# 3rd Anniversary Post

Friends and comic lovers from all over the world,it gives me immense pleasure to welcome all of you at this memorable day which is the 3rd birthday/anniversary of this blog.
First of all let me thank my dear friend Comic Crazee for designing this fabulous header specially for Comic World's 3rd Anniversary post.Many-many thanks to him for this magnificent gift.
To start the celebrations,let me present another one of my dear and close friend Kuldeep Bhai who is eager to welcome all of you.Here are his words right away.

"Hello every one..My welcome greeting to you all and thanks everyone for joining us to celebrate another wonderful anniversary of this blog.This blog is not a website like millions others available on internet but it is a place where we see a pristine pond filled with warm memories of our childhood and we all want to jump to feel the old days when we were care free, pure hearted and dreamed to do something big.. Welcome all.. jump and feel the joy, happiness and lets promise ourselves that we will keep on filling this pond with our thoughts, appreciation,knowledge sharing,old memories so that more and more will be joining us in coming days to make this place the only 'mecca'/'Kumbh' of Comics world .. On this blog we have seen so many wonder ful post(Sholay,Hindi novels,satyakatha,bal pocket books,comics artist, writers....).. so many old thoughts ('par-tilli' , comics reading in Lantern light, efforts took to get comics...) we met so many wonder ful people who have such vast knowledge on comics,collection and we learned a lot about comics,comic culture ,reading habits in India and around the world. So much have been shared,posted so far and amazing part is that ' we want more' what best could happen to this blog other than this that instead of quenching the fire it is making it more and more big like adding more fuel (with every new post.) we have shown our appreciation to 'Zaheer bhai' so many time and on this occasion I salute his great work again on behalf of all of us and congratulate him again on 3rd anniversary of 'Comic world'.
Lage raho Zaheer bhai ... and Yes.. ALL IZZZ WELL.. keep it rolling.. Have a wonder ful time friends.. Kuldeep

As you all know about Kuldeep Bhai that he is living encyclopedia of comics,he has vast-vast treasure of knowledge and nostalgic moments attached with comics which he regularly keeps on sharing with all of us in his unique and unmatched style of words of which we all are fond of.If topic comes about Ved Prakash Sharma then he is simply unmatched and a living data base of his novels...simply mind blowing...i have never seen a passionate comic reader and lover as he is....and talking about his human side,he is a good human and friends of friend.How many of us can send quite a costly comics to a person with whom we don't have that much of 'terms' and acquaintance and that also without expecting any thing in return!!!Truly,a most humble attitude which is highly appreciated.
Kuldeep Bhai,many thanks for your kind and warm feeling toward this blog,i hope to see you all along with this blog like you are.As a small token of gift here is that ad page of unpublished novel of Ved Prakash Sharma which you were looking for.Hope you will like it.




























Friends,three years is quite a considerable time considering a comic blog to survive which was solely started with a passion behind for sharing Indrajal Comics on net,though all IJCs(English) has been posted at net and now only regional languages IJCs are remaining for which several blogs have also come up to post them.
Mere comic posting was never been a sole motive of this blog,rather this blog was looking for meaningful,healthy and in depth discussions over nostalgia associated with comics,about person associated with these fine comics and over the reviews of these timeless comics.This was the factor which kept this blog alive as a particular brand of comics can deplete but thoughts,nostalgia and discussion over the comics can never deplete.
Throughout the journey of blog we came to know about finest comic collectors of India and abroad,got information about many lost comic publications of India and made many friends,the journey is still through and will continue.

Its very easy to initiate a thought but quite difficult to maintain it with same enthusiasm and vigor,we have witnessed in past that quite a few blogs surfaced the net world but very few sustained their place till now.Comic World is fortunate enough to keep its pace get going and the reason behind is to shift its attention towards a wide variety of comics rather than sticking to a particular brand.
The story behind creation of Comic World is known to all of you as it has been repeated a couple of times,new readers and visitors of Comic World can read it by clicking this link.
If i look three years back from now and compare my position from it,i find many things to be proud of such as friends which i made during this journey,information and knowledge about comics and their publications,my comic collection has grown up a lot and most remarkable of these all the name and fame which was bestowed via this blog as this blog has been visited by visitors from around 150 countries with around 2 lakhs page visits in a short span of 3 years. It was also recognized by print media when a article about this blog was written in Hindi Edition of 'The Hindustan Times'.

