Kridana: Bringing the Great Indian Epics to life
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Discover a new way to play. The Weekendgamer had a chance to meet up with Mahender and Elizabeth of Kridana.
Kridana pronounced (kree-da-na) meaning toy or plaything brings the heroes and villians of the great Indian Epics to
life. These beautifully designed action figures was what inspired Kridana creator Mahender Swami Nathan, an Indian-
American who grew up in both the US and India. As a child Mahender always wondered why he could play with
Transformers and GI Joes, but couldn’t act out the fantastic stories of the Ramayana that his Grandmother shared
with him. Why was it that he couldn’t take Rama and Hanuman to his friends' houses to play and save the day?
The questions never went away, until one day, sitting with a friend who happened to be in the toy business, he
suggested a new business idea. What if the best stories from his culture were brought to life for kids the same way
they learn other stories today, through the 3-D of toys and 2-D of comics?
These extraordinary tales have been shared across generations through almost every medium imaginable -- stories
told orally, books written and illustrated, paintings, sculpture, music, and dance. Through these unique action figures
and comics, Kridana we’re now sharing these timeless heroes and their incomparable adventures with our youngest
generation in step with the 21st century.
Through modern toy technology, we’re connecting our children with millenia of tradition and culture. In the power of
play our children will discover an interest in and love of our culture and stories.
Kridana pronounced (kree-da-na) meaning toy or plaything brings the heroes and villians of the great Indian Epics to
life. These beautifully designed action figures was what inspired Kridana creator Mahender Swami Nathan, an Indian-
American who grew up in both the US and India. As a child Mahender always wondered why he could play with
Transformers and GI Joes, but couldn’t act out the fantastic stories of the Ramayana that his Grandmother shared
with him. Why was it that he couldn’t take Rama and Hanuman to his friends' houses to play and save the day?
The questions never went away, until one day, sitting with a friend who happened to be in the toy business, he
suggested a new business idea. What if the best stories from his culture were brought to life for kids the same way
they learn other stories today, through the 3-D of toys and 2-D of comics?
These extraordinary tales have been shared across generations through almost every medium imaginable -- stories
told orally, books written and illustrated, paintings, sculpture, music, and dance. Through these unique action figures
and comics, Kridana we’re now sharing these timeless heroes and their incomparable adventures with our youngest
generation in step with the 21st century.
Through modern toy technology, we’re connecting our children with millenia of tradition and culture. In the power of
play our children will discover an interest in and love of our culture and stories.
| Kridana "geniuses" Elizabeth and Mahender with WeekendGamer guest host Kamafi Byrd. |