien. A year later, the Tata family also released a special comic book about its 150-year history. While the commissioned books are not as widely available as regular comics, the Tatas book for example has been a collector’s item.