The Sushi Curry

Let me first clarify that this article is about the progression of cartoons in India and not about food. 

Being a 90's kid, I have no qualms about stating that we had better cartoons than any generation before or since. Those were the good old days when Cartoon Network screened from 5.30 a.m till 5.30 p.m. That is 12 hours worth of exposure to American sensibilities. We became used to that kind of humour and understanding of the world. Although cartoons like Mickey Mouse or Tom and Jerry had a universal appeal, some like Johnny Bravo were distinctly American.

We still remember you!

The cartoons of this generation are a little different. 

Though there are American cartoons available, they seem like cheap imitation jewelery in comparison to those from the golden era of the 90's. Around the same time as the quality of cartoons deteriorated, there was a new addition in the form of the shows being dubbed in regional languages. The horror of cartoon watchers like me was beyond words. Seeing the immensely popular Noddy tune change from "Make way for Noddy" to "Aagaya Noddy" was difficult to digest.The pioneer dubs could be described as bearable rather than enjoyable. I guess the producers of cartoon channels figured this out and strategised a new 'Look East " policy. New kids channels like Hungama experimented with dubbing Japanese cartoons into hindi. All of a sudden, these cartoons were ruling the roost.It was like Pearl Harbour all over again. Anime dubbed in hindi kicked butt of their American counter-parts.

Anime in hindi is not for a niche audience in India but is enjoyed by a large number of school-going children. Anime itself was already well known in India thanks to shows like Pokemon and the channel Animax. Takeshi's Castle was a popular Japanese show aired on Pogo that had a hindi voice-over by comedian Javed Jaffrey. Japanese cartoons in hindi dubbing are like an old sofa with new upholstery or like a wife who acts like a mistress. It is both familar and refereshingly unfamiliar. The Japanese are great story-tellers and they have the power and skill to make a story whimsical, realistic and didatic with a touch of cyber-punk all in one go. American animation shows what Indian kids desire but it doesn't fit into the environment of Indian homes.Japan has had a history of good cultural values which Indian kids can relate to.

Anime's use exaggerated expressions called face faults in their comedy. 

The Japanese companies ensure quality dubbing in Hindi. They are also mindful of the religious and cultural sensitivities while airing animation in India.

A well known dubbed anime is Shin Chan. Shin Chan talks about a normal Japanese urban family of four consisting of the father, mother, son (named Shin Chan), baby daughter. They have a pet dog Shiro. Shin chan is a five year old flirt bordering on womaniser who pokes his nose into the familys affairs while playing with his friends and annoying his teachers. It is sometimes hard not to think of him as a 5 year old sociopath. He is characterised by his red tee-shirt, yellow shorts and broad eyebrows and loud boisterous voice. He sometimes bursts into hindi songs in between scenes.The dialogues are quick and quirky and seem to be translated into hindi without much loss of meaning.

Doraemon is another anime series that has caught the imagination of youngsters.The series is about an intelligent robotic cat named Doraemon, who travels back in time from the 22nd century to aid a pre-teen boy, Nobita Nobi 

 A majority of Doraemon episodes are comedies with lessons regarding values such as honesty, perseverance, courage, family and respect for elders.  If TAM ratings can still be taken into consideration we see that Doraemon was the leading kids programme in April 2012.

The move of making Japanese cartoons available on Indian channels isn't just about expanding the pallete for Indian kids. It is politically motivated,not in an awesome evil way, but to promote and deepen mutual understanding of the two countries by strengthening cooperation in the creative industry. Judging by the number of times hindi dubbed anime is aired on television, it seems to be working.