The last issue of the magazine was published in March 2013, but now the official website has started uploading their original editions online, all available for free download. The magazine which started first on Telugu and Tamil expanded its horizon and started printing in twelve Indian languages as well as English. Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao edited the magazine for 28 years until his death in August 1980. It was edited by Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao a hugely well-known figure in Telugu literature.
It was originally started in Telugu by B.Nagi Reddy and Chakrapani, well known Telugu Film producers. The probe agency has found that at least $110 million was routed through investment funds in Bermuda and British Virgin Islands to six overseas shell companies between 20.The hugely popular Chandamama magazine was a classic Indian monthly magazine for children which depicted mythological and historical stories. The firm, according to ED, has allegedly laundered $125 million through multiple shell companies in India and abroad. Both EOW and ED have filed their chargesheets against the company. Three directors of Geodesic – Kiran Prakash Kulkarni, Prashant Mulekar and Pankaj Shrivastav – and the chartered accountant of the firm, Dinesh Jajodia, are currently under arrest. Geodesic Ltd and its top officials are now under the scanner of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax department for tax evasion and alleged siphoning and laundering of $125 million (Rs 812 crore). A decision on the liquidation of Geodesic will be taken by the High Court only after the probe agencies complete their investigation,” the officer said on the condition of anonymity.
Moreover, there are 1,500 companies in this office alone for liquidation and we are short-staffed. “We do not have any Intellectual Property Rights experts here to estimate the value of Chandamama and its copyright. “Yes, Chandamama has been lying in gunny bags, but does it have any monetary value?” asked an officer who is aware of the provisional liquidation of Geodesic Ltd. However, at the official liquidator’s office in Mumbai, not many are aware of the historical or monetary value of the magazine that lies in their possession. It has huge potential,” said L Subramanyan, former CEO of Chandamama. Till date, I get proposals from people who want to acquire Chandamama. It is sad that it did not get what it deserved. The brand should have been preserved and managed much better. But lack of funds and little interest from the new promoters of Chandamama grounded the magazine in 2013, said a source familiar with the operations of Chandamama. Subsequently, an international production house expressed interest in producing animated films based on the stories and characters of Chandamama. In 2008, actor Amitabh Bachchan, a self-confessed fan of Chandamama, launched the 60th anniversary edition of the magazine in Mumbai. It also re-launched Chandamama with a new design by Professor G V Sreekumar, head of Industrial Design Centre at IIT Bombay. In March 2007, Geodesic acquired a 94 per cent stake in Chandamama from B Viswanatha Reddy, son of Nagi Reddy, and Vinod Sethi, former managing director of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, for Rs 10.2 crore after the magazine ran into financial trouble due to a dip in circulation and falling advertising revenues.Īfter taking over Chandamama, Geodesic got professor Raj Reddy of Carnegie Mellon University and his team to help with the digitisation. By the late 1990s, it was published in 13 languages, including Sindhi, Sinhala and Sanskrit. The first issue of Chandamama, founded by B Nagi Reddy and Chakrapani, was published in Telugu and Tamil in July 1947.