Chacha Chaudahury Creator Felicitated

CARTOONIST PRAN, creator of the famous comic series Chacha chaudhury has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna on behalf of the Indian Institute of Cartoonists. It has been almost 41 years since Pran created the now legendary Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu at a time when most comics available in India were imported from Western countries. However, unlike the heroes of foreign comic strips like Superman, Batman and Spiderman, his protagonist dealt with incident that highlighted primarily political issues. As the great cartoonist says: "There is nothing out of this world about them."This is probably the secret of their success, because Indian children have fount it easier to relate to his characters than to the multitude of foreign superheroes on offer.

"My characters kept pace with the times. Chacha Chaudhary was shot statured and old, but endowed with a sharp intellect and wit. He solved problems using common sense but with a touch of humor. However, when terrorism was at its peak and the country was plagued by scandals and bomb blasts, I introduced Sabu, who was a symbol of ultimate strength.

"The tall robust man become a constant companion of Chacha Chaudhary and the two together solved all the problems of the world . The duo represent an unbeatable combination of brain and brawn," he said. In 1968, Pran created Shrimatiji, a middle-class housewife, who handled the day to day problems of rising prices, social norms and managing the children.