Before we fell in love with words what attracted us were pictures ,cartoons and as we got familiar to words but were young enough to comprehend big big words we referred everything to world of comics (From knowledge ,entertainment , learning about history ,art culture ,folklore or everything ) .Comics were our :TV ,internet, grandma, novel .
I am using we not me because what I am referring to is true for whole of our generation.
Whenever we finish exam, or fall sick or if some one ask what do you want: Answer was invariably: Comics.
For us though we liked Hergé’s Tintin it was too expensive, Lee Falk's and Sy Barry's Phantom was also a bid out of our culture so most of our appetite for comics were looked after by Uncle Pi.
I am referring to Amar Chitra Katha and later on Tinkle.
For our knowledge about Purana, Mahabharta, History and folklore the credits must go to Uncle Pi’s immortal creation.
After two decade what amaze me about his creations is that at the dept of research home work he did for each of the photographs, I am sure he didn’t had the liberty of using computers and Photoshop at that time so every picture had to be drawn in blocks as in old printing technology .But When we look at Lachit Borphukan and dress of Swrgadeu or the background picture of Brmahaputra .Be it Joymotee or Sankradeb (It has familiarity to the drawing of Bisnhu Rabha ) all the characters were live and vivid.
And we often give reference to Sikhari Sambhu, Supandi, and Nassiruddin Hoza till today
Antanta Pi, (or popularly known as Uncle Pi) creator of our childhood dreamland breaths his last on 24th February, 2011,
But what he left behind is a legacy of his own.
We will miss you Uncle Pi.
you are right indeed!!! n its very true for me and my elder sister. both of us will be absorbed in the pictures and they would take us to a dream land and there we think in our minds as if we are living that story. as i was younger and hated reading,my elder sister would read it out and explain to me and i am like in my fairyland till the story ends. and after it finishes i would ask for more...and its still there...but work demands dont allow me to be that kid anymore...but whenever i can i try to find out those comics from the dusty shelves...
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