Damru, Cheeku, and Dadaji’s Story Corner: The life of Champak Comics

When we were in school, summer vacations were the only good thing that broke the cycle of relentless studying, monotonous exams, and unwanted alarms waking us up with the break of the dawn. Summer vacations were always welcomed like the first rain of the monsoon, with open arms and a loving trance.

The cover photo of one of the Champak Comics. Image Source: Champak

During summer vacations, you might plan on going to visit your grandmother’s house, who is ready to welcome you with open arms and a table ready with lots of food because every summer vacation you seem weak and need to eat a lot. Some children used to go out on trips with their friends and family, enjoying the fresh breeze of different regions or countries. While every child had a unique way to spend two months of freedom, the Champak Magazine was always a companion, traveling and eating while you chill and enjoy the summer breeze of the yearly stream.

The 1970s and 80s were regarded as the golden age of Indian Comics and Magazines. Not only children but adults and college students alike waited for the latest issue of comics like Champak. The characterization was always on point with a gripping story and the ability to transform the reader into the graphic world created by Champak and others.

The journey of Champak comics began in the year 1969 when Pran’s Chacha Chaudhary, Chandamama, and Amar Chitra Katha had already made a pool of audience for them, catering to their monthly comic needs. As years went by, Champak under Delhi Press Group established themselves as one of the leading comic publishers in the subcontinent.

They published their magazines fortnightly in as many as 8 languages including English, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, and many more. Since their target audience was children, they came up with a monthly school magazine that would rightly target their audience and generate a pool of regularly published stories.

Magazines like Champak, Chacha Chaudhary, Tinkle, and Amar Chitra Katha offered a great competition to the foreign comics and magazines of the Gotham and Marvel worlds. however, with increasing digitalization, the comic and magazine industry took a back seat. Kids got enticed by the newly available fantasy literature, video content, and fictional books from international authors.

Awadhesh Kumar Jha has been working with the Champak Comics and stated that while there was no effect on the production of Champak over the years, the readers and their main audience became the people living in tier-two cities.

However, while the pandemic became responsible for the shutting up of various enterprises, it became an angel in disguise for the comic industry. During the lockdown, nostalgia became the dominant emotion. People wanted to go back to their childhood, relive their past glory days and impart the wisdom of comics to their kids. The literature industry in general saw a boom. Everyone wanted to gain a little, and relearn the ways of living with the golden-aged comics.

While the texts in any comic were minuscule, the impact of a comic was as great as that of any heavy-paged book. It had subtle lessons of morality tied within the graphics of Dadaji and cheeku. It was and will always be the golden part of the 80s and 90s kids’ childhood.

A Comic strip of Dadaji's story. Image Source: Champak