BENGALURU: Comics hold a special place in everyone’s heart, bringing nostalgic to adults and serving as an entertaining and educational tool for children. Tapping into this, researchers from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) have partnered with Tinkle, the popular children’s magazine, to create comics focused on conservation and environment education.
According to ATREE researchers, comics have proven to be an effective way to bridge the gap between scientific research and tsuidents while promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Over the past year, 10 comics have been released on various environmental topics. The collaboration is now expanding to translate existing and upcoming editions into Indian languages, including Kannada and Marathi, to reach a wider audience.
Jaya Peter from ATREE’s communication team, who is involved in the project, explained that while ATREE’s researchers across the country have conducted significant studies, much of their work remains unknown to the public. Comics were identified as an ideal medium to engage people, especially children. Since ATREE lacks the resources to distribute comic strips independently, they partnered with Tinkle, leveraging its well-known characters to communicate complex scientific ideas in an engaging way.
She added that some stories are based on real-life research and experiences, such as orchid conservation or the study of diatomy, while others focus on research findings like the impact of housing exotic fish at home in aquariums or protection of Chalazode frogs. Educational topics, such as the role of different bee species and the migration patterns of harriers, are also covered.
The selection process for each comic edition is unique. ATREE researchers, during their tea breaks, discuss their ongoing and published work, identifying topics with the most potential to be animated for children before finalising them.
Tinkle Editor Gayathri Chandrashekar, working on the project, shared that the choice of topics and characters depends on what will engage children and the availability of scientists. Published research is preferred as a foundation for storytelling.
Additionally, Tinkle has been collaborating with the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) to showcase women scientists through comic strips, an initiative that started last year. Plans are underway to collaborate with more research institutions in Bengaluru in the future, she added.