The last of the living artists of comic book CHANDAMAMA, Shri KC SIVASANKAR, breathed his last on 29th September 2020, in Chennai. He was 97.
Sivasankar was born in 1924 at a village in Erode and developed an early passion for art. In 1934, he moved to Chennai along with his mother and siblings where he would be discovered for his talents by his drawing teacher at school.
He was responsible for the illustration of the famous Vikram and Betaal characters besides illustrating hundreds of stories of this iconic comic book that was first published in Telegu in 1947 .It was started by B.Nagi Reddy and Chakrapani, noted Telugu Film makers. It was edited by Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao, a much respected and loved literary figure in Telugu Literature.
It was a brilliant collaboration between film makers, writers and graphic artists. Shankar Sir used mixed various styles in his line drawing illustrations to finally come up with a form that so many of us fell in love with. Very cinematic and so much mood. Chandamama was colorful. Vibrant . And very very Indian.
In 2007, 60 years after it was first published, the magazine was acquired by Geodesic, a Mumbai-based software services provider company, with an intent to digitise its content. In 2013, Chandamama stopped publishing when the parent company ran into financial troubles following which in 2017, a volunteer driven effort began to revive and preserve the magazine for future generations.
A huge favorited of mine after Amar Chitra Katha. Not surprising that Chandamama, became popular all over India within months of the first issue. Condolences came pouring in following Sivasankar’s demise with many fondly recalling his contributions to the field of art.
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