One of my earliest memories is of a woman(my mum) who told me stories so that I could sit still while she put oil in my curly hair. These stories generally involved a princess who is abducted by a witch who took her to her ugly abode at the bottom of the sea. And then a brave boy named Maddy(that’s me) would go there and slay the witch and rescue the princess.
No! The ending never had me marrying the princess and taking over a kingdom from an ageing king.
I was too small to understand the materialistic temptations of the world.
I preferred a plastic cricket bat over a kingdom, and a cream biscuit over a beautiful princess.
Those were the golden days.childhood.
Next to my mum, it was books! They provided me with the much needed childhood vitamins.stories!
ENID BLYTON’S TOYLAND
As with majority of the children worldwide, one of my all time favourites were Enid Blyton stories. I used to especially like her stories of Noddy and Big-ears.
I remember the way I was addicted to Noddy. This childhood friend, with his blue joker-cap, spotted scarf and his team of Gobbo and Sly, Tessie Bear, Mr.Plod, and Big ears was a treat for us! The characters of Toyland were Enid Blyton’s own imaginations, and were designed by Van Der Beek.
Other than Noddy, Enid Blyton’s Toyland consisted of Brer Rabbit and Amelia Jane.
Also worth a mention are her other stories like Secret Seven, Green Goblins and Mr.Pinkwhistle. But my take from these other Blyton books was always Famous Five and Mr.Twiddle.
TALES OF BIRBAL
I can never forget the joy that these witty stories gave me as a child. So many years have passed.I am a father of a kid now.and yet, I still marvel at the genius of Raja Birbal.
One of the Navratnas(Nine gems) in the court of Akbar, Birbal invariably succeeded in all the small problems that were posed to him. For our American friends, here is one of the many answers the witty Birbal gave to the questions posed by the Mughal Emperor:
Where is the centre of the earth?
Right where I am standing! The Emperor may measure it!
PANCHATANTRA
This was, in my opinion, the Indian version of Aesop’s Fables. A king has two dumb sons. The king is worried as to the future of his kingdom. That is when Vishnu Sharma, a Brahmin, comes to the aid of the king. He takes over the responsibility of teaching the princes and making noble and intelligent men out of them. Vishnu Sharma’s tactics are simple. He tells them stories. Each story has a moral to be learnt. Every story gives rise to another story. And so the stories continue.
That is Panchatantra. A must read for all children.
COMICS
Who can forget these best buddies of childhood? The top spot for every Indian kid will invariably go to Amar Chitra Katha. Edited by Anant Pai, fondly called as Uncle Pai by kids our age, these comics opened a new world for us. These comics ranged from mythological stories, to historic characters, to comedy characters.even Birbal! But the one product that kids will never forget was Tinkle.
Again, in the same category, there was Diamond Comics, which provided us with characters like Chacha Chowdhury, Sabu and Lambu-Motu. Not to forget the superheroes like Phantom and Magician Mandrake.
I also enjoyed Richie Rich, Archies, Casper and Lotta.
OTHER BOOKS
I will devote this section to the fortnightly and monthly children’s magazines that have a special place in my childhood memories.
I remember there was Chandoba, a Marathi monthly, which came in almost all Indian languages. In Hindi and English, it was published as Chandamama. Memorable stories include the Betaal stories.
I also remember the monthly booklet Champak. This consisted stories from the animal kingdom called Champakvan. I remember one of my stories had appeared in this magazine when I was in seventh standard.
IN CONCLUSION
Whew! That was quite a journey in the past! It really felt good remembering all my childhood friends.
Friends who made me laugh.
Friends who made me aware.
Friends who were always good company.
Friends who shaped my life.
Friends who made me what I am today!
Through this review, I would love to thank Enid Blyton, Uncle Pai, Noddy, Big ears, Mr.Twiddle, Birbal, Chacha Chowdhury, Sabu, Richie Rich, Phantom, Tinkle gang(Suppandi, Tantri, Kaalia etc.), and all my friends from Champakvan!
Thanks a ton, fellas! I will never forget you!