Staging a rescue act

Humans are failing to protect the tiger from extinction. But at the right time arrives a super-tiger, to protect fellow tigers on earth.

A recent comic book titled Moksha — the White Tiger & the Gift by Vimanika Comics, depicts the story of a white tiger’s adventures with Hanuman. He has been portrayed as the sacred protector of the animal kingdom.

Karan Vir Arora, the man behind this idea, says, “The story of Moksha is based many thousand years ago when white tigers used to roam in abundance. Since the colour white is considered heavenly, we thought it will help us put our point across.”

The Hindu goddesses used the tiger as their chariot and thus the animal has always been considered sacred in India. In this particular comic, the white tiger roams about in the jungles alone with Hanuman, having different adventures.

“Today, tigers are being killed for their skin and bones which fetch a hefty price in international markets. But if you tell people to stop killing the animal, they act deaf and dumb. But the moment you connect this issue with God, people tend to respond better psychologically,” says Karan.

The comic contains messages from environmentalists and animal activist about ways that can be incorporated in daily lives, to conserve the environment and preserve the habitat of the tiger.  

 “The comic does not aim to cause drastic changes in the perceptions overnight. But lately, the fact that the tiger is a sacred animal has been almost forgotten by everybody. We are simply trying to create a concept which will revive the lost respect for the animal among everybody from children to old people,” adds Karan.
A page in the comic displays a huge image of the white tiger and Hanuman together to spread awareness. Wildlife filmmaker Mike Pandey has also written a note on how important the king of the jungle is, for all of us.