Kolkata: close to one year after his name was announced as the recipient of Padma Shri, most of the country’s senior cartoons, Narayan Debnath, finally provided the honor in Belle Vue Clinic on Thursday afternoon.
The honor was given to the author and nonagonal illustrator by MLA Arup Ray and Secretary of the Head of Bengal Bengal B P Gopalika.
A 96-year-old child was hospitalized on December 24 and is currently under ventibipap support.
Debnath must be hospitalized due to acute weakness, followed by low hemoglobin.
For more than 70 years now, Debnath has created a landmark strip of Bengali comics, including ‘Bantul The Great’, ‘Nante Fante’ and ‘Handa Bhonda’.
He held a record for the longest comic by an individual artist for the ‘Handa Bhonda’ series and was the first and the only Indian comic artist who received a Dlitt degree.
Last January, Debnath was hospitalized a little after the announcement of Padma Shri Awards.
Sitting on his hospital bed on January 30, 2021, he had sketched his famous cartoon character Bantul.
It’s not long for the video he draws Bantul to go viral.
According to the grandson of Alicia Debnath, that, maybe, was the last time she drew a cartoon.
Debnath has been repatriated and taken home.
But his health began to deteriorate last July.
“He has a kidney problem and suffers from sodium-potassium imbalances and must be given strong drugs.
Dice, who previously watched television or chatting with us, mostly limited to the bed,” he said.
On Thursday, he was present at the hospital when honor was given to him.
“Among other things, the Governor of Bengal came home and greeted him.
My grandfather was usually very quiet.
When I asked him how his feelings when his name was announced as the recipient of Shri Padma, he said ‘Bhalo Legechhe’.
Dice was honored.
He was really waiting for an award to contact him.
I will even ask me: ‘Koi Tor Padma Shri? Kobe Ashbe?’ (Where is Shri Padma you? When will it come?), “He said.
Padma Shri finally arrived when his condition was “quite serious”.
“Thursday happens to be the 21st day of hospitalization and the third day he is in ventibipap.
This is certainly not a suitable time to give him award,” he said.
Because asked whether the pandemic affected nonagenarian life, he said, “No.
We do not allow people to meet him when he is at home.
He will sometimes ask us whether people are still wearing masks.”