# Shammi & Dev

The later half of this year proved quite unfortunate for Indian film industry as it took away two of the finest suave stars of their time of Bollywood viz flamboyant Shammi Kapoor and evergreen Dev Anand.
A lot of already has been written in print media as obituary about these two hence i don't wish to add more in it except posting here some of the unseen vintage pix and interview/article about these two deceased actors taken from magazines of 60's.

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# पठनीय 'पाठक'

दोस्तों तकरीबन दो साल पहले की एक पोस्ट में मैंने लुगदी साहित्य के चर्चित उपन्यास एवं उपन्यासकारों जैसे की वेद प्रकाश शर्मा,गुलशन नंदा,ओम प्रकाश शर्मा,वेद प्रकाश कम्बोज,राजहंस,प्रेम बाजपाई इत्यादि का शदीद ज़िक्र किया था जिसमे आम हिंदी पाठक के बीच इन लुगदी साहित्य के उपन्यासों की लोकप्रियता और इन उपन्यासकारों के रुतबे पर भी चर्चा की गयी थी | 

उस वृहद पोस्ट में-जिसे आप सबकी काफ़ी सराहना भी प्राप्त हुई थी-लुगदी साहित्य के तक़रीबन तमाम लोकप्रिय उपन्यासकारों का नाम लिया गया था लेकिन एक बहुत बड़े उपन्यासकार-जिनके रुतबे से मैं उस समय तक वाकिफ़ नहीं था-का नाम छूट गया था जिसकी मुख्य वजह थी मेरी उन उपन्यासकार के उपन्यासों से नावकफियत क्योंकि तबसे पहले मैंने उनका एक भी उपन्यास नहीं पढ़ा था |

वो नामचीन उपन्यासकार हैं जनाब सुरेन्द्र मोहन पाठक(जन्म:19 फ़रवरी 1940) जो मौजूदा उपन्यासकारों में लोकप्रियता के पायदान की सबसे ऊँची सीढ़ी पर विराजमान हैं | 

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# The Lost World

Friends there was a time when rental library culture was flourishing all over India and specially in northern India.
In almost every mohalla of every town there were small libraries which use to provide comics/novels on rent to the readers,the rent being normally 10% of the printed price of comics/novels.


The library business was quite a profitable one as a majority of Indian middle class readership could afford to read via renting only,in many cities library business established like a self funded small scale business providing employment to a large volume of under educated Indian population.


Mostly a library was formed by those persons only who themselves have great interest in reading and after purchasing comics/novels continuously finally comes up with the novel idea that why not to earn by this habit also !


As i have also mentioned many times that during my school days i too use to open up a temporary library at my home which was functional in summer holidays where i first use to read all comics myself and then put them in library for renting.


In many libraries there was also facility of home delivery and home picking where one or two library guys use to deliver comics/magazines/novels on bicycle to nearby homes and pick it also after stipulated time along with rent.
Local libraries were the most voluminous customer of the local comics/mags/novel dealer.In my city only there were as many as 15-20 renting libraries within a radius of 4-5 Km.


But later on time changed and with the advent of TV first then video then video games,mobile and now internet reading culture suffered a huge setback which laid a drastic effect on library business and slowly slowly almost all renting libraries from cities and towns got vanished.  
Now neither i could find a renting library anywhere i visit and nor do i hear about it.


Recently when i went to my home town then somehow i thought of to search any of the still existing rental libraries nearby my locality and in the process i was able to found two of them about which i am going to discuss here.

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खंड 21 संख्या 4 "गुफा दैत्य का अपहरण"

सभी हिंदी इंद्रजाल कॉमिक्स के चाहने वालों के लिए प्रस्तुत है एक तूफानी वेताल गाथा ,   यह कहानी सन्डे स्ट्रिप 117 "The Missing Link Family" से ली गयी है  

 खंड २१ संख्या ०४ "गुफा दैत्य का अपहरण"

  

         

                           

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# Transliterated Phantom Strips

Updated:18th July
..............................
Friends,late Lee Falk wrote a total of 150 Sunday Strips and 195 Daily Strips,means a total of 345 strips in all.Times of India publication  published 105 Sunday and 111 Daily Strips under banner of Indrajal comics in both English and Hindi language,meaning that a total of 216 strips out of 345 were published in Hindi,thus leaving behind 129 strips which were never published in Hindi in India(except a very few which were published by Diamond comics publication).

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# Kimberly's Diamonds

The Kimberly Diamonds is another among one of my favorite Phantom story which was published as Daily Strip No.154 spanning from 28th May to 9th Sept.1984.
It was also published by Indrajal comics in two parts subsequently titled as 'Curse Of The Kimberly Diamonds' in Vol.22 No.43 & 44.(1985)
This is one of those rare stories in which adventure passes from father to son and the left out job of 20th Phantom was eventually completed by his son,21st Phantom.

