TinkleBlog

The anniversary issue delighted me like no other in recent times. We started brainstorming on the theme some months ago. And then I thought, why not 'wishes'? They are so magical and we have had our young readers writing to us with so many wishes over the years. The anniversary issue is as much about Tinkle as it is about them. And so it was decided, the theme would be 'Wish Upon a Tinkle Star'.

Once the theme was set, things started moving fast. From the Tinkle Votes poll to selecting adventures wished for by our readers for Shambu, Tantri and Billy, it was a thrilling time. The excitement kicked into fast gear and ideas flew like crazy. 'How can we make Tantri suffer?', 'Can we combine two ideas for Billy? Both are popular', 'I have this really wild idea for Shambu!'. And so was born this issue which saw the most active reader participation in recent times.

But of course the cover had to be special. My whiteboard was covered in ideas, but we still had to strike upon that 'magical' idea. And there was where Dolly came in. A child leaping to catch a star. It was such a magical idea and the execution so brilliant, that I can easily say it is one of my favourite Tinkle covers of all time.

—Rajani

Sometime last year, I had my cell phone stolen at a public event. And I took it pretty badly. Not only did my phone keep me connected with family and friends, but it also doubled up as a camera, a calculator or a music player. And when it was gone, I felt the loss of not just a machine, but of memories that were stored on it in the form of pictures, of story plots and poems scribbled in a hurry, and of the contacts of my near and dear ones. And then it hit me... how dependent I was on this device! And how it was small enough to fit my hand yet large enough to encompass bits and pieces of my personality. That's technology for you! Something that unites human and machine in such a way that it becomes hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.       And doesn't such a thing deserve celebration? We think it does! So, this September issue of Tinkle Magazine is dedicated to technology. Do make sure you play Tech-Tac-Toe with us this month!

- Dolly

For Tinkle Magazine's Editor, Art Director and Deputy Editor, it's 'Accidentally-wear-the-same-colours-to-work' Day. The three of them continue to grin embarrassedly :D

This morning, Shruti Dave's cute little clip was lying on her desk while she was out attending a phone call. But when she got back, it was gone! She flitted about from one desk to another and accused their occupants of putting her in a hairy situation (meaning she had nothing to hold her hair in place as she pored over the stacks of proofs). After every suspect had been rounded up with still no sign of the clip, Shruti tried the 'emotional blackmail' tack. 

"If I don't get back my clip, I find it really hard to work with all my hair falling over my face," she said with a really morose I-think-the-world-is-colourless-without-a-clip voice.

So I finally took pity on her (and on the pending proofs) and returned the clip to its resting place on her desk. Of course, the look on her face was worth all the 'Why yous' and 'How could yous' she flung at me :D 

Another Friday, another victim. Muhahaha :D

So, Shruti was feeling restless and wanted some kind of physical activity. And that got us started on suggestions. Our suggestions are legendary in that we start with the outlandish and then arrive at the practical. So, after considering and discarding wistful cravings for cricket and football (out of the question, we'd be forever apologizing and paying for broken glass, considering our office is in a glass-walled building!), we settled on the frisbee. And it is good fun! There are enough of us that we can form a circle and still have someone in the middle to grab the frisbee midflight. In fact, Dolly got so enthusiastic that she sent the frisbee flying right over the wall into the compound of our neighbours, a school. Uh-oh, we were just thinking when Sean (D'mello) scrambled over the wall and got our frisbee back in not time. Our hero for the day. Only, now it has got me thinking about playing with multiple frisbees :D

Although we get scared of ghosts and monsters, there is always something inside us that makes us look under the bed or inside the closet when we are most afraid. That is curiosity!

Curiosity is an excellent gift because it makes sure that we are always looking for new information and always learning. But sometimes, people make up their own stories in their search for answers. These stories turn into Myths and Legends over time.

Although myths may not be completely true, they are fun to read about from time to time. For one thing they make for great stories. And we think those stories are to be celebrated. That's why, this month, we've got the Tinkle Digest packed with the spookiest and funniest stories that are sometimes both at the same time.

We have often heard our readers talking about Tinkle as their childhood friend. The older ones nostalgically talk about how they miss their friends, Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Kalia and so on. While the younger ones talk about how their friends, Billy, Aisha, the Defective Detectives, and so on, make them laugh when they are sad or alone.

