Madhu Muskan

Madhu Muskan

Frequency	Weekly
Format	Print
Circulation	~100,000 (late 1970s)
Publisher	Gowarsons Group of Companies
Founded	1972
Final issue	2004
Country	India
Based in	New Delhi
Language	Hindi

Madhu Muskan (Sweet Smiles)^[1] was an Indian weekly comic magazine published by the Gowarsons Group of Companies from 1972 to 2004. Its circulation reached approximately 100,000 copies during the late 1970s.^[2]

Overview

Gowarsons began publishing Madhu Muskan in New Delhi in 1972.^[1][2] The magazine was initially issued fortnightly and later became a weekly publication.^{[citation needed]}

While not a comic book in the strict sense, Madhu Muskan consisted primarily of illustrated comic stories, which accounted for about 90 percent of its content and featured popular characters of the period. Four to five pages carried magazine-style material, with the remainder devoted to comics.

The Gowarsons Group also held the Indian rights to Archie, Asterix and several other titles.^[2] Madhu Muskan ceased publication in 2004, following financial difficulties in the Indian comic industry.^[3]

Characters

Madhu Muskan's characters are primarily humorous. Characters during the 1970s and 1980s include:

• Daddy Ji, the main character, who appeared for almost 25 years^[4] and appeared on the cover of each issue. Daddy Ji's creator, Harish M. Sudan, modelled the character on his family and his brother-in-law.
• Babloo, a young detective appearing in every issue and whose uncle is the superintendent of police.
• Popat-Chaupat, a hapless comic duo beset with money problems.
• Sustram-Chustram, another comic duo with many problems. Chustram is overly energetic, and Sustram is extremely lazy.
• Bhootnath Aur Jaadui Tulika, a popular ghost with a magical paintbrush called Tulika.
• Minni, a clever, mischievous and helpful little girl.
• Dakoo Paan Singh, a fun- and danger-loving character who developed super-human strength when he chewed paan quickly whipped up by Supari Lal, his side-kick. His enemies included Madam Motallo, a fat woman who became a bouncing ball and flattened everything she bounced on; Serpa Soongh, a snake charmer; Cheenku, who could knock things down by sneezing; and Jadugar Jhundu, an evil magician. Their author was Murli Sundram.
• Filmi Reporter Kalamdas, a reporter who interviewed Bollywood stars; actual movie stars had comic names.

References

1. Raminder Kaur; Saif Eqbal (11 October 2018). Adventure Comics and Youth Cultures in India. Taylor & Francis. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-429-78431-6.
2. "Astérix and the existential crisis". Mint. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 31 October 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
3. "Indian Comics Poll 6". Virily. 5 February 2018. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
4. "Desi comic heroes still cast a spell". The Times of India. 30 March 2008. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2010.