Cartoonist Narayan Debnath dies at 97 in Kolkata. Mamata Banerjee pays tribute

Celebrated cartoonist Narayan Debnath died in Kolkata on January 18 after a prolonged illness, said the hospital where he was undergoing treatment, news agency PTI reports. He was 97.

Narayan Debnath was the creator of renowned Bengali comic characters 'Bantul The Great', 'Handa Bhonda' and 'Nonte Phonte'.

Narayan Debnath was hospitalised on December 24 and was on ventilator support. He died at 10.15am on Tuesday, an official of the hospital said, PTI reports.

In a series of tweets, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid tribute to Narayan Debnath and said, “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.”

“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,” Mamata Banerjee added.

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. — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) January 18, 2022

Narayan Debnath was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, in 2021.

(With inputs from PTI)

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