Pran Kumar Sharma, creator of Chacha Chaudhary, no more

Chacha Chaudhary, the venerable Jat tau, whose brain runs faster than a computer, first made his appearance amongst impressionable adolescents growing up in the late 60s in a Hindi magazine called Lotpot.

Witty and followed by the 'extra terrestrial' Sabu in his exploits, Chacha Chaudhary won over generations of pre-liberalisation Indian teens, many of whom did not have access to Archie or Batman. In Chacha Chaudhary, teenagers found a superhero of their own, who till then had to make do with translations of Phantom or Batman. Rickety technology added with the quirks of the Indian middle class gave way to many more characters — Pinky, Billoo, Raaka — and, memorable stories.

It was the lacking of an Indian superhero that legendary cartoonist Pran wanted to address. And, in doing so, became the guiding light of the Indian comic industry. His passing, on Wednesday morning, in a Gurgaon hospital at the age of 75, of cancer in the intestines, has robbed the Indian comic industry of an icon.

Born in Kasur in pre-Independence India, Pran Kumar Sharma pursued a distance learning course in Fine Arts from Mumbai's prestigious JJ School of Art. His first comic Daabu was for Delhi-based newspaper Milaap; his second character Chacha Chaudhary was published exclusively by Diamond Comics since 1981.

"When I first spoke to him, there were no Indian comics. We were not sure it would work, but it did. We published everything that Pran made over the last three decades," said Gulshan Rai, founder of Diamond Comics. Diamond Comics has a few unpublished Pran comics.

Along with Anant Pai of Amar Chitra Katha, Pran gave children throughout the country many stories to lap up. "He was a legend, and his contribution to Indian comics is staggering. He was always humble, and his spoke lovingly of his characters. I grew up reading his cartoons, and in the absence of TV, reading was a habit among children. When I met him last year at the Comic Con, it was a honourable moment for me," said Savio Mascarenhas, art director of Amar Chitra Katha Limited.

Chacha Chaudhary was later turned into a teleserial featuring Raghuveer Yadav in the lead. Pran's cartoons were translated to more than 10 Indian languages.

Angry Maushi creator Abhijeet Kini, who, too, grew up on the fables of the affable tau, said that Pran's passing was a big loss to the industry. "His passing is not only a huge setback to the fraternity, it is also a loss to Indian literature in general. His characters were extraordinary," said Kini.

Prime minister Narendra Modi, too, paid his condolence on twitter, saying that Pran was "a versatile cartoonist who brought smiles on the faces of people through his rich work."

His cremation was held in Delhi late Wednesday afternoon. He is survived by his wife Asha, son Nikhil Pran, daughter-in-law Jyoti Pran and daughter Shaily Pran.

Reactions:
If you've never been exposed to a Chacha Chaudary comic and Pran's genius, take today, do some browsing and find one. You won't regret it.
—Virr Das

The man who gave us the legendary Chacha Chaudary is no more. This is clearly the end of an era. A true superstar; RIP Pran Sharma.
—Madhur Bhandarkar

RIP Pran. Thank You for all the smiles in the form of Chacha Chaudhary, Shrimatiji, Pinki, Billoo, Raman, and Channie Chachi.
—Aam Aadmi Party

Coach of Indian superman "Chacha Chaudhary " Pran Saheb is no more ...my heartfelt condolence .....
—Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

RIP Cartoonist Pran, creator of ChachaChaudhary.You enriched childhood of millions with your comic strips
—Sanjay Nirupam

Zaroor Jupiter mein koi jwalamukhi phata hoga! R.I.P pran sir. You were a big part of my childhood. Thank you.
—Raghu Ram

Feeling sad on demise Sri Pran famous Cartoonist, who created characters like Chacha Chaudhary etc. May thedeparted Soul rest in peace.
—Venkaiah Naidu