Holi, Pran Comics, and The Color of Nostalgia

Happy Holi, my dear readers.

Holi is the festival of WhatsApp forwards, drunk idiots, regular idiots, and terrible advertisements. But once upon a time, it was just a way to have fun. (Or maybe it was just childhood, who can say.)

Like you, I too vividly remember my childhood Holis. Play with color in the morning, scrub it off in the afternoon, and read comics in the evening. What could be better than unwinding with a Pinki digest, turning the pages with color-stained fingers, and letting gujhiya crumbs fall on them?

Interestingly, the only comics I was allowed to read as a little girl were Diamond Comics, illustrated and written by Pran Kumar Sharma (simply credited as Pran.) You see, the comic book store owner declared that Doga comics were too violent and Bankelal made kids’ Hindi go rouge.

But this article isn’t about them, it is about the legendary cartoonist Pran, and his Holi-themed comic strips.

So, close the door and cut off the Holi songs blasting in your neighborhood. Put your phone away.

And follow me down memory lane.

Pran’s Children: “Our World Can Be Fascinating Even In The Simplest Form”

Pran Kumar Sharma is a legend in his own right. Maybe because he wasn’t like other cartoonists.

While they focused on politics, society, and news, Pran ji kept it light. And even today, his work occupies a significant space in the comic-reading community. If you are old like me, you will remember that before Raghuvir Yadav played Pradhan ji in Panchayat, he played Chacha Chaudhary on Sahara TV.

Pran’s characters weren’t like heroes with supernatural powers (Raj Comics) or anthropomorphic animals (Champak). They were real, Indian, and relatable. In a 2013 interview with Bhavesh Bhimani, he revealed:

I never wanted any of my characters to do anything unnatural; like I made sure they should never fly or crawl up the walls. Children relate to these things very quickly. I hence did not want to show them any unreal things and instead wanted to tell them that our world can be fascinating even in the simplest form.

I wanted to create comics completely and solely rooted in the Indian sensibilities; which would have characters and issues which our children would be able to directly relate to. And in doing so they should also have fun.

Excerpt from In conversation with Pran Kumar Sharma- The Legend of Indian comics

After Chacha Chaudhary made his debut in 1969, Pran expanded his work to create Pinki, Billoo, and Ankur in the 1970s. The first Billoo comics was published in 1973 in the children’s magazine Parag.

Here is Billoo’s origin story, according to Parag editor Kanhaiyalal Nandan‘s biography:

When I went to Sweden, I read a magazine that contained an excerpt of a child’s diary hidden within. I found this to be very interesting – and I started including excerpts from children’s diaries in Parag. By doing so, I was able to paint a picture of a child’s mind.

My friend cartoonist Pran came forward to help me and created a character named “Billoo” for the readers of Parag magazine. Through the comic strip, he illustrated a naughty kid’s novel shenanigans.

Translated from “Main Tha Aur Mera Aakash” by Kanhaiyalal Nandan, published 2011.

Needless to say, Pran and Kanhaiyalal Nandan succeeded in capturing children’s attention.

Why The Holi Themed Comic Strips Were Special

Pran’s characters were relatable, and also aspirational in many ways. They all had pets – Moti, Kutkut, and Rocket. And I wanted one too. They all played Holi, and I wanted to play it like them. I wished to prank the irate neighbor, teach the bad guys a lesson, and do a classic jaise-ko-taisa with rival Holi gangs!

I never could live out these fantasies, though. My neighbors were sweet elderly people who gave me gujhiya and happily allowed kids to smear them in gulaal. Bad guys usually got their lesson from adults and sometimes even the police. Rival gangs weren’t really rivals, they were just…also there?

But, a child can dream, and a child – countless children – did dream. Until school started again, that is.

Holi in The Pran Comics Universe

While I can recite the premise of multiple Pran comics from memory (go on test me), I could only find 4 examples online. But these four comics aptly summarize what Holi was supposed to be all about: get color on as many people as you can and keep yourself as safe as you can. People are having a blast, trying to outsmart each other, all in good fun.

(For non-Hindi readers, please refer to the images’ alt text for the English transcript.)

#1 The Color Gets You Anyway

Premise: Someone does not want to be a part of harmless Holi rituals, not even consenting for a small teeka. (In this example, it is the cranky neighbor simply known as Jhapat ji.) They rebuff the 5-year old with anger, and somehow get the color on them anyway. It is almost as if the color has a will of its own. The comic is even titled “Holi ka rang” (The color of Holi).

#2 The More You Run Away From Holi, The Worse It Gets

Premise: Once again, someone really don’t want to be happy on Holi. As they show their disdain for Holi, they end up smearing themselves with something worse instead. In this case it is oil paints, fabric dye, and motor oil. Satisfying. Kinda?

#3 Bad Guys Fall Into The Hole They Dug For Someone Else

Premise: Rivals try to attack protagonists with gulaal and colored water, get owned instead. No one is mad or hurt, because Holi rivalry.

#4 Deus Ex Machina (feat. Chacha Chaudhary)

Premise: A rival wants to drench the protagonist in the spirit of Holi. He forgets that the protagonist has “a brain more powerful than a computer” and a conveniently available twin brother. I wonder if Chhajju Chaudhary was created solely for this comic strip.

The Significance of Pran Comics in Holi Pop Culture

If you think of Holi themes in recent popular culture, what comes to mind? I bet at least one of you had “Do me a favor, let’s play Holi” buzz through your brain. Or, maybe it was some other popular Bollywood song.

Either way, all these depictions have somehow bastardized this festival, at least for me. Today, Holi has to be about casual boundary violation, bhaang, parties, and political dickwaggery.

Amidst all this nonsense, Pran’s comic strips still preserve the simplicity of Holi celebrations, and what it meant to children in India.