This Biography Of Uncle Pai Brings Him Closer To His Fans Through Stories Of His Struggles And Victories

Uncle Pai: A Biography. Rajessh M Iyer. Fingerprint! Publishing. Pages 344. Rs 184.

When I saw the biography of ‘Uncle Pai’ by Rajessh M Iyer, it was with trepidation that I bought it. This is because I have already read the woke Amar Chitra Katha version of the life of Anant Pai which unforgivingly portrayed him as against every value he had worked for all his life.

Thankfully, this biography is a joy to read. It is true to the life of the genius it has chosen to portray. We who grew up in the ‘70s and ‘80s knew the finished products. We enjoyed them and educated ourselves through them. As the dominance of nuclear families began to emerge in Indian society, the role of the grandmother was taken over by Amar Chitra Katha (ACK). Then there was of course Partha and Tinkle.

The brain behind all these was Anant Pai, affectionately called ‘Uncle Pai’.

We have always wanted to know the man to whose genius we owe a tremendous part of our cultural literacy.

The woke-ACK version of Uncle Pai was thus a kind of anti-climax.

Thankfully, we have this biography that throws a lot of light and brings out surprisingly pleasant details about the man who created perhaps the most unique phenomenon in the world of comics.

The book succeeds in making the reader understand the unique Campbellian ‘follow your bliss’ nature of Anant Pai who despite being a chemical engineer could feel that his inner call was not for that profession.

One can only imagine the kind of agony the family should have undergone. Having a professional degree amidst the terrible deluge of unemployment of the ‘60s was a great lifeline. To say that one would through that away and swim through the tsunami waves of uncertainty was sheer madness.

His youthful romance with Lalita and her lifelong companionship with Pai throughout his ups and downs is also written about. In fact, she was no passive wife supporting her husband, she indeed was his Shakti – giving him pushes and ideas and also valuable criticism.

The book brings out the Bhagirathic work behind the production of each and every ACK title. Right from the first title on Krishna.

The author wonderfully narrates the way Anant Pai, a person with rationalist mind that was uncomfortable with miracles, really struggled with the miracles which form the integral and repeating components of the life of Sri Krishna. The struggle and the solution Pai came up with are described in the book:

But his team including his chief illustrator Ram Waeerkar strongly objected to such tweaking. Thankfully Pai realized his folly and gave in. Otherwise, ACK would have never taken off and would have died as another attempt of clumsy retelling of our heritage rather than become a magnificent vehicle of Indian culture and spirituality for a life time. Writes Iyer:

Perhaps the real scientific-mindedness was in understanding how the civilisational psyche of India has internalised Krishna through its own deep wisdom and harmonising one’s own worldview with that.

The illustrations made by Yusuf Bangalorewala (Yusuf Lien) for Mirabai are among those which to this day stand unsurpassed in their mystic beauty. Allegedly Yusuf Lien stopped drawing human figures later in his life. Yet his contribution to cultural fabric of India through ACK has to be acknowledged. Anant Pai saw him in tears when he was painting the panels for Mirabai, writes Iyer.

The book takes the reader who was a kid in ‘70s and ‘80s through those golden days of childhood and shows the background processes that made that childhood golden. It shows the struggle that Anant Pai had in making the ACK acceptable in educational institutions.

Here is just one of the many instances narrated in the book. The principal of Bal Mohan Vidya Mandir in Mumbai, Dadasaheb Rege, was a good friend of Pai. They shared a love for ancient Indian traditions and Bhagavad Gita. Pai would have interactions with the school students periodically. But when Pai wanted to distribute ACK, Dadasaheb Rege resolutely refused to permit it. No comics in school. Undeterred, Pai explained how ACK was different and educational. Iyer describes what happened next:

He did not just stop with a promise. Guess whom Pai got into ACK board as language consultant? Nizzim Ezekiel, the famous poet.

This is the kind of care and course correction that Pai did for ACK. So, what we as children had in our hands as finished products were the results of such laborious works.

The book shows the inner nature and evolution of Anant Pai in a melodiously lucid way. They have a richness and variety and even mischievous fun. Consider this. Pai had appointed a copy editor who was tough on everyone in the team.

Pratap Mulick, one of the famous cover art illustrators, was irritated at the way this copy editor was finding fault just for the sake of it. So, to test him, he depicted one of the princes wearing a wrist watch in his cover art for Draupadi.

A man for whom taking Indian culture to the next generation was a passion, we find Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill among the formative influences. Of course, there is his love for Gita; the unwavering support and active role of Lalita Pai; the genius in him, the polyglot and a walking encyclopaedia that he was and his temper – for example, he would tear up the illustrations he did not like. All these are brought out – in a loving and lively manner. The author should be congratulated for bringing out the almost an out-of-the-world bond that existed between Anant Pai and his publisher Ganshyam Lilaram Milchandani of India Book House. It should be read, relished and internalised.

Another of Pai’s projects was Partha, a magazine for teenagers. It contained writings by very eminent personalities. For example, the famous columnist M.V.Kamath and Dr. V.S. Venkatavaradan (then director of Nehru Planetarium, Bombay) wrote for the teenagers in that magazine.

Pai also made use of the different media channels then available. For example, ACK stories were told through gramophone records and later through audio cassettes. Uncle Pai also made a video cassette on Vedic concept of Divine titled Ekam Sat with the introduction by none other than Swami Chinmayananda. Thus he turned out to be a visionary who was not satisfied with his achievements but was one who continued to look forward.

Yet.

Every serious mission launcher who cares for taking India's culture and spirituality to her future generations should read this book. Whether Indian or not, anyone who loves and wants to do something for children, should read this book. This book is not about Dharma. This book is filled with Dharma and love for both India and humanity.

Uncle Pai rose above all partisan and sectarian pettiness. He embraced all aspects of Indian culture and spirituality. He even brought out ACK issues on Albert Einstein, Zarathushtra, Sufi tales and Jesus. Thus, in the palatial mansion he built, he made children see the world through the windows he sculpted even as they stood firm on the strong and uncompromising foundations of India’s national culture which he toiled and built.

A big 'thank you' to Rajessh M Iyer for the book.

Often when you know your heroes so closely there is a risk of them falling from the pedestals. After reading Uncle Pai, which brings out the man I always adore in all his complexities, I can now say with more confidence what I have always been saying: Bharat Ratna should be honoured with Uncle Pai.