The Song of Priya

THE SONG OF PRIYA is an augmented-reality-enabled comic using Hindu gods to discuss rape problem in modern India in English/Hindi. We’re going to launch the project in Mumbai this December at several events with support in a handful of countries.

Set in ancient times, PRIYA is an all-original myth that deals with a disciple of the goddess Parvati who suffers a rape at the hands of men in her village. This sickens Parvati and enrages her husband Shiva, but what follows is nothing less than cataclysmic… and a lesson in compassion, tenderness and the wisdom & sanctity of women.

In addition to the comic’s story, holding your smartphone over the comic’s pages triggers PRIYA’S AR-enabled comic panels to reveal  classic Bollywood scenes from related Hindu myths that deepen our story.

For THE SONG OF PRIYA, we’ve partnered w. NGOs in India & Europe to distribute ~100,000 copies of comic on the ground in India (and yes, digital too)… but the aim is to reach not just India but the global Indian diaspora as well… and then have the message extend into the rest of the world.

 The comic is the main component of a larger transmedia project. Other components include a smartphone “Face of Parvati” app, art exhibition and a Bollywood-footage remix film. The entire project is made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tribeca Film Institute, DOK Leipzig, IFP NY Media Center and other organizations. (I’ve got to add that the PRIYA team I’m working with are all BOSSES, every one single of them. I’m so very proud & excited to use my comics to change minds & better lives of women.)

And that’s it for now, kids. Stay tuned for process shots from this throughout the summer as we move forward towards the December 2014 launch… in Mumbai!

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