Narayan Debnath
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Narayan Debnath (25 November 1925 – 18 January 2022) was an Indian
comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...
,
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
and
illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...
. He created the
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
comic strips '' Handa Bhonda'' (1962), ''
Bantul the Great Batul, Bantul, Batul the Great, or Bantul the Great ( bn, বাঁটুল দি গ্রেট) is a popular Bengali comic strip character created by Narayan Debnath. It was inspired by the famous comics character Desperate Dan drawn by Dud ...
'' (1965) and ''
Nonte Phonte ''Nonte Phonte'' also spelled as ''Nonte Fonte'', is a Bengali comic-strip (and later comic book) creation in 1969 by Narayan Debnath, which originally was serialized for the children's monthly magazine ''Kishore Bharati'' ( bn, কিশোর ...
'' (1969). He holds the record of longest running comics by an individual artiste for ''Handa Bhonda'' comics series which completed its continuous 53 years of running. He was the first and only comics artist in India who has received a D. Litt. degree. Debnath was awarded
Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in the year 2021. His other creations like ''Rabi Chobi'' was published to celebrate the birth centenary of
Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...
in the May 1961 issue of the weekly magazine called ''
Anandamela ''Anandamela'', ''Anondamela'', or ''Anondomela'' (Bengali: আনন্দমেলা) is a children's periodical in the Bengali language published by the ABP Group from Kolkata, India. History and profile The first issue of ''Anandamela'' ...
''. The full length 50-page comics were first published in the book format by ''Sarvodaya Sahitya Prakashan'', Varanasi. ''Rajar Raja'' (was published in 1962), it was illustrated by Narayan Debnath and written by Bimal Ghosh to celebrate the birth centenary of
Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...
.


Early life

Narayan Debnath was born and spent most of his life living in
Shibpur Shibpur or Sibpur is a neighbourhood in Howrah city of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is well known for being the location of the ...
,
Howrah Howrah (, , alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River opposite its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively it lies within Howrah district, and is th ...
, India. His family hailed from
Bikrampur Bikrampur ("City of Courage") was a pargana situated south of Dhaka, the modern capital city of Bangladesh. In the present day, it is known as Munshiganj District of Bangladesh. It is a historic region in Bengal and was a part of the Bhawal Est ...
in what is now
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
but had migrated to
Shibpur Shibpur or Sibpur is a neighbourhood in Howrah city of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is well known for being the location of the ...
before his birth. In an interview published by Laalmati Publication in ''Narayan Debnath Comics Samagra'', Debnath confessed that he was interested in visual arts from a very early age. The family business was retailing gold and he had ample scope to design patterns for jewellery. During the time of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Debnath would study
fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...
at the Indian Art College for five years. He did not continue to get his degree but instead discontinued in his final year. For the next few years he freelanced for advertising agencies creating movie slides and logos. Debnath recounts in ''Narayan Debnath Comics Samagra, Vol. 2'' that on the day of his wedding
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
was assassinated, which caused much inconvenience to the guests. The four volumes of ''Narayan Debnath Comics Samagra'' provide rich information about the life of the author. In 1950 he was introduced to Dev Sahitya Kutir, a major publishing house through a friend. People such as Pratul Chandra Banerjee, Shailo Chakraborty, Balaibandhu Roy, and Purnachandra Chakraborti were associated with the press at the time. From 1950 to 1961 he illustrated a number of children's books including adventure novels and Western classics in translation. His journey in comics started in 1962 with 'Handa-Bhonda' in ''Shuktara''. He began as a freelancing comics-artist and soon went for comics on his own . However, when still a struggling freelancer, he was instructed by the publisher to adopt 'well accepted foreign comics' to make comics for their magazine(s) to get easy business.