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# The Jungle Patrol

दोस्तों काफ़ी मुद्दत से इस मौजूं पर लिखने की सोच रहा था जिसपर ज़िक्र करने के लिए मेरी उँगलियाँ इस वक़्त कीबोर्ड पर थिरक रही हैं.यूँ तो वेताल की मरहूम फ़ाल्क लिखित सभी कहानियां अपने आप में बेजोड़ हैं लेकिन वो कहानियां जिसमे वेताल पुरखों के कारनामे बयान किये गए हैं वो अपने-आप में लासानी(बेमिसाल)और लाफ़ानी(अमर)हैं.ऐसी ही एक कहानी है जो यह बताती है की जंगल गश्ती दल कैसे वजूद में आया,और यह कहानी है The Founding of Jungle Patrol(Sunday Strip No.64).

यह कहानी 12th वेताल के समय की है जिसमे वेताल ने समुद्री दस्यु के सबसे बदनाम दल को ख़त्म कर उन्ही के द्वारा जंगल गश्ती दल की स्थापना की.....है न अचरज की बात!

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# Madhumuskan No.351

दोस्तों एक तवील(लम्बे) वक्फ़े(अन्तराल) के बाद मैं दोबारा हाज़िर हूँ एक कॉमिक आप सब की खिदमत में लेकर.दरअसल पिछले कुछ वक़्त से कॉमिक्स की दुनिया से दिल कुछ उचाट सा हो गया था जो की वायस(वजह) था कॉमिक पोस्टिंग को लेकर मेरी उदासीनता का.वैसे भी जैसा के आप लोग जानते ही हैं की महज़ कॉमिक पोस्टिंग करना मेरा मक़सद नहीं,मेरा मक़सद तो दरअसल कॉमिक्स के साथ आप लोगों के साथ उनसे जुडी यादें सुनना और सुनाना है.

ऐसी ही आज की कॉमिक है मधुमुस्कान का अंक न.351.मधुमुस्कान,जैसा की आपको मालूम होगा ही,एक ऐसी हास्य पत्रिका थी जो सरल हास्य के साथ अन्दर तक गुदगुदा देती थी जिसमे जगदीश,हरीश सूदन

,हुसैन ज़ामिन,अंसार अख्तर,पाशा आदि कलाकारों की रचनायें बेहद सशक्त और मनोरंजक हुआ करती थी.

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# Nostalgic Dive

It always feel nice to go through the film magazines of bygone era as it feels like a journey through time machine in that bright past(for movies past was always brighter)era of films which was cleaner,much adorable and comparatively more appreciative.
To view the photos of those movies in making which we have cherished and enjoyed gives a feel as we are present on the sets itself,to view the photographs of actor/actress/character artists of those times feels like having a trip right into the lives of these stars,to view/read about the happenings of those times seems to bring back that gone era live in front of eyes.
This post is among one of such posts which tries to bring back the memories of that passed phase of Indian movies through these vintage magazines.

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# Safi Reloaded

दोस्तों,मशहूर और मारूफ़ नॉवेलिस्ट इब्ने सफ़ी के पुराने उपन्यासों का पुनर्प्रकाशन हार्पर-कोलिन्स प्रकाशन द्वारा हाल में ही किया गया है जिसके प्रथम चरण में पूर्व में जासूसी दुनिया(निकहत प्रकाशन,इलाहबाद) द्वारा प्रकाशित प्रथम आठ उपन्यासों को हिंदी में प्रकाशित किया गया है.

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#Stardust Annuals

Very recently i got the opportunity to lay my hands on very early issues of Stardust Annuals from which i am posting the covers of few of its initial issues.
Stardust,a gossip and paparazzi magazine which intended to dig and highlight the personal and private dark side of Bollywood stars,was introduced in 1972 with a motive to gain quick popularity and business by bringing out in public the dark side of life of Bollywood stars which was against their screen image and which they wished to be remained concealed. 

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# Rekha's Marriage

In the ongoing series of posting interesting and nostalgic articles from old filmy magazines here is presented a article which appeared in Filmfare magazine of 1990 on Rekha marriage with Mukesh Agarwal,owner of Hotline Appliances.This tongue teaser,hyped and surprise marriage ended tragically with the suicide of Mukesh in mysterious circumstances,which only added mysterious flavor to Rekha's personality.

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# Nandan

Yesterday while fiddling through some old magazines of my collection i came across with some early issues of Nandan,a children magazine,which i hope many of you must be remembering to have had read in your childhood as do i.
Nandan was a Hindustan Times publication which was started in November 1964 in fond memory of India's very first prime minister Mr.Jawaharlal Nehru and hence its very first issue was dedicated to this late prime minister.

