by Bijesh Krishnadas
[box]What would we have done without the Amar Chitra Kathas and Tinkles? Bijesh Krishnadas pays a tribute to Uncle Pai.[/box]Dear Uncle Pai,
My earliest memory of reading anything other than a text book brings up the picture of a 3rd grader sitting next to a gunny bag. This was my treasure trove of Amar Chitra Kathas and Tinkles that trickled down to me from my cousin. On every visit to my cousin’s place, I came back with a handful of these comic books. I did not have enough shelves to stack them and so they were stuffed into the gunny bag.
I remember spending my holidays sitting down beside the bag, picking out a random comic book, reading it page to page and repeatingthe process for hours. Of course my parents, being parents, did not approve of “comic books” and so most of the reading during school nights was done under the tiny light that seeped through the bedroom doors. If only they had realised the invaluable knowledge those comic books bestowed upon children!
I did not know who Anant Pai was at that time. I did not know who was behind this great gift that was given to me. I only knew that these comic books took me through the vast landscape of Indian mythology and showed me what BR Chopra and Ramanand Sagar couldn’t compress into the television format. I learned from the Panchatantra and Jataka. I read about the lives and times of many enigmatic characters from India’s mythology and history. I marvelled at the wit and intelligence of Birbal and Hodga. For comic relief, I had the dear old Shambu and the stupendous Suppandi and I often wondered if Tantri the Mantri would ever succeed in his evil plans.
I read about you much later and was enthralled to learn that my childhood had been made sweeter thanks to one man’s vision. A man who decided that the wonderful epics of India must be taught to children and who knew that it wasn’t to be done through boring textbooks. A man whom children addressed as “Uncle” with immense respect and love. You, Sir, deserve all the adoration and adulation that is showered on you and you shall remain in the hearts of all of us who grew up with the characters that you created and the canvas that you painted for us.
Growing up, I moved away from comic books but I will never forget the influence that your books had on me. As for the gunny bag, it was lost during one of our moves. I spent weeks brooding over the loss but little did I know that I would miss the gunny bag so much after all these years.
Good bye, Uncle. May your soul rest in peace. Your legacy shall live on.
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