Introduction to comics

The suggestion to work in comics in
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
came from the editors at Dev Sahitya Kutir. Also the name 'Handa Bhonda' was their suggestion. Debnath had been familiar with foreign comics, but comics in Bengal, to his belief, had yet to take off. 'Shiyal Pandit', a comic strip created by Pratul Chandra Lahiri for the
Jugantar Jugantar or Yugantar ( bn, যুগান্তর ''Jugantor''; lit. ''New Era'' or ''Transition of an Epoch'') was one of the two main secret revolutionary trends operating in Bengal for Indian independence. This association, like Anushi ...
newspaper was one of the earliest ones. ''Handa-Bhonda'' became an instant success and continues to be printed in ''Shuktara'' every month . ''Handa-Bhonda'' was initially penciled and inked by Debnath and had no coloured frames. Later it would be printed in the grey-scale. Narayan Debnath's first comic characters in color were for the comic strip and book '
Bantul The Great Batul, Bantul, Batul the Great, or Bantul the Great ( bn, বাঁটুল দি গ্রেট) is a popular Bengali comic strip character created by Narayan Debnath. It was inspired by the famous comics character Desperate Dan drawn by Dud ...
'. By Debnath's admission, he thought up the idea of the superhero while returning from College Street, Calcutta. The name came to him instantly and he thought up the figure of the protagonist rapidly. ''Batul the Great'', written and illustrated with red and black ink made his first appearance in comic strips in the May–June (Bengali Baishak), 1965 issue of the monthly children's periodical called Shuktara, published by Dev Sahitya Kutir (henceforth DSK) publishing house. This character has similarities with
Desperate Dan Desperate Dan is a wild west character in the now-defunct Scottish comic magazine ''The Dandy'', and became its mascot. He made his appearance in the first issue which was dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, ...
. Apart from ''Batul the Great'', Debnath also illustrated ''Rabi Chobi'' (1961), written by Bimal Ghosh about the childhood days of Rabindranath Tagore. His ''Rajar Raja/Chobite Vivekananda'' (1962) recreates the life and times of Swami Vivekananda, while his ''Chitre Durgeshnandini'' (1962) re-imagines Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's novel ''
Durgeshnandini ''Durgeshnandini'' ( bn, দুর্গেশনন্দিনী, ''Doorgeshnondini'', ''Daughter of the Feudal Lord'') is a Bengali language, Bengali Historical fiction, historical Romance novel, romance novel written by British India, Indian ...
'' in graphic novel techniques. But it was his ''Handa Bhoda'' (1962), ''Nonte Phonte'' (1969) and ''Shootki ar Mootki'' (1964) that revolutionized the comic genre in Bengal through the familiar trope of the ‘terrible twins’ at boarding school. This trope could be traced back to the German artist Wilhelm Bosch's ''
Max and Moritz ''Max and Moritz: A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks'' (original: ''Max und Moritz – Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen'') is a German language illustrated story in verse. This highly inventive, blackly humorous tale, told entirely in rhym ...
'' (1865) – an illustrated story in verse, which later found its way into the English world as ''
The Katzenjammer Kids ''The Katzenjammer Kids'' is an American comic strip created by Rudolph Dirks in 1897 and later drawn by Harold Knerr for 35 years (1914 to 1949).Quick and Flupke'' (1930).


Development of the genre

When the
Bangladesh War of Liberation The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
flared up, he was asked by the editors and publishers to add an aura of invincibility. He made Bantul a superhero able to take on tanks, aircraft, and missiles. Bullets began to bounce off of him . Bantul was still drawn by Debnath for ''Shuktara''. He gave birth to eponymous cartoon characters, Nonte and Phonte in 1969, and since then, stories revolve around them, have been regularly published in “Kishor Bharati”. He had started his freelancing artist career from 1950 in Shuktara magazine and did the record of doing highest number of illustrations in Bengal . He was a renowned illustrator during his time. His work for
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
stories (continuous for 42 years), Bengali translation of foreign novels etc. are among his great works of illustration.


Personal life and death

Narayan Debnath was admitted to a hospital on 24 December and died of heart related ailments on 18 January 2022 in
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
, at the age of 97.


