Magic happened when Narayan Debnath picked up the paintbrush

By his own admission, Narayan Debnath was never an avid reader of comics before he started creating his own characters in the ’60s. It was the people and the dingy alleys around his residence in Howrah Shibpur that inspired his creations. The mischievous children, fruitsellers, schoolteachers and other real-life characters who he used to keenly observe were the basis of his creations.According to his close associates, whenever the artist was asked about his age, he used to laugh out loud and say, ‘I was born in the year when Japanese bombed Kolkata during World War II.’ His sense of humour was cherished by his friends and fans. Debnath, who started his journey as an illustrator and became one of the pioneers in the Bengali comics industry, breathed his last on Tuesday at a city hospital. Tributes poured in as Bengali readers bade adieu to him and his universe comprising Bantul, Handa Bhonda, Nonte Phonte, Bahadur Beral and so many more loveable characters.
While remembering the artist, illustrator Uday Deb said, "It was 2012 and I was working in Mumbai when I got a call. ‘Ami Narayan Debnath bolchi’, said the voice from the other end. ‘I like your work. There will be a compilation of my work. Will you do the cover please,’ he asked. I was stunned. It was, by far, the biggest recognition in my life. I drew a portrait of him with a mask of Bantul in his hand. After all, to me, he was the superhero Bantul.
"In fact, I considered Bantul my savior whenever I went for a haircut. I was terrified that the barber would cut off my ears! I just held a Bantul comic close to my chest and was sure that the superhero would punish the barber if that happens. Imagine how I would feel when Bental’s creator called me up.
"Many years later, Debasishda took me to his residence. In that dimly lit old room in his Howrah Shibpur house with damp walls, every single element seemed magical. His nerve problem had started setting in and his hands used to tremble. Debasishda asked him to draw something and I witnessed magic again. Once he held the paintbrush, his hands were dead steady. He drew a Bantul sketch, which I still treasure. I began calling him jethu and we used to chat for hours.
"Famous global comic characters are literally industry-produced. Tens of hundreds of artists draw, others paint, a dedicated group paints the pictures and photographers travel and take pictures to build location references. Narayan Debnath did everything on his own and that’s unique and outstanding. And yet, the recognition he got was too little and too late.
"I refused to visit him during the pandemic despite repeated calls fearing that I might inadvertently infect him. That’s a regret that will go with me.