Indian government has imposed a long lockdown in wake of the coronavirus outbreak and social media has boomed. Sharing content through memes, illustrations, jokes, news is keeping us all connected. And now, the quarantined lot is going to get all nostalgic, as few old comics are making a comeback through e-books.
The good old comics of the 90s, including Chacha Chaudhary, Pinki, Nagraj, among others are out there on social media, being shared through Whatsapp. The relics are widely circulated and can be accessed for free to make the social distancing days fun.
Adventures of Chacha Chaudhary revolved around Chacha Chaudhary, a wise old man, whose brain works faster than a computer. He goes on adventurous expeditions with his friend Sabu to fight against corrupt government officials, tricksters, roadside bullies, and local thugs.
Chacha Chaudhary has been a favourite character for all age groups be it adults or kids. “This is the best time when the readers can indulge themselves into reading and relive the world of Chacha Chaudhary,” mentioned Diamond Toons director Manish Verma.
Pinki was a popular comic series in the 80s and 90s. It tells the story of a five-year-old girl and her mischiefs. The series was also launched by Diamond Comics in 1978.
Champak is a popular fortnightly magazine for children published by the Delhi Press Group since 1969 in India. One of my favourites, Champak consists of moral stories that revolve around wild animals and their day-to-day lives in the rich dense forest of Champak.
Nagraj from Raj Comics is about a fictional Indian superhero who goes on different quests and fights the villains.
While talking to a few readers, one mentioned how the comeback of comics have made the quarantine time easy and fun. Neelima who is 44 and a housewife said, “These comics have been getaway while we were young. Am glad they are back and now I can show my kids what fun we had reading them.”
Dinesh who is an artist himself was thrilled to find this old lost treasure. He expressed, “I am so happy to have these comics back. Reading them was pure bliss. You all kids should definitely read them. That was a golden era for comics.”
Diamond Toons have released 100 such comics through whatsapp forwards and readers can also read it online. “We are also working on audio versions of various comic stories and books in different genres like mythology, self help and more,” added Verma.
With such initiatives from comic publishers to make the quarantining easy, we as citizens should now carry out our responsibility to stay at home and support the medical facilities and government fight against the pandemic.