Comics - A Forgotten Era

Many years ago, there was a time when "characters literally used to be larger than life". During summer vacation, the place that used to be thronged with people, were the lending libraries. Detective stories, novels,high school romance, you name it and every genre used to be available in those neatly stacked shelves. My first brush with reading, from what I clearly remember, was with comics. The sheer enthusiasm that it brought on my face while flipping through its pages stands out as a vivid childhood memory for me. The most fascinating aspect about comics was the conveyance of stories through pictorial representations.

Subscriptions was the name of the game and I used to eagerly wait for the postman to drop in these monthly subscriptions at my doorstep. The subscription list would seem nothing short of a monthly grocery list but the standout recollections are of Tinkle, Champak, Chandamama, Gokulam and Archies Comics. Tales of the brave Shikhari Shambu, a confused Supandi and a witty Chacha Chaudhary were the discussion topics in the evening after play. Mythological stories like Ramayan and Mahabharat conveyed through comics served as an excellent means for education and light reading.The perplexed Archie caught between Betty and Veronica continues to instill a thrill in me which is not bound to age. Flying heroes like SpiderMan and Batman saving damsels in distress against all odds were my definition of saviours. Its the sheer art of storytelling through this form that intrigues me. With the advent of television, most of these characters were made into successful running shows in the visual medium.

Today, as I flip through another page of Archies Comics, I ponder would comics remain an integral part of children's world in India with no dearth of gaming technology around? Would all these unsung superheroes fade into oblivion? In case that happens, we would be making a laughing stock out of ourselves on losing out on something that has spread laughter for generations across all languages. After all, a picture speaks more than a thousand words, including a caricature.