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Naveen Nischol

Few days back veteran actor Naveen Nischol passed away due to heart attack when he was traveling with his friend Randhir Kapoor from Mumbai to Pune.A lot of have been printed and said about him as obituary in print media,so instead of repeating what have already been said about him i am posting a interview of him which appeared in a magazine after success of his very first movie 'Sawan Bhadon'(1970).

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# Marvellous Madhubala

If its asked that who was the most beautiful actress of Hindi cinema then the name of Madhubala would come up arguably.I know few may not agree with it but most of them will be probably from the post Madhubala era,though i also got born after Madhubala's demise(1971) but this didn't prevented me from getting smitten by her beauty bug.

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# Disco Dancer:A Book Review

Few days back when i came to know about the three books published in Film Series by Harper Collins from a friend Arun,i was eager to have them in my collection as all three were written upon the movies which are among my best favorites,i.e,'Deewar,Disco Dancer & Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron'.

The very same day i placed a order on Flipkart for all the three books and today evening i received one of these which was 'Disco Dancer-A comedy in Five Acts' authored by Anuvab Pal. 

 

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# Winner Of Anniversary Quiz

Friends the time limit for quiz of 4th Anniversary post has ended yesterday and its time now to declare the name of winner along with answers but before that let me put up the Hindi covers of Volume 20 of Indrajal comics which were supposed to be posted in previous post but were left behind due to shortage of time.

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# 4th Anniversary Post

Friends,4th February this year Comic World completes four year of its journey which commenced on 4th of Feb.2007,which indeed is a long time for a blog and specially for a comic blog as its quite difficult to maintain the same enthusiasm and pace of posting with comics throughout the year(s).

Though this blog was brought into picture primarily to share Indrajal comics and memories related with comics with other fellow comic lovers but with due course of time it managed to share information about comics,movies and other interesting topics and prolonged its life.

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# The Biggest Mistake

Friends though its a comic blog but it doesn't mean that we can't discuss something serious  over here,in fact we can occasionally when a need arises to do so and today there is something which is not comical,i wish to share and discuss with all of you.
Well friends i have heard a lot of about partition that it was a biggest mistake committed ever till now,i have also heard that millions of peoples suffered a lot as they were forced to be uprooted from their base,they were forced to leave their relatives,friends
and their homeland because of a sheer nonsense and scary drama(unfortunately which was real) which took place only because of few power centers(rather peoples) who were not ready to budge a single millimeter from their positions of greed,who were not
ready to accept a second place in greedy power politics.

 

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# एक डायरेक्टर की मौत!

दोस्तों मौत दो तरह की होती है,एक जिस्म की और दूसरी कला की.जिस्म की मौत के बाद भी इन्सान अपनी कला के ज़रिये हमेशा जी सकता है लेकिन कला की मौत के बाद वो सिर्फ सांस लेता हुआ मामूली इन्सान की तरह जीता रह जाता है.

इस श्रृंखला की पहली पोस्ट में हम बात करेंगे कुछ ऐसे निर्देशकों की जिनका शरीर तो जिंदा है लेकिन उनकी कला पता नहीं कहाँ खो गई है,वो ज़िंदा भी है या नहीं इसकी भी अब तक कोई ख़बर नहीं.
इस चर्चा में पहला नाम है मशहूर लेखक-निर्देशक गुलज़ार के सहायक रह चुके चंद्रशेखर नार्वेकर उर्फ़ 'एन.चन्द्रा' का जिन्होंने सिल्वर स्क्रीन पर अपनी धमाकेदार उपस्थिति का ऐलान किया था 1986 में फिल्म 'अंकुश' के द्वारा जिसमे उन्होंने लेखक,संपादक और सह-निर्माता की तिहरी भूमिका निभाई थी.

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# Highlights of 4th Anniversary Post

Friends as you all know that Comic World is going to complete four years of blogging and will enter into 5th year of its existence on February 4th,to celebrate this occasion a special post is being prepared which will contain loads of rare comics(as expected) and many other features such as articles supported by in depth analysis of comic,brain storming quizzes,vintage ads from vintage and rare magazines and much much more.
At this point of time i only wish to announce that 4th anniversary post will also containing the famous Inspector Azad strip,'Daud',by Abid Surti and Pratab Mulick.
Well,friends 'Daud' is that particular strip by which showman Rajkapoor was very much impressed and decided to make a movie on it but unfortunately due to some unavoidable circumstance the movie couldn't be canned of. 
The scan posted below is a part of 'Daud' which was been published serially by The Illustrated Weekly Of India,have a look.

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# Tintin Hindustani

Good news for Indian Tintin lovers as now this popular character is also available in Hindi so now Hindi readers can also enjoy the adventures of this witty character.

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# Shaktiman

First of all belated but heartiest and warm wishes for the new year to all of the comic lovers throughout the world.
To celebrate the occasion presented herewith is a rare comic for all of you which i hope you all will like.

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