About this issue
Hello Friends, I was perhaps five or six when I asked my dad, ‘What do you do?’ and he replied, ‘I am an inspector’. I looked at him with awe. My sweet dad, who couldn’t hurt a fly (literally! If there is a worm or a pest around, he’d rather gather it in a newspaper and send it out), was an inspector! I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to get to school and boast to all my classmates about my dad’s super cool job. I was nearly jumping with joy when I asked him, ‘Really? You are a police inspector?’ And that’s when he laughed and said, ‘No-no! I’m a quality control inspector’. I was so disappointed! I’d built up my dad into this tough action hero who chased criminals and put them behind bars, but he turned out to have an ‘ordinary’ office job. Or so I thought. It took me some time, a few more years, to understand that being a ‘dad’ is one of the toughest jobs in the world. Think about it. Who’s around with arms held up, when you have climbed a too-tall tree or a too-high wall and are too afraid to get down? Who’s waiting with medicine and bandages in hand when you take a fall? Who sits up with you on exam nights battling with maths or language monsters and still makes the play of numbers or words look fun and simple? Dads are our greatest support and our greatest strength. They are often ‘tough’ with us when they want to push us to do better. They are also ‘tough’ when there are things we ask for, which perhaps they cannot afford, but they’d rather make some sacrifice and get them for us. They are so ‘tough’ that they’d fight monsters for us, even if they are of the ‘exam’ variety :D With my dad by my side, I’ve never felt fear—not of monsters, imaginary ghosts or real-life bullies. Because my dad is my hero. Dads are the special kind of heroes who teach us, push us, prod us into becoming the best of what we can be. I hope you all make your dads feel special on Father’s Day on 21 June. Start with a hug
About TINKLE
Tinkle started as a fortnightly children’s comics magazine, in 1980. Under the guidance of editor-founder, Anant Pai, the brand evolved the tagline ‘Where learning meets fun’. It was one of the first few children’s comics magazines with Indian content at that time. Till then children were reading syndicated foreign comics, – Archies, Phantom, Mandrake – translated into Indian languages. In Tinkle, children could read folktales from all over the world as well as stories revolving around the Tinkletoons. Many of these characters have evolved into icons such as Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Tantri the Mantri, Kalia the Crow, etc. Over the years, newer characters have stepped into the Tinkle pages. These include the Defective Detectives, Butterfingers, Sea Diaries, etc. Apart from comics, the magazine also engages readers with several educative non-fiction pages including puzzles, do-it-yourself crafts, solve-it-yourself mysteries, knowledge features on a wide range of subjects and contests. Though intended as a magazine for children between the ages of 8 and 14, Tinkle’s reach goes far beyond. Families eagerly look forward to the magazine, every month, across the length and breadth of the country. It is probably not just the entertainment but the unexpected insights that the magazine gives their children that families value. Owing to Uncle Pai’s efforts, Tinkle is also welcomed by educators and school principals and thus holds a position as a recommended magazine for wholesome edutainment.