Bhuli Bhisri Yaadein - 3

Tinkle, Champak, Chandamama, Gokulam, Archies comics...Do any of these names ring a bell??? They formed a regular part of my childhood days. First of all, the almost real-life like colourful cartoons depicted the story so beautifully that I could mostly visualize the story happening in front of me. Supandi was my favourite in Tinkle...that character always made me roll on the floor with laughter and his dumbness never seemed to deter him from doing something he did best...ie goofup. Then there were Akbar-Birbal stories, Vikram-Betal etc and one never knew how time passed. If it were vacation times, then there used to be Tinkle Double Digest (one on one free kinds) and Archies Double Digest. My friends and me actually used to fight for the latest issue of Archies..poor fella always caught between Betty and Veronica with Jughead for company. Your heart always went out for him. My house always used to be scattered with such comics and story books and it was always a mini lending library. Where are all these comics now? Do you hear anyone demanding for them or reading them? Now its vacation time...theres a computer game lending library and a Sify iway near my place. The queues are long, kids get a thrill in playing race games or shooting enemies and moving to next level. Technological advancement, tremendous exposure all has come at the cost of something and so we pay the price. Libraries are reducing because they don't have a kid reader base. With the increasing power cuts in Mumbai, I'm sure reading habit can be inculcated if one wants to..the importance of which one will understand when one grows up. And this makes my resolve more determined that for sure ill open a lending library at some point in my life and thatll be soon. So comic along if you can:)

Yaadein...Woh Yaadein.