Well,enough of my gloating,here is the 1st comic of this special anniversary post for all of you.Its a Indrajal comic,yes a Indrajal which was the main driving force behind this blog. This comic is contributed by Mr.Abhishek of Delhi through a another dear friend and our well known 'master scanner' Mr.Ajay Misra who scanned it after being lend by Abhishek,there is no need for introduction of Ajay Misra as he is a well known and respected name in the world of comics,having a unmatched attitude towards sharing comics.

I have never been came across with somebody who has such passionate attitude when it comes to sharing of comics.Many-many thanks to Abhishek and Ajay for this contribution,we hope so see many more from you in future.




























Its unfortunate to see that in Indian comic industry persons behind the creation of these timeless comics were/are not given their due credit and appreciation,and many of them died or still living unrecognized and/or in poor condition.The reason behind is that in India comic reading is considered for kids only without giving any serious thoughts and attention for the art involved behind in creation of comics.After the advent of TV,video,mobile and now internet boom the reading culture and popularity of comics suffered a huge setback thus degrading the already degraded market value of comic culture leaving the persons associated with comics as no exception.
A person among us has decided to put up his hard efforts in order to bring out the contribution of the persons behind the golden era of Indian comics in front of all of us so that it can be appreciated and could be given its due credit which was being lost behind the fog of time till now.
And that person is a another dear friend Alok who is keeping no stone unturned policy in order to complete his homage(documentary) to stalwarts of Indian comic industry.We all have many hopes on this documentary project and are eagerly waiting for its release.
Alok is also a dear friend,a avid supporter and fan of Comic World and for this 3rd anniversary post he has prepared a special article on one of the famous and mysterious cartoonist "Shehab". Shehab is well known for its cartooning ability and typical middle class Indian characters such as Chotu-Lambu,Manglu Madari-Bandar Bihari,Chaman Charlie etc.

Not much is known about Shehab,but whatever Alok could found in his research is presented here in this article.

जीवन की कडवी दवा में चटपटा हास्य मिलानेवाले कलाकार : शेहाब जी

कॉमिक वर्ल्ड की तीसरी वर्षगाँठ पर जब ज़हीर भाई ने मुझसे पूछा कि मैं किस विषय पर एक गेस्ट पोस्ट लिखना चाहूँगा तो सबसे पहले जो नाम मेरे ज़हन में उभरे वह थे स्वर्गीय शेहाब साहब और उनके अमर चरित्र छोटू-लम्बू.बाकी महान कलाकारों और लोकप्रिय चरित्रों के बीच मैंने कॉमिक blogs में शेहाब जी का ज़िक्र होते ज़रा कम ही देखा है. शेहाब जी का चरित्र ऐसे रहस्यों के कुहासे में घिरा हुआ है कि उनके बारे में जानने की मेरी इच्छा समय के साथ लगातार बढती गयी, न कहीं उनकी फोटो देखने को मिली न कहीं उनका कोई साक्षात्कार. ऐसे में कुछ साल पहले जब मैंने चित्रकथा documentary प्लान की तो दिल में बड़ी हसरतों के साथ मैंने शेहाब जी की तलाश शुरू की और काफी बाद में पता चला कि वे कुछ बरस पहले ही गुमनामी कि ज़िन्दगी जीते हुए अल्लाह को प्यारे हो गए. अपनी ज़िन्दगी के अंतिम दिन उन्होंने इस क़दर गुमनामी में गुज़ारे कि उनको जाननेवाले कई चित्रकथाकारों को ये तक पता नहीं था शेहाब जी जीवित भी हैं या नहीं, हाँ अलबत्ता हर किसी को उनकी मुफलिसी और एक एक्सीडेंट में उनके पैरों के कट जाने की कहानियाँ ज़रूर याद थी. बहरहाल बरसों पहले धर्मयुग में उनका एक छोटा सा साक्षात्कार देखा था जिसमें उन्होंने बड़े मजाकिया ढंग से बताया था कि किस तरह उन्होंने अपने कार्टूनिंग जीवन की शुरुआत की थी एक जोनी वाकर के एक कार्टून के साथ जो छपा था उर्दू पत्रिका फनकार वीकली में.

