Comics for life
Are you a comic lover too?
I am a comic buff too. Very much like Sheldon (the Comic-con fanclub is growing) from Big Bang Theory.
Especially, at an age when visuals were more tempting than writing scripts, I was totally into ‘Amar Chitra Katha’ books and most importantly, the most prominent Indian comic book of all times, the ‘Tinkle.’
Tinkle still happens to be my all-time favourite. I am still waiting for the day to meet Uncle Pai (that is how the comic content creator was fondly referred to as- in the books). Although paperback comics have been long forgotten in this era of digital books, I still make it a point to grab my Tinkle copy from the book stalls on railway stations before heading onward to any destination within India. It has become a mandatory ritual for me to look out for book shops in an airport or the railway station.
So what’s in this mundane comic book that rings in life changing experiences?
For all those who have read Tinkle books in their childhood (most likely 80s and 90s Indian peeps) must definitely have a vivid image of Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Kalia the wise crow, Tantri the Mantri etc.
Even as I write this, you will not believe that all the comic characters are marching in a parade in my dreamy mind. I feel like they have left a deep impression etched on my mind. I can relate to some of the mainstream characters in the series, who have taught me some valuable lessons in life.
For example, Suppandi’s behaviour of being a humorously insane fellow who’s being constantly mocked at by his relatives and bosses for his crazy antics and pure ignorance has taught me that despite being criticised and mocked, you have to believe that you are the best creation on earth and stand up strongly against the critics.
Shikari Shambu is an outwardly brave warrior. But inwardly, he is the biggest coward on this planet. Yet, through luck in his stars, he always turns out any misgiving situation into a hilariously victorious episode. This has taught me to face the various odds in life, despite being afraid of the outcome.
Kalia- the intelligent crow and Kapish-the clever monkey with his magic tail, teach us different moral pointers through each story in the comics. The overall message that I got from them is that it is very important to use common sense and act, when faced with a risky episode in life.
Inspite of all the devilish tricks that Tantri has up on his sleeves, to dislodge Raja Hooja from his throne, the heinous tricks always backfire like a boomerang. In the end, Tantri always suffers due to the end results of his actions. This shows that, our actions and thoughts have a ‘boomerang’ effect too. If I treat someone badly, it misfires certainly, almost all the time.
All the childhood comics in the racks of any bookstore might happen to be an important life-lesson imparting gamechanger. Next time when you read a comic, try to think of the moral message that you can possibly derive from it.
