For generations of Indians, childhood reads meant comics, and among the most beloved of that genre was the Asterix series. Other foreign comics featuring superheroes were expensive, but Asterix were cheap and thus easily available in every neighbourhood lending library, as well as in the corners of the newspaper-walla’s inventory, stacked neatly next to the Betty & Veronica collections. Asterix’s adventures, as well as those of his entire village of eccentrics, regaled Indian kids long before Ironman or Superman made any real impact in the subcontinent.
But despite their local popularity, Asterix comics were woefully lacking in desi representation. Everyone from Winston Churchill to the Beatles found space in their panels. Indians, however, got only one ambassador – Watziznehm, who appeared in the 1987 comic Asterix and the Magic Carpet. Watziznehm made his debut on a flying carpet and didn’t even get the honour of getting a name with ‘ix’ jammed on at the end. (Rahulix? Krishnix? Just saying.)
In Asterix and the Magic Carpet, Watziznehm took Asterix and Obelix back to his “Indian kingdom”, where they helped him save a princess from becoming a human sacrifice to a rain god. Despite the fact that the kingdom’s architecture was completely Islamic (considering the Asterix universe is set around 500 BC, this detail pre-empted the advent of Islam in the subcontinent by about sixteen centuries), the comic made some effort to distill the essentials of Indian culture into the story by including a cricket joke and a reference to the invention of the number zero.
Now, however, things are about to change for Asterix. The Asterix universe has been handed over from Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo to a second author: Jean-Yves Ferri, and his first Asterix comic, due in October, will feature an Indian character named Gandhix. Nope, it’s not Rahul Gandhi, though that could provide for some entertaining topical political commentary. The Gandhi in question is the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
The report in today’s Times of India says Ferri is hoping to set the adventure in “old-time India”, and since Gandhi is “the most famous Indian,” he will feature in it. A possible storyline? “Maybe I could get Gandhix to visit Druid Getafix and use the magic potion to become a super Gaul,” said Ferri.
Putting aside the inevitable backlash that poor Ferri will have to weather (“‘Gandhiji is ALREADY super’: outraged Gandhians”, “Gandhix puts Asterix in a fix” – can’t you see the headlines already?), this is a move that will probably be welcomed by Asterix’s many fans in India. God knows, nothing pleases us more than seeing a reference to ourselves in foreign culture, whether it’s rakshasas in World War Z or a blink-and-miss appearance by Amitabh Bachchan in The Great Gatsby. But Asterix getting an Indian character will hit home in a way Hollywood guest appearances never did – the comic book and all its colourful characters connected with desi pubescents in a way that defied their decidedly-foreign Gaulish origins.
The adventures of Asterix and Obelix were full of witty and endearing characters who win against insurmountable odds by the use of their wits and the occasional glug of a magic potion. Asterix and Obelix were not exactly fine physical specimens, but they got by on the strength of their bravery, loyalty and strong friendships, which more often than not manifested themselves in free-for-all brawls at the end of each escapade.
Maybe they found a parallel in the Indian comic world, in which goodness of heart and clever thinking beat brawn. Vitalstatistix, Asterix’s ‘fearless’ leader who was afraid of the sky falling on his head, has an almost perfect parallel in Tinkle’s Shikari Shambu, who emerges triumphant in every comic panel despite being afraid of his own shadow. Druid Getafix was the spiritual brother to every Indian sadhu whose potions and chants promise quick-fixes for everything from exam results to adult acne.
Parallels weren’t the only enjoyment on offer. The clever wordplay yielded a sort of long-term, high-yield dividend: only when Asterix’s fans grew up would they be able to appreciate the simple yet genius linguistic play behind names like Geriatrix and Impedimenta.
“We are all confronted by a superior force that we’d like to do something about but can’t,” said Uderzo, the original Asterix creator. “But only Asterix can do it. He is our revenge on reality.” Asterix was the story of a village holding fort against the brute force of the entire Roman Empire. The storytelling succeeded for the same reason Lagaan was a superhit – we love a story about the triumph of the underdog.
Another underdog is a man who was known to us by many names, and who is set to get another name added to his aliases with the next Asterix comic. Mahatma, Bapu, Gandhji, and now – Gandhix. His inclusion in the Asterix universe might make more sense than we realise. But how non-violent Gandhix will reconcile himself to the fistfights and menhir-dropping ways of the Gauls is something we’ll have to read the comic to figure out.
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