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After winning the hearts of readers in the US and and Europe, this Belgium born cartoon character’s comic book will be launched in Hindi here next month.
“We will launch the Hindi version of Tintin in the second week of May. The launch would mark the presence of the character physically, especially from Belgium,” Ajay Mago, publisher and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Om Books International, the publishing company that has obtained the copyrights of Tintin’s Hindi version said.
And that’s not it! Fans would also get a chance to physically meet the hero of the series, a young reporter, who sets out on solving mysteries, with his furry friend Snowy, a dog.
“From Belgium a person would be especially flown in here, who would be in Tintin’s costume marking the character’s physical presence at the launch,” added Mago. Well, bringing Tintin’s Hindi version to the Indian readers was no cake walk!
“Since last five years I have been pursuing Casterman, the publishing company that holds the original copyright of Tintin. But it was only after three years, in early 2008, that they gave a nod and since then I have been working on its translation. I sent them three different translations and among them they zeroed in on one,” said Mago.
“It surely was a tough task because of the inherent and vast difference between the cultures, society, language and sensibilities. The jokes practically can’t be translated, as the phrases and certain references may be common in Europe but are not known to our readership. So while the basic narrative remains unchanged, wherever required, I tried to use a similar phrase or joke, or modified it for the understanding of the Hindi readers,” explains Mago.