The number is a nod to the 39‑year‑old folk hero Shivaji’s “Keshav” , a figure who appears in many Chawat stories as the archetypal clever trickster. By adopting this name, the collective signals its devotion to the past while promising a future‑forward vision.
Very little is known about the anonymous group “39.” Speculated to be a blend of veteran Marathi playwrights, underground cartoonists, and digital illustrators from Pune and Mumbai, “39” refers to the 39 common rasas (emotions) they believe exist beyond the classical nine. They operate without public faces, letting their art speak in pure, unadulterated Marathi—from standard formal dialect to the raw slang of the sugarcane belt. Marathi Chawat Katha -MCK- Comics By 39
For decades, Marathi readers craved content that felt like home—stories that smelled of baaji frying in a Kolhapuri kitchen, dialogues that carried the sharp wit of Puneri Patya , and visuals that depicted the crowded chawls of Mumbai or the serene ghats of Nashik. MCK Comics By 39 has finally delivered that missing piece. The number is a nod to the 39‑year‑old