At Phoenix MarketCity gods are watching you, literally.
Almost every part of the mall is decorated with illustrations from Amar Chitra Katha (ACK). It’s part of the collaboration, the mall has with the publishing house. There are images from The Ramayana series on lanterns hanging outside the mall, and on paper flags and the walls inside.
But the centre of focus is the Reading Section in the atrium, where customers can just plop down on a chair and read any of the comic books from the house of ACK.
“Given that it’s Deepavali, we wanted a theme that would appeal to customers of all age groups,” says Murugan Rajan, center director, Phoenix MarketCity and Palladium. He recalls his own memories of the comic series, “When I was in the fourth or fifth standard, my parents would gift me a book every time I came first or second in class.” It is this joy of reading Indian comics that he wants to share with children of this generation.
As you walk through the open-plan reading section, familiar faces peek at you through the shelves — there is the too clever by half Tenali Raman, the monkeys from Jataka Tales, and a determined looking Chhatrapati Shivaji among others. While there are the six-part Valmiki’s Ramayana, three-part The Mahabharata, more comics on the Hindu gods and goddesses (Shiva and Parvati stand tall among them, their majestic hair flying about), it’s not all mythology. Also present are the Param Vir Chakra and the Essence of India series, the Timeless Ten collection, and of course the Jataka Tales. On one of the lower shelves is an easy-to-reach colourful collection of all the Tinkle digests that seems to be especially popular among the kids. The erstwhile train-journey must-haves hark you back to your childhood (we didn’t have babysitters, we were raised by Shikari Shambu and Suppandi). Whether you are introducing your kids to the books, or immersing yourself in nostalgia, do remember to look up. Hanging above the reading section is a large orange umbrella, golden tassels hanging from its sixteen ribs. “This umbrella is supposed to represent the one that sheltered Rama’s chariot during his return home to Ayodhya after defeating evil,” explains Murugan.
Each section of the umbrella is painted with a different scene from The Ramayana, right from the time Ram meets Sita, and his battle with Ravana, to his return to Ayodhya, merging into a kaleidoscope of colours.
The Amar Chitra Katha Reading section is open until November 6. Books are also available for sale.