Can superheroes from Indian myths defeat those of Marvel and DC? He thinks so

It can be hard to find superheroes in India, but Sharad Devarajan is a professional hunter of sorts. He’s the CEO of Graphic India, a company that creates superheroes inspired by Indian mythology.

That’s why I was surprised to find that his office was off an uninspiring road on the outskirts of Bangalore. I reached there before he did and had a staring contest with a wild-haired woman glaring at me from a painting on a wall.

Sharad’s entrance was marked by the slamming of a car door and the ominous sound of clicking shoe heels as he made his way up the stairs. We jumped right into conversation.

“Good versus evil, black and white – those are all Western stories that just don’t fit with what’s going on in the world anymore,” he explained to me, hands clasped over a stack of comic books. “We need heroes that represent the gray areas that people embody, the nuances of humanity. That’s where India steps in – our stories go beyond duality and go into decisions that are neither here nor there.”

“Writers, artists, poets – they’ve all looked at Indian mythology as a source of inspiration,” he added. “Why can’t superheroes?”

Sharad tells me more about the glaring woman on the wall. Her name is Tara Mehta, and she’s the main character of Devi, a series about a young woman living in a fast-paced city set in the future. Tara lives in an upscale neighborhood where her boyfriend owns a popular nightclub, but there’s a drastic turn of events looming. As the reincarnation of a powerful goddess, she’s soon to be locked in an age-old battle with ancient forces of evil.

At second glance, Tara’s glare seems to have softened into one of determination, and her streaming hair is studded with weapons. “Our superheroes don’t wear capes and tights,” Sharad says squarely.

Gone fishing

Most myths don’t survive time. While some make it out, others get filed away into the annals of a dusty library or a mind that has disappeared, never to be brought to life again.

That’s where Sharad and his team go hunting.

They’ve created Chakra, a young teenager from Mumbai who’s worked with scientists to unlock the power of the many hidden energy spots, or chakras, that exist in different parts of his body. It launched on Cartoon Network as a film.

He was created by Stan Lee, the chairman of Marvel and the co-creator of archetypal comic book heroes like Spiderman, Iron Man, and the Incredible Hulk. “Stan always wanted to do something inspired by Indian stories,” says Sharad.

While Chakra is loosely inspired by Hindu spirituality, other stories recreate myths directly. 18 Days is a digital web series that retells the Mahabharata, an epic tale of a war between two princely families interlaced with philosophical lessons they learn about duty and human nature.

Small-town hero

The business of heroes