Concepts and Characters I like From Books

 I like the idea of literally rolling in wealth, like Richie Rich did.. he had a room full of dollars. Also, having a butler- his was called Cadbury.

The concept of a magic potion used by Asterix, brewed by Druid Getafix- that's s great idea.

A mouse like Mickey, and a talking duck like Donald.. great imagination, Walt Disney!

Nero Wolfe, a gourmet AND a detective.

Hercule Poirot with his egg-shaped head, and little grey cells. Mon ami, Mon cher, whatever, ..pardon my French.. Oo la la!

Phantom's skull cave, with a waterfall covering its entrance, is a masterstroke, according to me. Mandrake's hypnotism too.

James Bond- I never read the books, but he rose from the books to become the colourful character everyone wanted to Bond with...

Of course, Sherlock Holmes, with his deductions based on observation. Market researchers could learn a few things from him.

All the Enid Blyton characters who were as different as chalk and cheese. Fatty, in particular. And Goon.

Thomson and Thompson.. and Captain Haddock..

Childhood Favourites

 They say old age is like a second childhood. But childhood is quite different, I feel. You are discovering many things for the first time. In old age, you may have made most of your discoveries, but you revert to being a child in some ways, like being dependent on someone. Like a child on its parents.

So coming back to childhood, my favourites were books, mainly, and s couple of good friends who we had in school or back home in the holidays. Learnt to read in the school library, and at home during vacations. Somehow, both places had a stock of books or magazines that I could spend hours on. Also, music took some time, to nurture a taste. Kishore Kumar Khandwawala was an early favourite- I was a teen in the 70s- and listening to the radio was a favourite pastime- it still is.

Comics, of all kinds- Goofy, Little Lotta, Dot, Phantom, Richie Rich, and so on were other favourites, among books. Later, Asterix comics grew on me. Movies- mainly Hindi but some English-were also a favourite pastime when I was in my twenties. I still like the theatre experience, though the frequency has reduced somewhat. 

Another favourite was card games, rummy, various others including Bezique which my grandmom introduced us to, and Bridge, which my parents introduced us - my brother and I- to. Lost touch with this brilliant game now.

It's a Comic Life

 I mean, comics made life what it is, for me, in large part.

I was addicted to all sorts of comics. Phantom, Mandrake were favourites during teens. Then, it was Richie Rich, Little Lotta, Dot. Dennis the Menace, in newspapers where it appeared. Sad Sack in book form.

As I got a bit older, Asterix took over. I got around to Tintin much later, but some of the characters (Professor Calculus, Thompson and Thomson) were to make a mark. We named people-batchmates- after many of these. MBA days were fun! One or two faculty also got nicknames from the comics. Lothar, from Mandrake stories, was one, and Cadbury, Richie's butler, was another. 

MAD magazine with its comic strip format, was another favourite, with its zany take-offs on everything. Politicians, movie stars, Films, TV series, advertising, and almost everything was spoofed.

Not surprising then, that my favourite writers (after mysteries) were humorists- PG Wodehouse and in Marathi, Pu. La. Deshpande. Both were alike in their approach to making the everyday things hilarious. Ok, Lords and their aunts are not everyday objects, but the happenings like binges in pubs, and walks in the manor, were, for those characters.

 

There is no Superman

As you grow up, you discover things about the world. At first, you think there is a Santa Claus. He comes every Christmas, and brings you gifts. Then, you discover that he does not exist.

Then, you discover that Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy also don't exist.  Would be fun to have a talking mouse and duck, I think. Would beat some of the boring humans I know.

By and by, you also discover that Richie Rich exists, but that it is not you.

But you still believe in Superman. For saving the world, there is no one like him. But then, it is a big blow to discover that he is a figment of someone's imagination.

The consolation is that you find people who are changing the world, and that you can do it too, in a small way.

Tintin- the Movie

I used to read both Asterix and Tintin, though I liked Asterix a shade better. But Tintin was also a regular read, and his characters like Thomson and Thom(p)son, Professor Calculus, and Captain Haddock were familiar territory. We had even named some of our IIMB classmates after some of these characters, for either their looks or their behavior.

It was fun to see these characters brought to life. Along with their typical traits and dialogues- 'blue blistering barnacles' (Captain Haddock) and 'to be precise' (Thompson). The titles are themselves a work of art, and very enjoyable. The use of the same font as in the comics gave them a very familiar feel.

This one is called the Secret of the Unicorn. I was never too sure what a unicorn was, but that did not reduce the enjoyment one bit. I thought it was an animated film, so it turned out to be a surprise. Not sure if they created masks for all the characters in the movie. Actually, it was running houseful last week, and so I missed seeing it earlier. Incredible, in its third week too.

The characters are all loveable, even the villain. Steven Spielberg has his work cut out for him, with lots more movies to make.