''Deepak Chopra's India Authentic'' is a series of one-shot comic books from Virgin Comics which re-tell the iconic myths and legends of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

for a global audience. The series has been created by

Deepak Chopra Deepak Chopra (; ; born October 22, 1946) is an Indian-American author and alternative medicine advocate. A prominent figure in the New Age movement, his books and videos have made him one of the best-known and wealthiest figures in alternati ...

(with

Saurav Mohapatra Saurav Mohapatra is a filmmaker and writer based out of San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco, California, USA. His comic book work includes the ''Devi (comics), Devi'' (#11 onwards), ''The Sadhu'' : "The Silent Ones (miniseries), The Silent One ...

),India Authentic vol 1. TPB Cover Image on amazon.com
/ref> who also presents the foreword for each issue. The first five issues were collected as the 'Book of Shiva'. The next will likely be collected as a 'Book of Vishnu'.

Credits

The series is the creation of Deepak Chopra and is written by

. This features art by many of Virgin Comics' artists like Abhishek Singh ( Ramayan 3392 A.D.), Satish Tayade ( Kama Sutra) and others.

Plot summary

Issue #1: Ganesha

The first issue recounts the story of the birth of

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

, son of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, who gave up his life for a promise made to his mother, Uma.

Issue #2: Kali

The second issue recounts the story of the awakening of

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

, an unstoppable destroyer, who was summoned by the gods to battle a demonic army.

Issue #3: Indra

The third issue recounts the story of the battle between

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

, king of the heavens, and the serpent demon

Vritra Vritra () is a danava in Hinduism. He serves as the personification of drought, and is an adversary of the king of the devas, Indra. As a danava, he belongs to the race of the asuras. Vritra is also known in the Vedas as Ahi (Sanskrit: ', li ...

Issue #4: Uma

The fourth issue recounts the story of Uma and her quest to win the heart of

Issue #5: Shiva

This issue tells the story of

, the destroyer, and the churning of the primordial ocean.

Issue #6: Vishnu (Narasimha Avatara)

This issue tells the story of

Narasimha Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...

, the fourth incarnation of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

, who defended the people of Earth against a demon overlord.

Issue #7: Yama

This issue tells the story of

Yama Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities ...

, the lord of death, who rules over the underworld

Naraka Naraka ( sa, नरक) is the realm of hell in Indian religions. According to some schools of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism, ''Naraka'' is a place of torment. The word ''Neraka'' (modification of ''Naraka'') in Indonesian and Malaysia ...

Issue #8: Garuda

This issue tells the story of

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...

, the mighty

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

-headed god, the

Avian Avian may refer to: *Birds or Aves, winged animals *Avian (given name) (russian: Авиа́н, link=no), a male forename Aviation *Avro Avian, a series of light aircraft made by Avro in the 1920s and 1930s *Avian Limited, a hang glider manufacture ...

warrior.

Issue #9: Kartikkeya

This issue tells the story of Kartikkeya, also called

Murugan Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...

, the son of

and Uma

Issue #10: Parshuram

This issue tells the story of

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will appear ...

Bhargava, and his vendetta against the kings.

Issue #11: Hanuman

from the pages of

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

, the story of the mighty warrior

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

Issue #12: Andhaka

Issue #13: Lakshmi

Issue #14: Saraswati

Issue #15: Krishna

Issue #16: The Saffron Princess

Created by: Deepak Chopra Written by: Yogesh Chandekar Art & Cover by: Virgin Studios When Prince Gulfaam rescues a huge, feral black panther, little does he know that he's on the brink of an unseen world where animals talk and a forgotten kingdom lies hidden deep in the woods. And it is here that fate will bring him face to face with the love of his life - the fabled 'Saffron Princess'. But what is love without a little peril? Ror the Saffron Princess has fallen prey to the evil schemes of a seasoned crook. And it is now up to Prince Gulfaam and his feline friend to foil the diabolical plan.

Critical reception

The reception for this series has been generally positiv

http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?p=1385477#post1385477].

Collected Editions

There are currently two volumes of collected editions available as Trade paperback (comics), trade paperbacks. * India Authentic Vol 1 : Book of Shiva (Collecting issues #1-5) * India Authentic Vol 2 (Collecting issues #6-10)

References

External links

ComicCrique.com's review of INDIA AUTHENTIC #1-3

Full summary of the first three issues

India Authentic #1 / Ganesha Review at ComicPants.com

India Authentic #1 Review at ComixFan.com

India Authentic #1 / Ganesha Digital Edition at Virgin Comics

Saurav Mohapatra's website

Deepak Chopra's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Authentic, India Comics by Saurav Mohapatra Hinduism in popular culture Hindu mythology in popular culture Yama in popular culture Hanuman in popular culture Krishna in popular culture

Credits

Plot summary

Issue #1: Ganesha

Issue #2: Kali

Issue #3: Indra

Issue #4: Uma

Issue #5: Shiva

Issue #6: Vishnu (Narasimha Avatara)

Issue #7: Yama

Issue #8: Garuda

Issue #9: Kartikkeya

Issue #10: Parshuram

Issue #11: Hanuman

Issue #12: Andhaka

Issue #13: Lakshmi

Issue #14: Saraswati

Issue #15: Krishna

Issue #16: The Saffron Princess

Critical reception

Collected Editions

See also

References

External links