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| Tinkle--The Defective Detectives |
"Summer vacation are on!" --I affirm, tearfully, that this sentence appeared in Tinkle, that children's magazine I believed was the apostle of correct grammar. Tinkle, a symbol that could denote my childhood!
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| Uncle Pai (Anant Pai) |
We miss you, Uncle Pai. Your magazine is simply not the erudite and fun companion it once was. I resent the presence of millions of advertisements (McDonald's in my Tinkle!) and I will not condone it saying you're hard up, new Tinkle editors/money-makers. If so many brands are sponsoring you and if you can afford to arrange Samsung Corby giveaways (to kids), why did you have to increase the price of the magazine? That's such a far cry from Uncle Pai's attempts at printing a black-and-white Tinkle that poorer children could afford.
I echo Salman Rushdie: "Is nothing sacred anymore?" Why is the Readers Write column now called the Tinkle Mail Box with the @ symbol on top? Why do I see speech balloons filled with:
"...HE LOOKED AT ME AND MADE A THREATENING GESTURE.
HE IS AFTER MY LIFE. SAVE ME, O MASTER!
?
Tinkle was never a Marvel comic; why all the italics? Most of the stories are still good, though; the old writers and illustrators are still present and features like "It Happened To Me" and "Tinkle Tells You Why" are mercifully still thriving.
You may say I'm creating unnecessary ruckus over one mistake that could have been a typo, after all. But it can also become a trendsetter, and that keeps me awake at night. You may also ask why I still read Tinkle, but my sister subscribes to it and it's right there in front of me and Janoo and Wooly Woo are on the cover and it takes only ten minutes and it's Tinkle...almost. I just hope it doesn't turn into another Champak, depriving my sister and thousands of other kids of a magazine that can shape lives.
You may say I'm creating unnecessary ruckus over one mistake that could have been a typo, after all. But it can also become a trendsetter, and that keeps me awake at night. You may also ask why I still read Tinkle, but my sister subscribes to it and it's right there in front of me and Janoo and Wooly Woo are on the cover and it takes only ten minutes and it's Tinkle...almost. I just hope it doesn't turn into another Champak, depriving my sister and thousands of other kids of a magazine that can shape lives.
Everything's changing, Tinkle is just one of the many succumbing to those trying to attract new business(readers). Unfortunately, several times they end up sacrificing quality, as so.
ReplyDeleteBut I thought atleast Tinkle was immune to all that.
ReplyDeleteYour post echoes my feelings superbly. I no longer feel the connect with Tinkle anymore, like I used to when I was little. Dad used to bring it in the evening, and by the time my elder sister even got a whiff of it, I had already finished reading it twice! Tinkle and Children's World practically define my childhood too. Not to mention, the adorable Classic Cartoon Network. Sad too see things changing so drastically.
ReplyDeleteI know, I thought earlier that it was just misplaced nostalgia and a non-acceptance of change, but Tinkle doesn't, never needs, to reinvent itself, because it's originally perfect. Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteUncle Pai was a great man... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteLong time, I read a Tinkle..
Yes, he left a legacy to be worshipped.
ReplyDeleteYes, he left behind a great legacy which is sadly being tarnished.
ReplyDelete