If summer holidays were about meeting cousins at the grandparents’ place, they were also about reading Chacha Chaudhary comics on the train. There was added thrill of making sure you finished reading it before the next station arrived so you could buy another. Trading these comics when you get back to school was the greatest fun.
For those who grew up in the 80s and 90s, there was never a dull moment thanks to the immortal genius of Pran Kumar Sharma, creator of creator of Chacha Chaudhary and other captivating characters such as Shrimatiji, Pinki, Billoo, Raman, Raka, and Channie Chachi. Pran passed away on August 6, at the age of 75.
Rohan Chakravarthy, cartoonist at Green Humour, says: “I remember picking up Chacha Chaudhary books at railway stations just before train journeys as a kid. What appealed to me the most was that the instant connect I felt with all the characters, be it Saboo, Rocket or even Raaka. It was like the characters personally took you on a joyride. Today, when I look at Pran’s work, I realise that while he told stories in the most engaging manner possible, he kept things simple and had fun all the way — something that is missing in the work of many cartoonists today. Pran’s work was classic, it had a sense of Indianness to it; I don’t think his manner of storytelling has ever been matched by television.”
Balraj K.N., also a cartoonist says: “His style was simple and very Indian. I don’t know his influences, but his style was well suited for the kinds of kids’ adventure stories he wrote.”
When the media announced his death, tribute flowed on social networking sites. “Saboo was my favourite character,” says Darsheel Jiandhani, an image consultant. “I used to be rather short-tempered and when I was a kid my mother got me to believe that every time I got angry, a volcano would erupt somewhere like it used to when Saboo got angry. I can’t imagine a comic character inspired me to change. influenced me to change something about myself.”
“I am a fan of all his comic characters,” says Nikita Jacob, an engineer. “There was always something to learn from each of them so while Chacha Chaudhary taught us that you don’t need muscle power to win, the little girl Pinki, taught us compassion towards animals. Billoo was like our desi Dennis the Menace.”
Chirag Yadav, owner of Chaipatty Teafe, says: “I loved Saboo's experiences of going by gut feeling and working hard to achieve what he wanted. The comics were a balance between wit and sentiment and Pran did a great job explaining this in the form of a cartoon.”
Ruma Patel, a freelance artist, says, “There wasn’t a kid in the 90s who hadn’t read his comics. And the no-fuss narration is also what made them enthralling rib tickling reads. Pran took wedges of Indian middle class/rural life, absorbed them with his own drollness and writing abilities and ensured his characters were all lovable folk.”
At the time of The Phantom and Superman, Pran created desi superheroes we could identify with. Pran made a superhero out of an old man who wore a red turban and used a walking stick. Chacha Chaudhary didn’t posses superpowers but who else could boast of a brain that worked faster than a computer?
Called the Walt Disney of India, in The World Encyclopedia of Comics, Pran has several other accolades to his credit. Even though this legend is no more, he lives on, not just in the pages of his comic books but also in our hearts.
