When the childhood was all about Comics

I can call myself Generation X. Probably the generation that has seen most of the changes. The life has changed quite substantially. In fact, everything changed. Those days, there used to be no internet and hence, it used to be a lot different. One of the things that I can recall from those days is the Comics. Growing up in the late ’80s, everyone used to be engrossed in reading Comics. People have read the comics by paying rent as well. But that was not the case with me. I had mostly bought them and then read them.

Whenever I used to be at the bookstall, I would try to pick as many comics as possible, negotiating hard with my father. The smell of paper at the bookstalls was another thing that I am reminiscent about. There was this smell, which I liked though. I can confess that I have read the comics quite a lot. There used to be a lot of famous Comics characters. I hope I am driving nostalgia for people who are of the same age. For younger lots, it might be an idea to gather what the world was about in the pre-internet era.

Today, I am trying to recall the famous characters of the Comics. Those days were extraordinary when we would read these by keeping them next to our meals. The refrigerator in the house was adorned with Comics character magnets. Apparently, there was no space left on the refrigerator. Here are a few prominent Comics characters:

Chacha Choudhary and Saabu
Chacha Choudhary was the most famous Comics character then. It was the brainchild of Cartoonist Pran of the Diamond Comics. Chacha Choudhary was a very cunning man. He was small but had a huge moustache. He would also tie a turban. Unlike him, his friend Saabu was a tall and well-built man. Saabu would always be with Chacha Choudhary and would obey religiously to what Chacha Choudhary would direct. They were a deadly combo. While Chacha Choudhary was brainy, Saabu was muscular. Apparently, they would win every battle. Mostly, the protagonist those days used to be the saviour of the mankind and the people. They would be good and work for the people. They were no different. Saabu was a man from the planet Jupiter and whenever he would be angry, a volcano would erupt somewhere. It was so fun to read.

Supercommando Dhruv
It was from Raj Comics. The creator was Anupam Sinha. As the name appears, Dhruv was a supercommando and was known for his heroics. He would be attired like a Superman and his stuff no less. He would pull out extraordinary efforts to help people. He would be what all the supercops are capable of. He would also have the bike on which he would zip off. He was adept in hand-to-hand combat, martial arts, and acrobatics. The hero who would come out victorious each time. He was also the hope of people. There used to be some intense missions in which he was featured. The stories would be so thrilling and engrossing that you would feel the urge to finish the story in one-go. What days.

Nagraj
It was another superhit Comics character. It was also from Raj Comics. This character was created by Rajkumar Gupta. We had our own Spiderman sort of character. This man would release snakes from his hands. He was another epic superhero helping the people and the mankind. He could take a flight, become invisible and also had the powers of telepathy. The character was mostly inspired by mythological ‘Ichhadhaari Nag’. He looked like one.

Billu and Pinki
These fun characters were also the brainchild of Cartoonist Pran of Diamond Comics. Billu was a sleepy and nerdy boy. He had such long hair that his eyes won’t be visible. He is a fun-loving teenager. He liked cricket and the television. There was a wit with which the character was written. He was mostly a prankster whose pranks would backfire on him, leading to hilarious situations. On the other hand, Pinki, another Cartoonist Pran character was a small 5-year-old girl. She could often be seen with her pet squirrel Kut-Kut. Her bids to help her neighbor Jhapatji would always lead to chaos. The whole neighborhood used to wary of her misadventures.

P.S. Writing about Comics took me to days of childhood and its innocence. There were many other Comics characters but they were not as famous as the ones I have mentioned. I chose these characters as they were the most prominent ones and liked by people. I realise the days were so simpler. Every child would be filled with infinite glee with Comics in their hands.