August 2006- I was going to my hometown to attend my sister in law’s wedding. My wife and daughters had already left earlier. I had arrived early at station not wanting to take a gamble with Bangalore’s notorious traffic jams. As I browsed for some books in the book stall with which I could pass time, I happened to chance on a Tinkle Digest. I was looking for a good comics book for my elder daughter Lakshya, who was 3 years old. Tinkle hit a nostalgic nerve in me and I picked it up. I was just wondering how my daughter fed on a diet of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Tom & Jerry, would take it.
We were back to Bangalore, after the marriage, work was pretty heavy and I often arrived late. I had already read some parts of Tinkle to her. One Friday it was very tough, had a deadline, and went home around 2 A.M. I was exhausted and luckily next day being a Saturday, had some time to sleep. I woke up and was lazing around. My daughter bought the Tinkle book to me, and asked me to read it to her. For the next couple of hours, I was transported back to my childhood, as we had fun with stories and features in it. I became her student, as she made me repeat it again and again.
Daddy what is the crow name? Kaalia
Daddy what are the rabbit’s names? Keechu Meechu
Daddy what is crocodile name? Doob Doob
Daddy what is fox name? Chamataka.
I gave this book as a gift to my daughter. But in return she gave me back a more priceless gift, my childhood back. Way back in 1980 as a kid of 11 years, I loved Tinkle, read every story, every feature of it. 26 years later, my daughter loves it equally as much as she does Tom & Jerry and Mickey Mouse. While she likes all stories, her favorite is that of Kaalia the crow. She goes nuts over the characters, the wily fox Chamatka, whose plans always fail, the dim witted crocodile Doob Doob, the innocent rabbits Keechu Meechu, the hot headed bear Babloo. **So much that when we went to the zoo and she saw the rabbits, she immediately exclaimed “Daddy, Keechu Meechu”.
In a way I guess that explains the appeal of Tinkle, the stories are simple, humorous and witty, the illustrations pretty good, and the essence is totally Indian. Any average Indian can relate to the stories narrated, and that explains its popularity from my childhood to now, and I hope even when my kids grow up.
Similar on the lines of Kaalia, you have Kapish the wise monkey, who always foils the plans of the wily fox Sigal and the tiger Peelu, with the help of his friend the elephant Bundla. Most of the time Kapish and Bundla end up saving the deer Pintu and the rabbit Moti.
Then of course you have Shikari Shambu, the hunter who keeps bragging, but in reality is a coward at heart. Most of the time he manages to capture animals just by plain dumb luck. And of course you have the sarcastic humor of Nasiruddin Hodja.
Suppandi** the dim witted servant, who more often than not ends up making a mess of things, and driving his employers crazy. Tantri the Mantri, the evil minister, forever trying to kill his king, Hooja, who never suspects him. Most of his plans again go haywire, and he unwittingly keeps earning the king’s gratitude.
Tinkle also features folk stories from India and other countries. Most of these tales are pretty simple, coming with a moral, but a delight to read. Also in a way they expose the children to cultures and traditions of other places.
Apart from stories and cartoons, Tinkle also offers a lot of educational features like Fact Fantasy, which gives you interesting facts about any topic. We have Tinkle Tells You Why, where it tries to answer questions of children. Tinkle also has wonderful articles on scientific topics. Be it on how anesthesia was invented or the Wright brothers first flight or how rubber is made, Tinkle presents excellent information in a manner in which kids can easily understand. Then we have Meet the Animal series, where we get to know about a particular animal, its lifestyle, its habits.
One of the best features of this magazine is it’s interactive nature, where readers can send in their own stories and articles to be published. So if you want to wean your kid away from TV and video games, and want to inculcate the habit of reading into him/her, Tinkle is a good starting point with a wonderful mix of education, information and entertainment.
Anant Pai** bought to us the history and culture of India through Amar Chitra Katha, and through Tinkle, he has provide a wonderful mix of entertainment, fun and education for kids. And I would suggest the Tinkle Double Digests. Priced at just Rs75, you could get around 4-5 issues of this, and read it out along with your kid. Trust me, its just not your kid, but even you, who will find yourself enjoying it. And in a stress filled world, nothing like going back to your childhood even for a moment.
“I love Tinklee. I like Kkkalia, Keechu Mmeechu, Doob Doob.”-That’s my daughter Lakshya trying to follow in her Dad’s footsteps, making an attempt to write something. But one thing for sure, she is beaming from ear to ear, after seeing that what she is typing is comming out here. And that is a lot for me.