Back to Comics

Back to Comics


‘Once upon a time’ were never my favourite beginnings for a story. It was the comics that I was glued to as a child and in that Chacha Choudhary series and Pinki and Jhapatji were my weak points. I remember I could read them over and over again and sort of learn the stories. Once a business idea struck my Uncle and since I had such a collection, he suggested that I rent out my comics. I agreed as it gave me a chance to earn 10 paisa per comic, which for a 7 year old was good money. Though our borrowers were friends and cousins, I paid a heavy price for it, I never got back some of prized possessions or because it was a child’s venture we never got paid for it. So lending and borrowing stopped after my tears really bothered my grandmother.

My best buys were always on railway stations. Traveling to and fro between my maternal grandmother’s place to home, these were stops that I loved (and I guess that my dad cringed, spending on each station). That built my collection. My uncle, studying to be an engineer always chided me for reading comics and not some English classics. But my obsession with Chacha, Sabu, Chachi and Rocket finally led to getting my collection bound and preserved. He jokes today that because of Sabu and Chacha I went on study English Literature.

I thought comic reading was for children until one day during my routine check-ups with my gynecologist I realized that he is a collector of ‘Indrajaal’ comics.

Many years have passed since I last touched a Chacha Choudhary comic but today as I was glancing through the morning paper, I came across an article that prompted me to assess my thoughts. Diamond comics is now planning to introduce Chacha Choudhary to today’s generation through television screens, video games and mobile phones. I loved the idea as I thought immediately of my daughter, who is so fond of the Brit ‘Noddy’. Like any mother I wish she will take to liking what her mother loved so much.