About this issue
Hello Friends, "The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax— Of cabbages—and kings— And why the sea is boiling hot— And whether pigs have wings." — Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There As a kid, I used to take certain sayings quite literally. If someone said ‘to take something with a pinch of salt’, I would imagine her taking a pinch of salt from a gunny bag instead of paying attention to what it meant, i.e. ‘to take things lightly’ :D So, Lewis Carroll’s works had my imagination working overtime! This habit had me grinning off into space, unmindful of what was being actually said (all right, I admit it! It still does :D). Whimsical and fanciful as they were, I found works like this a hidden camera to the world. A camera that flipped me to the other side of the room of the world. A camera to introduce me to a new way of looking at the world. I found in such works the joy of childhood—of being playful and curious and silly and fun. So, on this Children’s Day, if you would like to talk about cabbages and kings, or check out a few squealing pigs for wings, feel free to indulge in the nonsensical and the absurd. Hidden in them are wonderful discoveries. And while you are at it, join us on a ridiculously fun-filled journey on our 35th Anniversary. It seems like a rather long time, but as the verse below from Carroll shows us, if you love the ridiculous, you can only get better with age: "You are old, Father William," the young man said, "And your hair has become very white; And yet you incessantly stand on your head— Do you think, at your age, it is right?" "In my youth," Father William replied to his son, "I feared it might injure the brain; But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none, Why, I do it again and again." — Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
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.