Two of the most loved personalities, Mullapudi Venkataramana (Telugu) and Anant Pai (English) passed away one day apart. But they will always remain in the hearts of millions of children and adults whose lives they have touched with their books/ characters.
The very first book I set my eyes on as a child was an Amar Chitra Katha or AMC (the second one being Chandamama). I was shown the sequence of pictures and the story was told. I asked to be told again and again till I could remember the story and identify the pictures through it. I had my first look at Tinkle, right from the very first issue in 1980. I shared the most recent one with my daughter with every character is etched in my mind.
My parents were only too happy to buy the books because they reflected our culture and traditions (They grimaced a little when I asked for Archies). AMC brought the complex stories of Hindu mythology to children in a simple manner and taught moral values which the elders were only too happy to hear us repeat. What was once passed down from grandparents to grandchildren, parents were able to pass on through AMC.
After I learned to read, many afternoons were spent with books. AMC and Disney series dominated initially. We dint have televisions then. My cousins and I sat with some comics and snacks and spent all our holidays reading. While traveling, comics were our companions. More often it was Tinkle Double digest since it would take up most of our journey time and we would be busy in a corner with it. We sometimes got scolded since we did not turn out lights off at night as we were only too happy to finish ‘one more’ comic. Some books were read under the blanket with a torch.
Slowly we added Mandrake, Phantom and other American series as well. We moved on to Enid Blyton, Famous five and other small novels and then bigger novels. But we always went back to read AMC or Tinkle umpteenth time.
I was in middle school when I learnt how to read and write Telugu properly. My first book was obviously Chandamama. I had to muster great courage to move on to other books since I wasn’t confident of understanding the many nuances of the language. But when I did, I enjoyed every classic that I read. Mullapudi’s Budugu is a character that no telugu person will forget. The naughty kid with a funny accent stole everyone’s heart.
Cinee Ramaneeyam,Rrajakiya Bhetalam, Girisam Lecturlu, Radha Gopalam, Vikramarkudi marku simhasam kadhalu were as much funny as they were sartorial. Every word brings a smile to your lips and a thought to your mind.
Ramayanam, sri Krishna leelalu, Bhagavatha kadhalu were epics with Bapu’s pictures – a visual treat. Telugu literature has lost one of its beloved contributors and so has Telugu cinema. His contribution to Telugu cinema as a partner to Bapu is much more well-known to common man. Bapu-Ramana were like fish and water. They completed each other's thoughts, words and works. My heart-felt sympathy is with Bapu.
The mere recollection of all those books makes my heart heavy and I craves for my childhood days again. I lost a piece of my childhood when these two exponents passed away almost at the same time. Two drops of tears and a prayer that they shall live for ever through their books ….
The whole collection now lies in the attic, waiting for my children. I hope they too will appreciate their value.
