An Indian artist’s fan tribute to celebrate the 90th birthday of Tintin with a sketch of the popular comic character visiting
Darjeeling and trying to catch the Toy Train has gone viral, and
needless to say it has invited a flood of comments that express joy,
emotions, and welcome messages in the Hills. The Belgian Embassy in New
Delhi has posted the Tintin in Darjeeling sketch on its Facebook page to
mark the 90th birthday of Tintin, a character who is
a reporter-cum-detective, on 10 January this year.
Created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé, Tintin was born in the year 1929
in a weekly youth supplement of a Belgian newspaper, with a
full-fledged adventure comic series made of him later, making him
an endeared character many years later too.
The embassy’s Facebook post with the picture of Tintin in Darjeeling
signed by the artist, Mahafuj Ali, alias Mali, said, “Happy birthday,
Tintin! On his 90th birthday, here is Tintin making a special visit to
the Queen of Hills, Darjeeling in India. Last year, Indian artist Mali
created a fan tribute to celebrate Tintin’s birthday in traditional
Bengali attire in front of the Howrah bridge in Kolkata. This time, the
Bengalis in West Bengal suggested Tintin to go further north to explore
Darjeeling.”
The sketch has Tintin running after the heritage Toy Train of the
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, with his faithful dog Snowy, so as not to
miss it, while the other popular character from the comic series,
Captain Haddock, is holding out his hand for Tintin to hold from the
train.
Also seen behind are the twins Thompson and Thomson falling down
while running after the train. Two more characters of the comic, Bianca
Castafiore and Professor Calculus, are also seen inside the train with
the all famous Mount Kanchenjunga looming over the Hills in the
background. Comments like ‘Tintin my favourite character riding the
famous Toy Train of Darjeeling’ could be seen flooded on the Facebook
posts and shared posts, while others wrote messages to welcome Tintin to
Darjeeling.
On the other hand, the Facebook page of the artist, Mali reads, “Last
year, brought him and all his close friends to cut the cake in Bengali
attire in front of Howrah Bridge. After that, they were surprised with
the love and affection of the people. So they decided to stay here
and travel to other parts of Bengal. Every Bengali suggested him to go
to Darjeeling and that’s how it is.”
“It came as a complete surprise to me. When I first saw the sketch, I
felt that maybe the creators were planning an adventure of Tintin in
Darjeeling, but the truth later dawned on me and Tintin being here, even
for a brief period alongside the Toy Train with the majestic view of
the Kanchenjunga behind, was a welcome treat for me,” said Subha Rai, a
local resident.
Another local resident in his fifties, Mahesh Tamang, said, “I grew
up reading Tintin and he has been my most favourite comic character with
me having all the issues that was released then. The sketch did provide
me an excitement of seeing not only him, but my other favourite
character Captain Haddock in Darjeeling.”
‘Mirror to see the world’
Meanwhile, the artist, Mr Ali, 33, said Tintin has a permanent effect on 90s’ children.
“He had carved a niche in their minds from childhood when we saw him
fighting with the bad through all the stories. In an era without the
Internet, there were limited shows on Doordarshan, and Tintin was the
mirror for us to see the world. He went to the extreme corners of the
world for his friend, explored the moon, flew the plane, steered
submarines and did everything to be a role model,” Mr Ali said from
his present base in a town near Sydney in Australia.
“As he and all his friends like Snowy, Captain Haddock, Prof
Calculus, Thompson and Thomson, all became so close to me and many
others like me, we started to believe that they are real persons and our
small minds used to always wonder why they are not visiting our land.
But of course they will come to Kolkata airport and then they will of
course go to other parts of Bengal. Because they are so close to us,
everybody admires them here,” added Mr Ali, who originally hails from
Krishnanagar in West Bengal.
https://www.thestatesman.com
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