Chandamama
| Type | Monthly Youth Magazine |
|---|---|
| Format | Non-standard, Full Colour |
| Owner(s) | Geodesic Information Systems Limited |
| Publisher | B Viswanatha Reddy |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Headquarters | Chennai, India |
| Website | http://www.chandamama.com |
Chandamama is an Indian monthly magazine focused on kids and youngsters. It has stories from Medieval India, typically kings and their stories of bravery and wit. It had quite a few characters who appeared on short comic strips. The magazine has become part of popular culture, and is very popular with younger people.
It is published in 14 languages (including English), and has a readership of about 200,000.
History
The first edition of Chandamama was released in July, 1947. The founder editor of the magazine was B.Nagi Reddy. Chakrapani, a friend of Nagi Reddy, was the force behind magazine, and his vision, perception and understanding of the target readership brought name and fame to the magazine. The stories of King Vikramāditya and Vetala (Vampire), an adoptation of an ancient Sanskrit work Vetala Panchvimshati, brought wide repute to this magazine, and were also featured in popular TV serials.
Published continuously from 1947, the magazine ceased publication in 1998, owing to labour disputes. However, the magazine relaunched a year later and continues to be published to this day. It is available in 12 Indian languages and English.
Ownership
The magazine has been in family hands since foundation, and the current publisher, B Viswanatha Reddy, continues the tradition after taking over the affairs of the magazine from his father. In 1999, the company was floated as a public limited organization, with Morgan Stanley taking a sizable stake in the company.
In August 2006, it was reported[1][2] that Disney was set to buy a stake in Chandamama. In 2007, Chandamama was acquired[3] by technology company Geodesic Information Systems
Chandamama in the 21st Century
With the acquisition by a technology company, Chandamama has announced[4] that it will digitize and make available much of its content via digital libraries and on the web. In addition, Chandamama Multimedia CDs have also been published.
In late 2007, Chandamama released its revamped internet presence (now more logically found at chandamama.com, a domain-name it acquired after many years) to better cater to readers who demand information and content beyond the printed publication. It has also tied up with satellite radio service provider Worldspace to bring the Indian story telling tradition live through radio.[5]
In July 2008 the publication launched its online portal in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu apart from English. It declared that all 6o year's publication in all Indian languages would be put online soon.[6]
References
- ^ Disney set to tell Chandamama stories
- ^ Now, catch Chandamama online
- ^ Geodesic to buy Chandamama for Rs 10 crore- Software-Infotech-The Economic Times
- ^ The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Chandamama to digitise archived issues
- ^ Comics are serious business
- ^ Chandamama Tamil/Hindi sites launched