Ayushman Comic Series to be Published in Portugese

PANAJI:
The informative ‘Professor Ayushman’ series is set to come out in Portuguese, as India has entered into an agreement with Brazil allowing publication of the comic books, whose third series was released at the ongoing World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) in this city.

The Union Ministry of Ayush has already shared editable versions of the first two series of the multicolour book with the Brazilian embassy in India, according to top government officials. Portuguese is the official and national language of Brazil.

The 32-page book, printed in Hindi and English, is available online too. The series is brought out by the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) functioning under the Ayush Ministry.

The collaboration got its official nod in summer this year, after the comic book published its second edition. The copy, titled ‘Professor Ayushman Fights Covid-19’, was released in April by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating the Global Ayush Investment & Innovation Summit 2022 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. “Ayushman will tell you about the benefits of herbal and medicinal plants,” the Prime Minister had tweeted on the occasion.

The debut series (Professor Ayushman) came out in September 2019.

Created by Amar Chitra Katha Pvt Ltd, the series, drafted in Tinkle magazine’s looks, aims to spread the knowledge of medicinal plants among children. “India has more than 8,500 medicinal plants described in our literature of ancient wellness systems,” points out All India Institute of Ayurveda Director Prof Tanuja Nesari, who is CEO of the two-year-old NMPB. “The comic format of storytelling makes its presentation appealing to the young generation.”

Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary to the Ministry of Ayush, says ‘Professor Ayushman’ has become popular among people of all age-groups. “The series promotes awareness on commonly used medicinal plants such as tulsi and clove,” he adds.

‘Professor Ayushman Returns’, the latest in the series, profiles ginger (adrak), Bhumi amla, lemongrass, karipatta, hadjod, mehendi, black pepper, lavang, dalchini and adusa.

The series has been receiving “excellent” response, a senior NMPB official said.