About this issue
Dear Friends,‘Mother’ is such a precious word. It is a word that means so many things—unconditional love, warmth, the security of loving arms, a one-woman cheerleading squad, all for us. It is also an overused word. From screaming ‘Mom, where are my socks?!’ to yelping ‘Mom, have you seen where I last put my homework?’, we call upon our poor, overworked moms for all things small, serious or sundry. Except for the occasional exasperated times when they throw up their hands and say, ‘If you come from school and throw your socks in two different directions, you might just find them there!’, our mothers are the most saintly souls around. We can depend on them to give that encouraging hug when we need it, make us our favourite foods and put up with our million tantrums. We can never do enough or say enough to show our mothers how deeply we love them. We might act like brats with them, but really, we would be nowhere without them. It is Mother’s Day on 11 May and so it is quite right that we dedicate this issue to this precious person in our lives. I know some of you might have made special plans for this day. But perhaps we can do a little bit more? Perhaps, we can take that little effort every day to let our mothers know how special they are? How about starting with a warm, tight 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.