New Comic Book Sparks Essential Conversations About Childhood Loneliness

Priya's Mask is a powerful comic addressing pandemic challenges, honoring caregivers and healthcare heroes, and creatively helping children navigate isolation.

on Nov 05, 2024

For Ram Devineni, the latest addition to Priya's adventures, Priya’s Mask, holds significant personal meaning. Earlier this year, as the world entered lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resources for parents to explain the virus to children were scarce. The story’s origins stem from a conversation between his 3-year-old niece and her mother. “She lacked someone to express her emotions to. She mentioned this during the peak of the lockdown when everything was closed, and she was out of school,” explains Devineni, a documentary filmmaker and the founder of Rattapallax, a media company based in the US.

Since March, he has been reading to her via Facetime, sharing various children's digital books from the New York Public Library. “This served as a motivating factor in creating the newest comic and film,” notes Devineni, who launched Priya’s Shakti in 2014 as one of the first comic books to incorporate augmented reality to foster dialogue around issues of gender-based violence. He collaborated with artist Dan Goldman and writers like Paromita Vohra. The team recognized Priya as India’s inaugural female animated superhero.

Priya’s Mask extends the themes of strength and empowerment while also addressing the emotional impact that isolation has had on young individuals. The comic discusses the difficulties the pandemic has caused for caregivers and frontline workers. Devineni’s father, a pediatrician for 40 years, had to stop practicing in February since he was in a vulnerable age bracket. He also lost two friends, both Indian doctors, to COVID-19. “People have varied opinions about the pandemic, but there is a consensus on the necessity of supporting our healthcare workers who are putting their lives at stake for our well-being,” Devineni elaborates.

In fact, the impact of COVID-19 on women has rarely been assessed, as they have led the way as caregivers and healthcare professionals. “Priya's Mask pays tribute to female healthcare workers and their families,” he states. “Moreover, experiencing isolation has been challenging, particularly for children. We believed it was essential to highlight this through Meena, the young girl in the comic.” Additionally, we sought a creative means for parents to discuss the pandemic and feelings of loneliness with their children.

The latest edition of the comic book is also paired with an animated short film featuring voices from both the US and India, including Rosanna Arquette, Vidya Balan, Mrunal Thakur, and Sarah Kabir. Priya’s Mask has been produced by Tanvi Gandhi, Indrani Ray, and Monika Samtani and written by Shubhra Prakash, with illustrations and animation by Syd Fini, Hamid Bahrami, and Neda Kazemifar. This new installment also showcases a collaboration between Priya and prominent female comic book superheroes from neighboring countries, such as Burka Avenger, Pakistan’s first superhero. In a media statement, writer Shubhra Prakash mentioned that the virus makes no distinctions or recognizes borders, highlighting the natural connection between the two cultural heroes.

Devineni asserts that the comic book format is ideally suited for augmented reality since the visuals serve as excellent markers for storytelling. “We have developed several unique AR experiences addressing the pandemic. There are augmented reality masks that can be worn with Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram AR platforms. Just keep in mind that these are intended for social media and should not replace actual masks,” he advises.