And rightly so. We need all sorts of friends in our life to grow up with. The funny one to make us laugh, the mischievous one to make us more adventurous, the studious one to make us take a break from goofing around to study. :P

And books, in their own unique style, combine all of these types of friends and present them to you, whenever you need them. They are always there for you, sitting on a shelf. All you have to do is pick them up, and you'll forget the hours that tick by.

Happy Friendship Day, dear reader.

Hi guys!

I'm Sean Sequeira. I'm sure you saw my post a few weeks ago about being the latest member to join the Tinkle family. Today I have great news that makes me feel a little nervous and also very proud. It is the eve of the release of Tinkle Digest 271 - the first issue that I have worked on from cover to cover.

The issue will be going on stands tomorrow. As I look forward to the day, it is both exciting and perplexing. Seeing your finished work being appreciated is a special feeling, and the Tinkle family has had kind words for this issue.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Tinkle Digest. We are celebrating World UFO Day with this issue. There are plenty of stories about aliens and spaceships. But I don't want to reveal too much too soon.

Sean (Dmello) and I (Shruti) were just talking this morning of how so many things have changed in the past few weeks. One of which is the change in our office address. (New address at the end of the post.)

As we adjust to a new office space, new desk and a new mix of chai, there's another change that we've seen. And that's our morning greeting! Yes, forget 'Good Morning' and 'Hello'. With the ongoing Football World Cup, the new greeting here goes something like this–'I can't believe X team won yesterday.' or 'Didn't I tell you X team was going to rule this year?'

Sigh. It is extremely fascinating to watch as people then dive into a lengthy analytical conversation following that. It's almost as if they are giving us, the non-football-match-watchers, news about some parallel world that passes beneath our beds at night while we snore away blissfully.

But are we complaining? Heck, no! The energy that these conversations bring in is enough for us to get through the whole day happily. It's quite the, pardon the pun, kick-starter. (Tee-hee!)

And, oh, there's also a wonderful World Cup Planner in the June issue of Tinkle Magazine and Tinkle Digest, if the football fever has gripped you as well. :D

We love the month of June! It is the start of an amazing school year, with the promise of a lot of fun! Thinking about all that energy and excitement, we knew there was only one theme we could go with for Tinkle Digest’s June 2014 issue―‘Back to School’!

Our cover features our Samurai warrior Chiyo for the first time. It was an interesting challenge for our super-skilled artist, Ghanshyam Bochgeri. We love the fabulous work that went into the cover and thought you would love to know Ghanshyam’s thoughts on how it was made. Here is what he had to say:

“Chiyo is the star of the story so it was obvious that she would have to be prominent on the cover. It was an action-based story so the cover would have to represent that same action. I placed Chiyo in a kung-fu stance so the cover would look energetic. She is protecting her friends on the cover just as she is always protecting them in the stories.

Chiyo is always in her school uniform so it was a perfect representation of the ‘Back to School’ theme of the issue.”

It’s always great to get an idea of how the artists think. Now that you know, we are sure you will enjoy this issue even more. Get ready, get smart! Catch the spark!

What happens when you have a sports buff in your team? Well, you're sure to know about all the upcoming sports events, whether you're interested in knowing or not!

So when Sean excitedly informed us about the Hockey and Football World Cup to be held in June, we decided to make 'games' the theme of our Tinkle Magazine's June issue.

It was great fun too. While penning stories about games or features, we were reminded of all those evenings after school when we would forget about the whole world and put in all our energies in seeking out all our hiding friends, or in running our fastest to win a relay match. This would typically be followed by mothers calling out to us, shouting their 'final' warning to come home for dinner. :P

Play time is the most precious thing about childhood. Make sure you get enough of it! ;)

#comics #games #sport #children

Download National Record Certificate

Download World Record Certificate

Question: What's the best and worst part about sharing a name with someone else in the office? Answer: Whenever someone calls out your name, you aren't sure if they actually want to speak to you or your namesake :D

I'm the latest addition to the Tinkle family. We now have two Sean's in the office!

Just the other day, someone called out 'Sean' and I turned around; and then they said “No, the other Sean”.

We keep having these small jokes cropping up in office. Our editors threaten to call one of us Sean-tastic and the other Sean-tacular. They sound like awesome nicknames to have, but the problem still remains – which one of us is Sean-tastic and which one is Sean-tacular?

It was Earth Day a few days ago. And we thought of no one better than Shambu to celebrate the day. 

So remember, always, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. 

Adding more excitement to your summer holidays, here's the much awaited Tinkle Holiday Special cover! Grab your copy now.  Happy Holidays!