Popular Marathi cartoon strip Chintoo goes live on YouTube

Paper books jumping on the digital bandwagon may not sound like the most stellar proposition to the traditional, book smelling ilk of bibliophiles. But, for Charuhas Pandit, creator of the cartoon strip Chintoo, flagging off a YouTube channel dedicated to Chintoo, is an effort to enliven the young protagonist's playful antics.

The channel that was launched two months ago has animated episodes from Chintoo's life, and already has a viewer base of more than five lakh, and a subscription of about 10,900.

The digital move is a new lease of life, says Pandit, stressing, "By launching the channel, I am not creating a replacement for the printed books. I am, in fact, expanding the scope of Chintoo's reach."

A pantomime cartoon, a gag in a single panel, or the more usual three-panel sequence of the strip, Chintoo's always revolved around the little joys and the typical concerns of a pre-teen. Tales woven around daily humour, such as Chintoo's unwillingness to study, or his equations with his friends, the plight of eating right, leisure activities and the love for cricket, among others, are typical to the strips.

With more than 7,000 insertions, the strip is the only one to have engaged the Marathi audience for more than 26 years. The happenings in Chintoo's life are easily identifiable. Ask Pandit about what makes Chintoo click, and he is fast to respond, "An archetypal, urban Marathi family, with middle-class values, everyday situations and the easy humour that simple things in life hold in abundance -- these things make the strips palatable."

An online channel not only brings the content straight to the end user, but also brings with it many other advantages. "With books, you never really get to enjoy spontaneous responses from the readers. But in a digital space like a YouTube channel, the feedback appears is instant. That is not just encouraging, but it also offers more room for instant improvement."

So far, the channel has hosted 20 videos, none exceeding the duration of a minute, and the plan is to upload at least two new ones every week. What sets Chintoo's online episodes apart is their attempt to go beyond regional viewers. "There are English subtitles and the treatment and sound effects are modern. Nonetheless, the simplicity of the original work has not been compromised," fills in Saee Deshpande, a mother of two, who grew up reading the strips and now, enjoys watching Chintoo's YouTube channel with her kids. Over more than two-and-a-half-decades, Chintoo may not have lost his real fabric, but he certainly has evolved.

Charuhas Pandit, the maker of Chintoo

"Take for example, the costumes of all the characters. In the earlier years, Chintoo's mother only wore sarees. Now, she dresses in salwar kurtas and occasionally, flaunts a pair of jeans, especially if on a holiday. Also, the furniture and commodities at Chintoo's residence have undergone a facelift over the years. These details make a lot of difference," highlights Pandit.

For Pandit, the success of the channel is a big win, but he can shrug off the purist in him. "I am an illustrator in my most natural element and cannot stay away from working on paper and print. I have already started working on the next volume of Chintoo's strip," he signs off.