Graphic Novel on UP CM Yogi Reaches London, Launched in Indian Embassy’s Iconic Nehru Centre
GG News Bureau
London, 21st Sept. The best-seller graphic novel “Ajay to Yogi Adityanath”, reached London this week after a long journey of 26 cities and 70 releases, across India.
It was grandly launched at the iconic Nehru Center of the Indian Embassy in the presence of TNC’s Director Amish Tripathi, author of the book Shantanu Gupta, Overseas Friends of BJP’s Kuldeep Shikhawat and Suresh Mangalagiri.
This book has made many records like Asia Book of Records and Amazon Bestseller.
Before this, the grand launch of “Ajay to Yogi Adityanath” was held in Delhi, Lucknow, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Noida, Greater Noida, Jewar, Jalalabad, Bahraich, Saharanpur, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Sitapur, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Varanasi, It has been done in 26 cities like Lakhimpur Kheri, Muzaffar Nagar, Chennai, Rishikesh, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Bengaluru and Prayagraj. More than 70 releases and book signings of “Ajay to Yogi Adityanath” have taken place in these cities.
Noted Author, Shantanu Gupta, who has written two bestseller titles on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, launched his new graphic novel – “Ajay to Yogi Adityanath” for the young readers in Hyderabad on Tuesday. When our team contacted Shantanu, the author shared the finer details about his new graphic novel.
Gupta told that ‘Ajay to Yogi Adityanath’, is a journey of a young boy Ajay Singh Bisht born in the hinterlands of Uttarakhand with six other siblings. His father Anand Singh Bisht was a junior forest officer and mother Savitri Devi was a homemaker.
From childhood, Ajay was fond of taking care of the family cows, listening to stories of freedom fighters and participating in the school debates. They all lived in a one and a half room house in a remote village named Panchur, in today’s Uttarakhand.
From here Ajay rose to become Mahant of Gorakhnath Mutt, youngest member of the parliament of India and the Chief Minister of the most populated state of India, Uttar Pradesh.
Author added that ‘Ajay to Yogi Adityanath’ is a story of sheer grit, determination and hard work for every student to follow and take inspiration from.
Earlier in June, this graphic novel was launched in 51+ schools of Uttar Pradesh on 5th of June, the 51st birthday of Yogi Adityanath.
Author himself was present at ‘Seth Anandram Jaipuria School’ in Lucknow with hundreds of children along with the education minister Sandeep Singh and other guests.
And simultaneously more than 5100 children launched the book in 51+ schools across various districts of Uttar Pradesh in this record launch. This was the first time that a book was launched in multiple locations simultaneously with so many participants, that to children.
The launch created an Asia book of records.
Amish Tripathi, who himself is a great writer, said that he has had the opportunity to meet Yogi Adityanath ji many times – and Yogi ji fulfills the vision of India’s Raj-Rishi, that is, a king who lives a life of renunciation.
He said that he himself comes from Kashi, and under the rule of Modi ji and Yogi ji, Kashi has seen amazing development.
Kuldeep Shikhawat and Suresh Mangalagiri ji presented figures and facts about the major positive developmental changes that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh in the last few years.
Author said that he is able to narrate this story through the inspirational accounts he heard and documented during his conversations with various individuals who were a part of Yogi Adityanath’s growing up years. They were, his father late Anand Singh Bisht, his mother Savitri Devi, his friends from the Panchur village, classmates and teachers from his colleges in Kotdwar and Rishikesh and through various fellow saints and leaders who crossed paths with him.
For the literature buffs, Shantanu narrated the detailed literary and artistic journey that the graphic novel has gone through in the last one year. First the author storyboarded all the pages based on his primary research.
Along with the dialogues, he suggested the possible layout to the artists. From there on the team of artists and designers Nitesh Kushwaha, Akash Jaiswal and Pallavi Saxena took on.
First the artists did the rough thumbnailing for estimation of the page layout, then they did the meticulous pencil art work – the most important part of the journey, then they inked it, did panelling, added dialogues and then the colours.
Detailed review and rigorous feedback loops were run through for each panel, each page and every dialogue between the team members.
To make the book more engaging, book also has many puzzles and games on Yogi Adityanath at the end.
The QR code in the book will take the readers to a website, where young readers can play 100+ games and puzzles to know more about Yogi Adityanath and Uttar Pradesh.
In the past Shantanu Gupta has written two bestselling titles on Yogi Adityanath– The Monk Who Became Chief Minister and The Monk Who Transformed Uttar Pradesh.
And now he has written an inspirational graphic novel on UP Chief Minister specially for children- ‘Ajay to Yogi Adityanath’. Book is already ranking among the bestsellers on Amazon.
The author Shantanu told us that because his book is on a saint politician, then on every stage he definitely ensures the divine presence of a saint.
Writer Shantanu said that after 70+ launches in India, he will now take this much talked -about book to the Indian diaspora in different towns of the United Kingdom and Europe.
