Bahadur & The 6th Sense

In the 80s the English comics of Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon and Tarzan virtually ruled and dominated the reading space for children. Even I was a great fan of these characters particularly Phantom ( I have already written a post on  him  ) and Mandrake the magician, though I didn’t read much of Flash Gordon and Tarzan, who were also famous comic characters. In an effort to challenge this supremacy Bennet Coleman & Co. ( publishers of Indrajal Comics ) wanted to have a a brave Indian character, a true fighter who could match the exploits of Phantom and co.

Abid Surti, a JJ School of Art alumnus and an accomplished painter, author, cartoonist, working with Bennet Coleman at that time was entrusted with the job of creating this character. The country in those days was passing through a weird phase wherein the Ravines of the Chambal Region had suddenly gained prominence for all the wrong reasons. The ravines were getting increasingly notorious and there was a serious exhortation,  for people to come together, form groups and fight crime.

In this background Abid Surti developed the character Bahadur, the son of a brigand, raised by Vishal, a police inspector. The story was truly compelling. Bahadur  was young,  brave, a skilled fighter, had the ability to organise people against crime, a leader of substance, who also had a warm  heart. The orange  coloured  Kurta which Bahadur always wore in the comics was specifically designed to show Indianness and the blue jeans which completed his attire, was indicative of a progressive individual.  A lot of thought and creativity  had gone into Abid Surti’s work and the results too matched the efforts put in by the team at Bennet Coleman.

Bahadur, was a runaway success. The comic strip was published in English, Hindi , Bengali and several other languages and had a universal appeal in the country. Reading the exploits of Bahadur, the intrigue involved and the way he fought crime was extremely interesting. However  the phrase ‘ Bahadur’s 6th Sense ‘ , was an added dimension to the personality of Bahadur which I had not come across in any other character which  I had read.. His 6th sense which indicated this strong  intuitive streak in him  was many a times the game changer for Bahadur and  personally I always wondered how good it would be  if we all had a strong 6th sense. 

Bahadur underwent changes as time progressed. His stories always reflected the ongoings in the country. My childhood and that of several others have been entertained by this home grown Hero who always defied the odds and ensured the victory of good over evil. Unfortunately Bahadur was shelved in 1990 when Bennet Coleman discontinued Indrajal Comics . 

The unforgettable Bahadur made unforgettable memories…a true Indian classic.