उसके बाद उन्होंने धर्मयुग, पराग और बाद में इंद्रजाल कॉमिक्स के लिए काफी काम किया और साथ ही अनेक और किरदार रचे जो समय समय पर यहाँ वहाँ प्रकाशित होते रहे. यदि उनके किरदारों की ज़िन्दगी में झांकें तो उनके अपने जीवन का अभाव और अभाव में भी सेन्स ऑफ़ ह्यूमर साफ़ नज़र आता है

जगदीश भारती जी(मधु-मुस्कान)शेहाब जी को याद करते हुए बोल पड़े, "शेहाब ने अपने जीवन का दर्द अपने किरदारों में छिपा दिया पर यदा कदा वह दर्द उनके किरदारों में नज़र आ ही जाता है, उनके ह्यूमर में एक Pathos की भावना छिपी हुई सी है."जगदीश जी का कहना गलत भी नहीं हम सभी को याद है छोटू लम्बू की अनगिनत कहानियाँ जिनमें कभी कोई उन्हें अपने यहाँ टीवी पर आ रही गणतंत्र दिवस की परेड नहीं देखने देता, कभी उनके घर का आटा ख़त्म हो जाता है तो कभी कोई सड़कछाप गुंडा या छुटभैय्या नेता उनसे आ भिड़ता है और मकानमालिक और भाड़े का ज़िक्र तो करीब हर दूसरी चित्रकथा में होता था. पर इन सारी बातों के बावजूद जो भावना सबसे प्रबल हो कर छोटू लम्बू में सामने आती वो थी उनकी देशभक्ति और अपनी कमियों पर हंसने की अद्भुत क्षमता, मुझे याद है छोटू लम्बू किस तरह ट्रांजिस्टरों पर क्रिकेट कमेंटरी सुनते घुमते-फिरते उन विदेशियों को सबक सिखाते थे जो देश के भूखे नंगे बच्चे खोज कर उनकी तसवीरें उतारते हैं, जीवन की इन काली सच्चाइयों में भी हास्य उकेरनेवाले कलाकार हमारे यहाँ कम ही हुए हैं और शेहाब जी की चित्रकथाओं में वह इस खूबी के साथ निकल कर आता है कि समझ में ही नहीं आता कि वो हकीक़त के मारे इंसान को गुदगुदाना चाह रहे हैं या बच्चों को आनेवाले जीवन की सच्चाइयों से रूबरू करा रहे हैं.

"मैं शेहाब जी से कभी नहीं मिला पर उनसे एक दो बार पत्रव्यवहार हुआ है", कार्टूनिस्ट प्राण साहब ने याद करते हुए कहा और मुझे शेहाब जी का हस्तलिखित पत्र दिखाया, एक अंतर्देशीय पर खूबसूरत लिखाई में लिखे उस पत्र में शेहाब जी ने लिखा था उन्हें उर्दू-अरबी की कैलीग्राफी करने में बड़ा आनंद आता है और समय मिलने पर वो कार्टून बना लिया करते हैं. "मुझे पता नहीं वो इन दिनों कहाँ है पर आपकी उनसे मुलाक़ात हो तो कहियेगा उनका दोस्त प्राण उन्हें याद करता है." प्राण साहब ने पत्र सहेज कर रखते हुए कहा. अगले ही दिन हमें एक प्रकाशक से पता चला शेहाब जी का देहांत कुछ बरस पहले ही मुंबई में हो चुका था.और रिसर्च करने पर पता चला शेहाब जी का पूरा नाम शेख शहबुद्दीन था, और गरीबी की वजह से वे कभी स्कूल न जा पाए पर मेट्रिक की परीक्षा उन्होंने प्राइवेट में पास की, अब सोच कर मज़ा आता है कि जिस बरस उन्होंने ये किया होगा शायद छोटू-लम्बू पराग में छप रहे होंगे और उनके साथ ये परीक्षा देनेवाले लाखों बच्चों में न जाने कितने लोकप्रिय भी रहे होंगे.

