Dramatis Personae Tintin In India Again This Time As A Saviour Of Democracy Quelling Too Many dissatisfactions, rebellion…Earlier too, he stopped in India several times, the first being in 1932 in 'Cigars of the Pharaoh'. Pursuing smugglers, Tintin accidentally crashes an aeroplane in the fictional state of Gaipajama. Tintin again visits India in 1959 in 'Tintin in Tibet'. While travelling to Tibet, Tintin and Captain Haddock land in Delhi and take a pause to admire the Red Fort and the Qutab Minar.
"A map of the East, adventure stories, maharajas, fakirs, sacred cows and cobras...This fascination is not one-sided; Tintin enjoys a cult status in India, especially in Bengal, where his stories are a staple in many households. The comics have been translated into Bangla, among 50 other languages, and continue to be bestsellers, demonstrating their timeless appeal.
Such is the appeal that many children have Tintin as their pet name. Not only that, kids were also called 'Kuttus', the name Tintin's dog Snowy got in the Bangla translation.
Tintin navigated a colonial landscape filled with snake charmers and sacred cows. Despite the clichés, the attention to detail, such as the accurate use of Hindi in 'Tintin in Tibet', resonated with Indian readers. His nuanced storytelling even captured the admiration of legendary film director Satyajit Ray, who referenced Tintin in his own works.
Satyajit Ray put hidden Tintin clues in his own stories. In one, his popular detective Feluda solves mysteries with hints from 'The Broken Ear', a Tintin title. There are also references to Tintin's hairstyle.
Topshe, Feluda's friend and aide, loves reading Tintin comics. In 'A Killer in Kailash' (Kailashey Kelenkari), Topshe is totally into 'Tintin in Tibet'. In the Ray's 'Sonar Kella', Topshe is seen reading 'Land of Black Gold', dropping a hint about the film's hidden treasure.
But there's more to this connection. Tintin and Feluda are like best friends who believe in being curious, treating everyone fairly, and celebrating all kinds of cultures. They love exploring new places, finding out interesting things, and making sure things are fair.
In 'Avane Srimannarayana', another film by Satyajit Ray, there's a character named Harishchandra who seems like a nod to Tintin. He wears a hat similar to Thomson & Thompson, the detective duo from the comics, and looks a bit like Professor Calculus's grandson.
Ray really loved Tintin like lakhs of people in Bengal do. Tintin comics have been an essential read for generations.
Till now, 'The Adventures of Tintin' have been translated into 110 languages, making it one of the most translated comic series. In India, Tintin books have been published in Bengali since the 1970s and in Hindi since 2010.
Not only that, his comics have transitioned seamlessly into movies and television shows, thereby increasing the sphere of their influence to younger generations.
"Tintin is the singular reason to inspire someone like me, a simple middle-class, small-town Bengali-speaking boy to be grown into an honest brave and exploring scientist who still dreams of going to some adventure with Tintin and Co. Thank you," writes a fan on Tintin.com, the official website.
As we celebrate Tintin's 95th birthday, it is clear how India influenced Tintin and the forever-young reporter left an indelible imprint on Indian culture. In the bustling streets of India, among the myriad languages and traditions, the spirit of Tintin lives on, inspiring new generations to embrace adventure, friendship, and the pursuit of truth.
Really put, Tintin is pretty much hooked to India, its sociology that keeps it going relentlessly since time immemorial and that fascinates Tintin…That is why he is now again tilting toward India to know its latest sociology, and then make the whole world acquainted with it.