SHU Hears from Creator of ‘Priya’s Shakti’ Comic Series

Fictional superhero has become a voice in the global movement for women’s rights

Sacred Heart University students and staff had a chance to meet filmmaker, publisher and comic series creator Ram Devineni and hear how he has used art to address gender violence. He spoke recently as part of SHU’s Human Journey Colloquia Series.

Devineni is the creator of Priya’s Shakti, India’s first comic book that features a female superhero. Devineni discussed the fictional Priya, who is a rape survivor, and he talked about her shakti—which translates to power or strength. He explained how he uses the comic book series to tackle complex problems and reach audiences through art and creative technology.

The idea to create Priya’s Shakti followed a gang rape on a bus in New Delhi in 2012 that led to public outcry across India, according to the comic series’ website. Devineni said he learned then about the country’s rape culture, one in which the victims were typically blamed for the crime. “The problem with gender violence in India wasn’t a legal problem, but a cultural one,” he said.

Devineni realized he needed to help change the narrative. “If society doesn’t support survivors, then no one will have the confidence to speak out and seek justice,” he said.

He created Priya’s Shakti, featuring a victim-turned-heroine who resonated with audiences all over the world and captivated young readers. “I wanted to turn victims into survivors and then make them heroes,” said Devineni.

Priya’s Shakti now has more than 30 million readers and has generated press coverage worldwide. Since the comic’s launch in 2014, the series has evolved and now includes an entire universe of female superheroes based on real people and survivors. Subsequent stories focus on female survivors of sex trafficking and acid attacks, as well as climate change activists and women who worked as nurses during the pandemic.

The comic series’ website states that Priya has become “a powerful voice in the global movement for women’s rights and a symbol of solidarity against gender-based violence.” The United Nations group UN Women honored Devineni and his co-creators as “gender equality champions.”

The event, moderated by Professor Nidhi Shrivastava, was co-sponsored by the department of languages & literatures and the women’s, gender and sexuality studies program.