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The IUP Journal of English Studies :
Children’s Mind: Cultural Values in Chhota Bheem
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Watching cartoons and animations is the favorite pastime of many children. In the past, parents and immediate family members taught moral values and cultural ethos to children—a role which is now played by television. Indigenous cultural values can easily be nurtured in children’s minds through popular cultural artifacts like cartoons. But cartoons are not just sources of entertainment; they also educate and sometimes feed ideologically loaded messages. Hence, studying the content of children’s television programs, especially cartoons, has become an interesting and challenging area in the field of academic research. This paper tries to identify the indigenous cultural values portrayed in the animated series Chhota Bheem.

 
 
 

Children are the most valuable assets of a society. They are the resources for cultural institutions. The process of socialization begins as soon as a child is born. In the past, parents, teachers, and relatives were the source of moral values for children. However, in the present era, especially after the disintegration of the joint family system, television has taken over the role of storytelling grandmothers and relatives. Children are now more fascinated by television programs, especially by animated programs and cartoon characters like Chhota Bheem. They bond with the characters of cartoons. According to Ernst and Young’s (2012) newsletter Newsreel, “Animated content typically makes it easier for broadcasters to capture the attention of children by building an imaginary world for them.”

The storytelling process is not merely a pastime. Through telling of moral stories, positive values could be inculcated in children. Today, television also has taken up an active role in teaching many things to children such as how to deal with others, solve personal problems, and make friends, besides imparting simple decision-making skills and so on. In the present scenario, watching television is not only for entertainment; rather it reflects the sociocultural phenomenon of the society. By watching the animated cartoons, children become more efficient and imaginative.

 
 
 

English Studies Journal, Children’s Mind, Children’s Television, Cartoon Network, Chhota Bheem, Animated Series, India, Cultural Values, Chhota Bheem.