When we think manga, we think Japan, but pop culture often travels far and wide. In Mumbai, Byculla resident Jazyl Homavazir is India’s first award-winning manga artist. For decades, he has been drawing characters inspired by Indian mythology in manga art styles. His work, The Beast Legion, was the first web manga to crop up from India, and years later, it still pulls in readers. His latest is a trailer for The Vrindavan Chronicles, where Lord Krishna is the protagonist. And, at the time of publishing, it has crossed over 127K views on Instagram in less than a week.

Homavazir and his ilk may be the reason for an ongoing contest across the country. Waves Anime & Manga Contest (WAM) is aiming at offering a platform to Indian manga artists. The championship, which is a joint initiative of the Indian Comics Association (ICA) and the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit, held by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Government of India, is part of the “Create in India Challenge”, a programme of the government to promote Indian creativity and innovation globally.