All about Champak, a popular children's magazine that has taken BCCI and IPL to court
From inspiring astronaut Kalpana Chawla to carry a T-shirt featuring one of its iconic characters to space to the inspiration behind cricketer Virat Kohli's nickname, Cheeku, being based on a recurring rabbit character — for over 50 years, Champak has been one of India's most popular homegrown children's magazine with a sizeable readership. Having started out in Hindi, the fortnightly magazine is now published in a total of eight languages.
Delhi Press, which publishes the children's magazine and has held trademark of 'Champak' since 1968, had filed a trademark infringement suit against the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) and Indian Premier League (IPL) in the Delhi High Court. On Wednesday, the court refused to grant an interim injunction to the BCCI and IPL in connection with the case.
Delhi Press has taken objection to the use of 'Champak' as the name of a robotic dog, mounted with cameras, which was launched by IPL this season as an entertainment feature.
In popular culture
First published in 1968 by Vishwa Nath, the founder of Delhi Press, who began his publishing journey in 1939, Champak is one of the country's most popular children's magazines with a readership of over 52 lakh, according to its publisher, the Delhi Press Patra Prakashan Ltd.
It's biggest competitor was Chandamama, a monthly magazine popular for its illustrations, and mythological stories. According to Champak's publisher, it is the largest-read children's magazine in the country at present.
Champak has also published over 40 books based on its animal stories, many of which are in their 10th or 12th reprint editions. Over the years, Champak was launched in various languages — Marathi (1971), Gujarati (1972), English (1975), Kannada (1992), and Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam (2004).
For nearly 60 years, Champak, aimed at children aged 6-12 years, delighted its readers with its bouquet of short stories, comic strips, puzzles, brain teasers, jokes, do-it-yourself (DIY) activities and science facts.
With a colourful cast of anthropomorphic characters — Cheeku, the rabbit; Meeku, the mouse; Baddy, the fox; Jumbo, the elephant; Blacky, the bear; Damru, the donkey; Teetri, the buttefly; Jumpy, the monkey; King Shersingh, the lion; Harry and Tarry, the frogs and Vivi, the wolf, among others — Champak's stories, which contain a blend of humour, wit and life lessons, are set in the Champakvan multiverse.
While the magazine has seen an annual subscription price hike in recent years — from Rs 990 in 2022-23 to Rs 1,440 in 2024-25 — its printed copies across all eight languages have seen an increase in sales — from approximately one million copies sold in 2022-23 to 1.8 million in 2024-25.
From Kalpana Chawla, Virat Kohli to Maneka Gandhi
The magazine prides itself on a touching anecdote. Astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who died in the February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, was 'so inspired by the magazine that on her first voyage to space, she requested a memento from the Champak team'.
The publisher says, 'She carried a T-shirt featuring Cheeku, the iconic rabbit from the magazine, to space. After her tragic death, her family returned the T-shirt to Champak. Her story — that of a dreamer who once read Champak and reached for the stars — continues to inspire young readers.'
During the court proceedings, the judge brought up how the magazine's iconic rabbit was the inspiration behind cricketer Kohli's nickname. Besides Chawla and Kohli, politician and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has in the past engaged with Champak's readers, answering their questions about how to care for animals.
Champak's evolution with the times
In keeping up with the times, the magazine has forayed into other mediums, including more product offerings like activity worksheets to support reading, math, language, science and art in children.
It has also marked its digital and social media presence, especially on Instagram and YouTube, with bite-sized animations, riddles, fun facts and comic reels, posted to engage both children and nostalgic adults, featuring Cheeku and Meeku.
Champak is also set to release a 24- part animation series set in Champakvan, with familiar characters and their storylines. In collaboration with Audible and BigFM, Champak has also entered the arena of immersive audio storytelling, providing professionally narrated stories, complete with sound effects and music.
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