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MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA AUGUST 13, 2014 11.55 P.M.
If I mention that Pran Kumar Sharma died on August 05, 2014, only few will take notice. But if I mention that creator of CHACHA CHOUDHARY died in Gurgaon on August 05, 2014 at the age of 75, thousands will mourn.When I read about the sad demise of creator of CHACHA CHOUDHARY, I felt a personal loss. He was suffering from Colon cancer.
Pran began his career in 1960 as a cartoonist for the Delhi based newspaper Milap with comic strip Daabu. Apart from Daabu, Indian comics scenario was largely based on reprints of The Phantom and Superman. In 1969, Pran sketched Chacha Chaudhary for the Hindi magazine Lotpot, which made him famous. Pran has also created other cartoon characters like Shrimatiji, Pinki, Billoo, Raman, Channi Chachi and others, which are regularly published in Indian magazines. Pran reached lakhs of Kannadigas through his Putti, Raman that were published in Kannada daily Prajavani and Shrimathi which publishes in Kannada magazine Sudha.
He was included in People of the Year 1995 by Limca Book of Records for popularizing comics in India. In 1983, the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi released Pran’s comics “Raman – Ham Ek Hain” which promoted national integration. Pran received a Lifetime Achievement Award 2001, from Indian Institute of Cartoonists. Pran has also given lessons in cartooning at the Pran’s Media Institute, run by his son Nikhil.
Maurice Horn notes that Pran has been given the title of “Walt Disney of India” in The World Encyclopedia of Comics. The Chacha Chaudhary strips find permanent place in International Museum of Cartoon Art, USA.
Pran Kumar Sharma with His Creation CHACHA CHOUDHARY
Since my childhood days in Deoria, I was a huge fan of Mandrake The Magician and Phantom. Both the comic strips used to be published daily in a popular Hindi daily of those days ” AAJ “. Mandrake became Mandareek and Phantom became Van Bhairav in Hindi. My day never began unless I read these two syndicated comic strips in ” AAJ “.
Mandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk . Its publication began June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip’s illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip is distributed by King Features Syndicate.
Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964, when Falk recruited current artist Fred Fredericks. With Falk’s death in 1999, Fredericks became both writer and artist. The Sunday Mandrake strip ended December 29, 2002. The daily strip ended mid-story on July 6, 2013 when Fred Fredericks retired,
After hugely popular Mandrake the Magician, Lee Falk , created another adventure comic strip , The Phantom . A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crime fighter operating from the fictional African country Bangalla.
The Phantom is the 21st in a line of crime fighters that originated in 1536, when the father of British sailor Christopher Walker was killed during a pirate attack. Swearing an oath on the skull of his father’s murderer to fight evil, Christopher started the legacy of the Phantom that would be passed from father to son, leaving people to give the mysterious figure nicknames such as “The Ghost Who Walks”, “The Man Who Cannot Die” and “Guardian of the Eastern Dark”, believing him to be immortal.
Unlike many fictional costumed heroes, the Phantom does not have any superpowers, and relies on his strength, intelligence, and fearsome reputation of being an immortal ghost to defeat his foes. The 21st Phantom is married to Diana Palmer, whom he met while studying in the United States; they have two children, Kit and Heloise. Like all previous Phantoms, he lives in the ancient Skull Cave, and has a trained wolf, Devil, and a horse named Hero.
The series began with a daily newspaper strip on February 17, 1936, followed by a color Sunday strip on May 28, 1939; both are still running as of 2014. At the peak of its popularity, the strip was read by over 100 million people each day.
Lee Falk continued work on The Phantom until his death in 1999. Today the comic strip is produced by writer Tony DePaul and artists Paul Ryan (Monday-Saturday) and Terry Beatty (Sunday).
New Phantom stories are published in comic books in different parts of the world, among them by Dynamite Entertainment in the United States, Egmont in Sweden, Norway and Finland, and Frew Publications in Australia.
The Phantom was the first fictional hero to wear the skin-tight costume that has now become a hallmark of comic book superheroes, and was also the first shown wearing a mask with no visible pupils, another superhero standard.
Being a fan of above mentioned two comic strip heroes; Mandrake The Magician and Phantom, I was skeptical , rather dismissive when I read about cartoonist Pran and his Desi Comic strip hero CHACHA CHOUDHARY. What can a mustachioed elderly man do in front of such powerful heroes like Mandrake and Phantom? But I was wrong.
CHACHA CHOUDHARY As We All Know
When I read adventures of CHACHA CHOUDHARY in Diamond Comics , I became a life-long fan.The bond with CHACHA CHOUDHARY, BINNI CHACHI and SABU is unbreakable. I still remember and will always remember the famous tagline “…….. Chacha Choudhary ka dimag, computer se bhi tez chalta hai ………”.
CHACHA CHOUDHARY and SABU
According to a Diamond Comics press release, the Indian kids in the age group 10–13 years ranked Chacha Chaudhary as their most recognizable comic book character.
He has also been featured as a guest in other Diamond Comics series, with Billoo, Pinki and Lucky.
With the sad demise of cartoonist Pran, CHACHA CHOUDHARY wont be same again. May be he will also die soon.One more part of my adolescent , growing years is lost forever.
On behalf of all the students and staff of VIDUR Acting Institute , VIDUR Editing Studio , VIDUR Club and VIDUR Merchandise, I offer my condolences.
CHACHA CHOUDHARY is a part of my growing years. His memory is firmly etched in my psyche.
[ Information about Mandrake The Magician, Phantom and their creator Lee Falk is taken from Wikipedia. I express my gratitude. ]
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MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA
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Filed under: Obituary | Tagged: Aaj, Acting Institute, Acting Trainer, adventure comic strip, Australia, Billoo, Binni Chachi, cartoon characters, Cartoonist Pran, Chacha Chaudhary, Chacha Choudhary, Chacha Choudhary ka dimag, Chacha Choudhary ka dimag computer se bhi tez chalta hai, Channi Chachi, comic strip, Comic Strip Daabu, comic strips, costumed crime fighter, Deoria, Diamond Comics, Diction Trainer, Dynamite Entertainment, Egmont, Fictional African country Bangalla, Film, Finland, Fred Fredericks, Frew Publication, Guardian of the Eastern Dark, Hindi Daily AAJ, Hindi magazine Lotpot, Hindi Teacher, illustrator Falk, India, Indian comics scenario, Indian magazines, Indira Gandhi, Indrajal Comics, International Museum of Cartoon Art, Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi, Kannada daily Prajavani, Kannada magazine Sudha, Kannadigas, King Features Syndicate, Lee Falk, Maharashtra, Mandareek, Mandrake The Magician, Maurice Horn, Media, Milap, Mumbai, Norway, Obituary, Paul Ryan, Phantom, Phil Davis, Pinki, Pran, Pran Kumar Sharma, Putti, Raman, Sabu, Shrimathi, Shrimatiji, Sweden, syndicated newspaper comic strip, Television, Terry Beatty, The Ghost Who Walks, The Man Who Cannot Die, The Phantom, The Phantom and Superman, the United States, The World Encyclopedia of Comics. The Chacha Chaudhary strips, Tony DePaul, USA, Van Bhairav, video games, Vidur, VIDUR Acting Institute, Vidur Chaturvedi, VIDUR Club, VIDUR Editing Studio, VIDUR Merchandise, Vidur on Twitter, Vidur's Blog, Walt Disney of India | Leave a comment »
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