The rape by six men of the 23-year-old Delhi medical student who later died of her injuries sparked national protests and changes to India's rape laws. For film-maker Ram Devineni, founder of the publisher and film production company Rattapallax, it also led to Priya's Shakti, a new comic for teenagers which Rattapallax says is "rooted in ancient matriarchal traditions that have been displaced in modern representations of Hindu culture", and which is intended to support "the movement against patriarchy, misogyny and indifference through love, creativity and solidarity". Illustrated by Dan Goldman, the comic is about to be unveiled at Mumbai Comic-Con. It tells the story of Priya, devoted to the goddess Parvati, and as a young girl, full of dreams of becoming a teacher. But she is told by her father to stop going to school, and to stay home and take care of the house. As she grows up, she is the victim of increasing sexual violence, until she is raped - and then thrown out of the family home. Parvati is horrified to discover what women on earth go through, and inspires Priya to speak out and spread a new message to the world: to treat women with respect, educate all children, and speak out when a woman is being mistreated. Priya, riding on a tiger, returns to her village. She is, said Devineni, "a new hero for a modern India". Priya's Shakti - Shakti is "the female principle of divine energy" - is available free online, and Rattapallax has printed 6,000 copies in Hindi and English for the convention and for educational distribution.
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