About this issue
Dear friends,I read this poem by William Blake a long time ago and it stayed with me:Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry?Simple words. Powerful words. Don’t they draw a picture in your mind of the majesty and fierceness of the tiger? Don’t you wish the tiger evoked in each one of us the same admiration and awe that it did in Blake? I sure do. I also wish each of us had the capacity to admire and protect all the wonderful animals that share this world with us. It is World Animal Day on the fourth of October, the reason this issue is dedicated to all the delightful creatures around us. You will find them not only in forests and sanctuaries but also in towns, villages or cities you live in. It is my hope that more of us realize that the Earth does not exist solely for humans. Animals, birds or reptiles, they all have as much right to this world as we do. I hope more people open up their hearts and listen to the Call of the Wild. Moving on, we celebrate World Elders’ Day on the first and the birthdays of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on the second. We also have Dussehra, Eid and Diwali this month. October seems to be a month of great joy and celebration, and I hope you all take safe precautions when bursting crackers and if you can, whenever you can, take care to protect our environment. I do hope you also spare time for quiet celebrations and remembrances, for our elders who guide us and share their wisdom, for our great leaders who left us a legacy of thought-provoking ideas.
About TINKLE
Tinkle started as a fortnightly children’s comics magazine, in 1980. Under the guidance of editor-founder, Anant Pai, the brand evolved the tagline ‘Where learning meets fun’. It was one of the first few children’s comics magazines with Indian content at that time. Till then children were reading syndicated foreign comics, – Archies, Phantom, Mandrake – translated into Indian languages. In Tinkle, children could read folktales from all over the world as well as stories revolving around the Tinkletoons. Many of these characters have evolved into icons such as Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Tantri the Mantri, Kalia the Crow, etc. Over the years, newer characters have stepped into the Tinkle pages. These include the Defective Detectives, Butterfingers, Sea Diaries, etc. Apart from comics, the magazine also engages readers with several educative non-fiction pages including puzzles, do-it-yourself crafts, solve-it-yourself mysteries, knowledge features on a wide range of subjects and contests. Though intended as a magazine for children between the ages of 8 and 14, Tinkle’s reach goes far beyond. Families eagerly look forward to the magazine, every month, across the length and breadth of the country. It is probably not just the entertainment but the unexpected insights that the magazine gives their children that families value. Owing to Uncle Pai’s efforts, Tinkle is also welcomed by educators and school principals and thus holds a position as a recommended magazine for wholesome edutainment.