Renowned cartoonist Narayan Debnath dies at 97 in Kolkata

The famous creator of Handa Bhoda, Nonte Fonte and Batul The Great Narayan Debnath is no more. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid tribute to Narayan Debnath through her Tweets.

Kolkata: Renowned Bengali cartoonist, writer and illustrator Narayan Debnath died on Tuesday morning in Kolkata, after being kept in ventilation support for three days. Narayan Debnath, aged 97, was admitted to a private hospital in Kolkata for the last 25 days. His condition deteriorated three days back and was kept under ventilation support.

Debnath's famous creations include Handa Bhoda, Nonte Fonte and Batul The Great. Narayan Debnath began as a freelancing comics artist and soon went for cartoons on his own. He is the first and only Comics-Artist in India who has received a D. Litt. degree. Debnath has also been awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in the year 2021.

In a series of tweets, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid tribute to Narayan Debnath, "We were proud to bestow upon him Bengal’s highest award Banga Bibhusan in 2013. His passing away is certainly an immeasurable loss to the world of literary creativity and comics. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, readers and countless fans and followers."

"Extremely sad that the noted litterateur, illustrator, cartoonist, and creator of some immortal characters for children's world, Narayan Debnath is no more. He had created Bantul the Great, Handa- Bhonda, Nonte- Fonte, figures that have been etched in our hearts for decades."