Yet Another Upturn for Bangla Comics

Although the comics market is booming all across India, Bengali comics still have not garnered the attention they deserve.

- PURBASHA KARMAKAR

The proliferation of pirated PDF copies of comics on social media platforms has severely impacted the Bengali comics industry. These pirated copies are often shared among users, discouraging them from purchasing original books. As a result, publishers struggle to recoup their investments, making them hesitant to invest in new comics or provide fair compensation to authors and artists.

Amidst the struggle for proper representation of Bengali comics, The Statesman got hold of the Bengali comic artist, Dr Sayan Pal, who has developed his own franchise, 'Bonku Daktar', and is forging ahead into the future.

"My art has always been rooted in my profession. I observe people carefully, and that is how situations, occurrences and characters find their way into my stories. My childhood was filled with Debnath's comic icons," said the doctor.

Devoured by passion, he went on with his artistic interests while also being a medical student in his early days. Just within the first year of medical school, the character of 'Bonku Daktar', a bald, humorous face, was born from doodles during biochemistry lectures. The world of 'Bonku Daktar' hence emerged and still continues to mark its place in the history of Bengali comics.