Selected creations (Chronological List)

*''Rabi-Chhabi'' also spelled as ''Rabi Chobi'' বি-ছবি(Comics; First published in 1961; republished in 2010) *''Rajar Raja/Chhabite Vivekananda'' াজার রাজা/ছবিতে বিবেকানন্দ(Comics; First published in 1962) *''Chitre Durgeshnandini'' িত্রে দুর্গেশনন্দিনী(Graphic novel; First published in 1962) *'' Handa Bhonda'', also referred to as ''Hada Bhoda'', ''Handa-Bhonda'' and ''Hada-Bhoda'' াঁদা-ভোঁদা(First published in 1962) *''Sutki-Mutki'' ুটকি-মুটকি(First published in 1964) *''Chhatrapati Shivaji'' ত্রপতি শিবাজী(Comics; Published from 1964 to 1965) *'' Batul The Great'', also referred to as ''Bantul The Great'' াঁটুল দি গ্রেট(First published in 1965) *''Hirer Tayra'' ীরের টায়রা(First published in 1965) *''
Nonte Phonte ''Nonte Phonte'' also spelled as ''Nonte Fonte'', is a Bengali comic-strip (and later comic book) creation in 1969 by Narayan Debnath, which originally was serialized for the children's monthly magazine ''Kishore Bharati'' ( bn, কিশোর ...
'', also spelled as ''Nonte Fonte'', ''Nonte-Phonte'', and ''Nonte-Fonte'' ন্টে-ফন্টে(First published in 1969) *''Patolchand The Magician'' টলচাঁদ দি ম্যাজিশিয়ান(First published in 1969) *''Black Diamond Indrajit Roy'' also referred to as ''Indrajit Roy Bonam Black Diamond'' ্ল্যাক ডায়মন্ড ইন্দ্রজিৎ রায়/ইন্দ্রজিৎ রায় বনাম ব্ল্যাক ডায়মন্ড(Graphic novel; First published in 1970) *''Rahasyamoy Abhijatri'' হস্যময় অভিযাত্রী(Published in 1972) *''Bigyapanoner Comics'' িজ্ঞাপনের কমিকস(Comics made for advertising ''Benzytol'' soap, written by
Adrish Bardhan Adrish Bardhan (1 December 1932 – 20 May 2019) was a Bengali science fiction writer, editor and translator. Career Bardhan was born on 1 December 1932 in Calcutta in British India. He graduated with a BSc from the University of Calcutta. He ...
; Published from 1973 to 1974) *''Itihase Dwairath'' তিহাসে দ্বৈরথ(Comics; First published in 1974) *''Detective Koushik Roy'' also referred to as ''Goyenda Koushik'' িটেকটিভ কৌশিক রায়/গোয়েন্দা কৌশিক(First published in 1975) *''Bahadur Beral'' াহাদুর বেড়াল(First published in 1982) *''Daanpite Khandu Aar Tar Chemical Dadu'' ানপিটে খাঁদু আর তার কেমিক্যাল দাদু(First published in 1983) *''Petuk Master Batuklal'' েটুক মাস্টার বটুকলাল(First published in 1984) *''Mahakasher Ajab Deshe'' হাকাশের আজব দেশে(Published in 1994) *''Jataker Golpo'' াতকের গল্প(Comics based on
Jataka Tales The Jātakas (meaning "Birth Story", "related to a birth") are a voluminous body of literature native to India which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. According to Peter Skilling, this genre is ...
; Published in 1994) *''Gobindor Goyendagiri'' োবিন্দর গোয়েন্দাগিরি(Short story; First published in 2002) *''Ek Projapotir Mrityu'' ক প্রজাপতির মৃত্যু(Short Story; First published in 2012) *''Koutuhaler Bipod'' ৌতূহলের বিপদ(Short Story) *''Smritir Du'Chaar Pata'' ্মৃতির দু'চার পাতা(Unfinished
Autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
) *''Hasir Atom Bomb'' াসির অ্যাটম বোম* ' ' Jemon Kormo Temoni Fol েমন কর্ম তেমনি ফল * Nandir Fandi ন্দীর ফন্দী


