India’s Loss, Jupiter’s Gain: With Pran gone, we lost a non-superhero who saved our world

Vishwajyoti Ghosh

For many of us who grew up in the ’80s, while Amar Chitra Katha was an extension of the school with all its mythologies and histories and the demons and the maidens packed into our school bags, good old Chacha Chaudhary was an extension of the home and the neighbourhood —  comprising a mix of children, some who went to the local government school and those of us who wore a tie and were sent to a English medium school. Chacha Chaudhary (who also wore a tie) was a part of both worlds and we read him in Hindi, even though the comic was published in English and other languages too. No one really bothered because Chacha was never a superhero. He was too middle class, too earthy, too bhaisaab a man to speak English, accompanied by a huge, bald, underwear-sporting Sabu who was in charge of the Department of Fury, Superpowers and Jupiter.

We never saw Chacha Chaudhry as a superhero, even though his brain worked faster than a computer. There were a variety of reasons, namely his traits and observations, the humour, too, was homespun. For instance: Chacha to his wife: Arre, when I was out, why didn’t you stop taking the newspaper? Anyway you don’t know English, or you could’ve switched to a Hindi newspaper! Wife: Tsk tsk..don’t you know, the English newspaper has more pages and gets a price from the kabadi.

At regular intervals, the middle-class realism got its dose of magic from Sabu’s fury and the volcano that erupted in Jupiter. More importantly, Chacha Chaudhary was never a superhero simply because he was affordable. With their prohibitive price range, Tintin and Asterix were out of reach but the Indian comic was available on rent-a-read basis for 25 paise. For the collector, the comic was sold at a princely sum of Rs 1.50 only.

The inside front cover would have a note from the creator, Pran, with a black and white photo of him, all suited-booted with that ’70s hairstyle; it was a small peek into his drawing board that also created more middle classisms like Shrimatiji, Raman, Pinki and others. When television meant only five hours of Doordarshan in the evening, it was reading these comics that lapped up one’s afternoons.

Each of them were carefully documenting the urban Indian household and life outside its four walls. Shrimatiji and her husband once spotted their maid at a bungalow, only to realise that she owned it.

 The maid’s husband — a gardener — had moved to Dubai a year ago, and was now an owner of a bungalow, a VCR and a Chevrolet car. “Why can’t you go to Dubai too?” asked Shrimatiji, nudging her husband. Very ’80s and, if I may add, very Delhi.

Pran Sharma’s demise doesn’t mean losing a part of my childhood, but this city has lost another icon, and his drawing board no longer has a non-superhero.

The Express LOL Tribute to Pran Kumar Sharma

The adventures of Chacha and Sabu had us laughing for hours on end, and we hope that the creator, Pran Kumar Sharma, rests in peace. 

To say that we all enjoyed Chacha Chaudhary comics when we were young would be an understatement. The adventures of Chacha and Sabu had us laughing for hours on end, and we hope that the creator, Pran Kumar Sharma, rests in peace, because he’s given us some of the best moments of our childhood.

Here is Express LOL’s special tribute to Pran, the genius who introduced humour into Indian comics:

Thank you Pran…for introducing us to the scale of speed that goes: Calculator – Human Brain – Computer – Usain Bolt – Chacha Chaudhary’s brain.

Thank you Pran…for teaching us that, even if a man is a genius, white haired, wears a turban, has a pet dog and a pet alien, he still has to bow to his wife’s authority at home. Some things never change. 

Thank you Pran…for proving, in every comic strip, that brain trumps brawn, and showing us that bullies always lose in the long run. 

Thank you Pran…for making an old man the hero of Chacha Chaudhary; the only other 60+ year old man who has ensnared leading roles with Chacha’s regularity is Rajinikanth. 

Thank you Pran…for making a generation of children think that aliens from Jupiter were cool, and giving a generation of bodybuilders inspiration from Sabu rather than Schwarzenegger. 

Thank you Pran…for teaching us that superheroes didn’t have to be foreign and omnipotent like Superman, or foreign and tortured like Batman – they could be Indian, frail and relatable 

Thank you Pran…for making sure we whiled away time on rainy days reading your awesome comics instead of watching random people beat each other up on TV. 

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