Tokai (cartoon Character) - History

History

Tokai was started in the year-beginning issue of Saptahik Bichitra (An Weekly Magazine) on May 17, 1978. Since then, Tokai appeared in the weekly magazine Spatahik Bichitra and later in Spatahik 2000 (Weekly 2000- another weekly magazine) continuously. Apart from a six months break, Tokai has never been absent from making fun of current political and/or social issues.

In 1976, Ronobi returned from a three-year printmaking course in Greece. He thought about creating a character in this time. A street child used to live outside Ronobi’s home who died later. Based on him and remembering how he asked Ronobi questions whenever he opens the door, Ronobi planned to portrait a street urchin. He thought this boy would be the perfect picture of thousands of penniless live in Bangladesh.

So he transformed his thought into the cartoon. And from the very beginning, the innocent looking cunning little boy won the hearts of the readers. Readers flooded Ronobi with letters praising his Tokai and making suggestions for Tokai cartoons.

Upon receiving such enthusiasm among the readers, Ronobi began to use Tokai to express his own observations about Bangladeshi society in the hope that it might influence politicians and policy makers. Tokai has something to say about everything and he always criticises all political parties and all politicians.

Tokai appeared in Weekly Bichitra from 1978 to 1999. Tokai was an inseparable item of this magazine during this period. But after changing of the editorial board of Bichitra, Tokai has appeared in the magazine Weekly 2000 in 1999. Since then Tokai became a part of weekly 2000. After more than 25 years of the appearance of Tokai, the continuing poverty in Bangladesh makes him as relevant today as he was in 1978.