Popularity

Collections of Debnath's comics have been published serially in '' Shuktara'' and ''Kishor Bharati'' and irregularly in ''Kishor Mon'', ''Chotoder Asar'', ''Pakhkhiraj'' etc. His comic books featuring ' Handa Bhonda', ' Batul the Great' and '
Nonte Phonte ''Nonte Phonte'' also spelled as ''Nonte Fonte'', is a Bengali comic-strip (and later comic book) creation in 1969 by Narayan Debnath, which originally was serialized for the children's monthly magazine ''Kishore Bharati'' ( bn, কিশোর ...
' have been published since the early 1980s. Since the late 1990s, the ''
Nonte Phonte ''Nonte Phonte'' also spelled as ''Nonte Fonte'', is a Bengali comic-strip (and later comic book) creation in 1969 by Narayan Debnath, which originally was serialized for the children's monthly magazine ''Kishore Bharati'' ( bn, কিশোর ...
'' comics have been anthologised and published in softcover format. From 2003 onwards, the earlier comics have been re-inked and published in full-color, Recently, Debnath gave permission for animation film based on the characters from ' Batul The Great', ' Handa Bhonda' and '
Nonte Phonte ''Nonte Phonte'' also spelled as ''Nonte Fonte'', is a Bengali comic-strip (and later comic book) creation in 1969 by Narayan Debnath, which originally was serialized for the children's monthly magazine ''Kishore Bharati'' ( bn, কিশোর ...
', and these provide access to the original stories to a whole new generation of children. Debnath's style incorporating characters speaking in the typical language of Bengali adda (the quintessential Bengali gossip sessions lasting hours) and hundreds of nonstandard, yet most commonly used expletives in daily life like "Uls" (describing reaction to a delicious food) or "Aoofs", "Yiofs", "Arghhh"(similar to ouch). Subtle punning is also aplenty in his comics but the main source of comedy is slapstick. Though his comic characters have immense popularity, Narayan Debnath himself has rather lived reclusively, distancing himself from publicity and media.


Television

Most of Narayan Debnath's work has been adapted for Bengali television. ''Nonte Phonte'' and ''Bantul the Great'' are animated shows today, while a television series called ''Handa Bhonda'' was briefly on air.


Awards and recognition

#
Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, awarded by
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
on 26 January 2021 #
Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
, 2013 #
Banga Bibhushan Banga Bibhushan Samman ( bn, বঙ্গবিভূষণ) is a title instituted by the West Bengal government to honour the services of personalities in various fields. The Banga Ratna Samman and the Banga Bhushan Samman ("Bengal ornament" ব ...
, awarded by
Government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal also known as the West Bengal Government, is the subnational government of the Indian state of West Bengal , created by the National Constitution as the state's legislative, executive and judicial authority. The ...
in 2013


See also

*
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
, Indian cartoonist


References


Notes


Further reading

* * hapter: ''Masculinity in the Bengali Comic Strips of the 1960s''* *


External links


Interview conducted by Chironton Kundu
Parabaas.com, 2001
Short biographical sketch and original comics
Banglalive.com
Renowned Bengali cartoon-illustrator Debasish Deb on Narayan Debnath and Bantul
''
Telegraph India ''The Telegraph'' is an Indian English daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 7 July 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper competes with ''The Times of India''. The newspaper is the eighth most-wid ...
''
Master without lineage - Conversation Narayan Debnath
Open Road {{DEFAULTSORT:Debnath, Narayan 1925 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Bengalis 21st-century Bengalis Bengali male artists Artists from Kolkata Indian cartoonists Indian comics writers Indian graphic novelists People from Howrah Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Bengali Writers from West Bengal