शेहाब जी के अन्य चरित्र जैसे तोताराम-चिड़ीमार, मंगलू मदारी- बन्दर बिहारी और चिम्पू (इंद्रजाल कॉमिक्स) भी बड़े लोकप्रिय हुए, उन्होंने इंद्रजाल कॉमिक्स के लिए कुछ अकबर-बीरबल की फिलर कहानियाँ भी बनायीं, ये कहानियाँ और इंद्रजाल के लिए बनाये उनके कवर्स देख कर पता चलता है उनकी पकड़ कार्टूनी और रियलिस्टिक दोनों तरह की कॉमिक्स में लाजवाब थी.

इसे भारतीय चित्रकथा जगत का दुर्भाग्य ही कहा जाएगा कि इस महान कलाकार को अपने अंतिम वर्ष गुमनामी की ज़िन्दगी में बिताने पड़े जबकि आज उनके कार्टून्स से सजी ये कॉमिक्स लोग सोने के दाम खरीदा करते हैं.

Thanks Alok for this fine article over Shehab Sb.For comic lovers here is presented the first ever Chotu-Lambu comic over net.It was published by Diamond comics,around 8-10 such Chotu-Lambu comics has been published by Diamond Comics.

Alike Shehab there was another fine cartoonist with very famous characters,Kripa Shankar Bhardwaj,and his immortal characters were Motu-Patlu which started publishing in Lotpot and Deewana for the very first time.Later on Diamond comics published many full fledged comics on Motu-Patlu.For more information about Motu-Patlu please click this link.

Lotpot was start publishing in 1969 and is still in publication along with Motu-Patlu but not by Kripa Shankar Bhardwaj. Presented here is one of the very early issue of Lotpot along with the original KSB Motu-Patlu,enjoy it and let me know how you found it so that more such can be posted after encouraging welcome.

Our another friend and comic collector Deep also decided to contribute something from his side and its none other than a vintage Fauladi Singh comic,for which all thanks and credit to him.Hope Kuldeep will like it.

Not many of us will be knowing that early issues of Manoj Chitra Katha were also used to be published in English,i don't know why the publication discontinued the English version at later stage.

Anyway it will be nice for English readers to have an opportunity to read these early MCK issues in English so that they themselves can judge the standard of these early MCKs.

Here are the English version of two very first issues of Ram-Rahim,enjoy and let me know did you liked them.

This seems shaping up to be a long post as still much is left to be posted out.For our visitors of the likes of Col.Worobu here presented are Tarzan,Superman and Charlton Phantom comics.

And finally,chalte-chalte,a Madhumuskan for MM lovers,hope all of you including Atul will like it.

Doston,three years back i was having a meager 50-75 odd Indrajal comics in my collection but as you all know that after discovery of TCP the hibernated comic lover in me woke furiously and i was able to maintain a sizable comic collection till now due to constant efforts.Initially i use to collect only Indrajal comics but later on i focused my objective toward old rare comics too so that they can be digitally preserved for all of you and for future comic lovers.In this process i was able to collect many well known vintage comics,snaps of a few of them are featured for all of you.

1.Tinkles

2.Madhumuskan and others

3.Big Size Manoj Chitra Katha

4.Madhumuskans

5.Tarzans

6.Gold Keys

7.Diamond Mandrake Digests

8.Phantom Diamond Digests

9.Egmont Phantoms

10.Few Phantom Frews

11. Miscellaneous

12.Can any one tell what is this!!

13.Few English Amar Chitra Katha

14.Hindi ACKs

15.Few Hindi VPS and other novels

16.Others...

17.Illustrated Weeklies

IW of 1940's

And finally our beloved Indrajal Comics....

So friends,this was all in this mega 3rd anniversary post.I hope all of you have liked it.If yes,then drop few words about it.