Balarama (comics)
| Editor | Bina Mathew |
|---|---|
| Categories | Children's Weekly |
| Frequency | Weekly |
| First issue | 1972 |
| Company | Malayala Manorama |
| Country |  India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Website | http://www.manoramaonline.com |
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Balarama (ബാലരമ) is a children's weekly comics-digest in Malayalam language, published by the Malayala Manorama group, one of the most popular media stables in the country. Starting as a monthly, Balarama became a fortnightly periodical, before finally settling as a weekly.
Balarama is the leader in terms of circulation and popularity. The content includes short stories, translations of Classic novels, Malayalam novels, moral stories, crosswords, science experiments, rhymes, and games etc. and illustrated stories developed in-house like Mayavi, Soothran, Mrgadhipathyam Vannal, Vayichu kodukkan, Oridathoridathu, Jampanum Thumbanum Akku and Ikku, etc., Balarama is often noted by its free gifts like stickers, posters, books, and tattoos etc. on every publish. In Kerala state, Balarama is sometimes included in a particular genre of books called Kathapustakams (story books).
In the process, it entered the Top 10 Magazines in all languages in the Indian National Readership Survey (NRS) since 2003-04, the only children's publication to reach there, an interesting fact, as its core readership ended where the readers of the other nine began. In 2005 and 06, it was at number 13 and 11 respectively, again in the two million readers club. In the next year, the figures went as high as 3.73 million, before coming down to number 7 with 3.1 million readers in 2008. The figures vary in the National Readership Survey and Indian Readership Survey, and has come down as the periodical changed frequency from fortnightly to weekly. Its sister publications, the ones for teens, are also chipping away the older readers, who were once readers of Balarama also due to want of options between early and late teenage. It is important note that most of the people of Kerala considers Balarama only as a kid stuff.
Under the flagship, there are other publications like Kalikkudukka, Magic Pot, Balarama Digest, Balarama Tell Me Why, and Balarama Amar Chithra Katha (an arrangement with Amar Chitra Katha to publish their books in Malayalam). All these periodicals are market leaders in circulation, with Balarama's readership growing through two and three million in the last few years.
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