Chennai, January 23: The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai launched Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam online versions of the popular youth comic book “Priya’s Mask” with support from South Indian social media influencers. “Priya’s Mask” is the newest edition of a series featuring India’s first female comic book superhero. A symbol of strength and a force for change for girls around the world, Priya tackles the fear and disinformation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic that has challenged the health and well-being of the world.
The “Priya’s Mask” series was created by U.S.-based media house Rattapallax founder, documentary filmmaker, and technologist Ram Devineni, written by Shubhra Prakash with support from the North India Office (NIO) of the U.S. Embassy New Delhi. Released as an augmented reality comic book, the installment is paired with an animated short film featuring the voices of feminist leaders from the U.S. and India, including Rosanna Arquette, Vidya Balan, Mrunal Thakur, and Sairah Kabir.
U.S. Consulate General Chennai’s spokesperson Cori Bickel said: “This comic book is another example of the deep talents of Americans and Indians working together to confront global health challenges. Ram Devineni has created a comic book, now available for parents, teachers, and children to read in Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam languages, that tells the story of Priya’s mission to stop the spread of COVID-19 disinformation, while acknowledging the isolation and fear that children can face.”
In the lead up to January 24 International Day of Education, follow South Indian social media influencers Chandan Shetty (Karnataka) @chandanshettyofficial, Aparna Mulberry (Kerala) @invertedcocounut, and Irfan Mohammed (Tamil Nadu) @irfansview as they discuss Priya the comic crusader and combating the spread of COVID-19. You can also follow U.S. Consulate General in Chennai’s Instagram account @usconsulatechennai.
Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language versions of “Priya’s Mask” are available for free download at https://www.priyashakti.com/priyas-mask. A free English language teaching curriculum developed by the U.S. Embassy’s Regional English Language Office (RELO) is available for educators and students at https://www.priyashakti.com/curriculum.
In Languages: Tamil (MS Word: 82 KB) | Kannada (MS Word: 18 KB) | Malayalam (MS Word: 47 KB)
