Anant Pai lives through the T(w)inkle he brought

Popular children’s magazine Tinkle has brought several characters to life. Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Kalia, Anwar, Cheeku and Meeku, Tantri the Mantri, Doob Doob and Chamataka have now become household names, thanks to Anant Pai, or rather Uncle Pai, the creator of all-time favourite Amar Chitra Katha.  He created a cult of readers, who spent their teenage years enjoying the mirth and morals of these tales.

At the Comic Convention on Saturday, the country commemorated the birth anniversary of Uncle Pai, who won the life-time achievement award.

Pai passed away this February, leaving fond memories of Partha and other such gangs that he had created.

“I recall being a member of Partha when I was in school. I used to write letters and wait eagerly for my copy. Although my letters never appeared in the comic, I never felt bad about it. I would still read it religiously,” said Rashmi Shetty, a software engineer and a comic buff.

The revolutionary comic writer was a scientist by profession and had a special series called Anu’s Club in Tinkle, which educated the mass of its young readers about science.

“I cannot forget the days when we would collect six months of comics and then bind them so that we could preserve them. We would read and re-read them. Those were our childhood comfort zones,” reminisces a fan Anusha Rathore, manager, sales, HDFC Mutual Funds.