Shikari Shambu

Shikari Shambu
Promotional art for Shikari Shambhu by ACK Medias
Publication information
Publisher	ACK Media
First appearance	Tinkle, 1983
Created by	Vasant B. Halbe Luis Fernandes
In-story information
Place of origin	India
Abilities	Luck and rifle

Shikari Shambu (Hunter Shambu) is an Indian comic character created by Vasant Halbe and Luis Fernandes for the Tinkle magazine in 1983. Shikari Shambu is one of the characters of Tinkle.

Shambu is a cowardly and lazy shikari (hunter) whom the rest of the world perceives as courageous. He always tries to run away from dangerous animals, but due to some stroke of luck always ends up as a hero. He lives with his wife Shanti. In The Legend of Shikari Shambu (Tinkle Magazine No.573), it was revealed that Shambu, before being called "Shikari" Shambu, fell on a tiger and knocked him out. It was after this incident that he got the name "Shikari" Shambu.

He is shown as, always wearing his large hunting hat, that covers his eyes and green pant and shirt. He carries a large rifle which he never used properly.

By 1988, Tinkle was already on its way becoming the most popular children’s magazine in India. Their biggest rival that time was another children magazine named Target, run by Living Media. Unlike Tinkle, Target was more of a narrative magazine, with a few pages of comics. Their flagship character that time was Detective Moochhwala (Hindi for "the man with a mustache") by Ajit Ninan. Moochhwala who was a detective with penetrating eyes and a huge mustache. Tinkle decided to create a competing character. Subba Rao and Dhruva, two of the creators at Tinkle, came up with the proposal for such a character. They decided to base this new character on a boastful but cowardly big game hunter in the then famous television drama, I Love Lucy.

Luis Fernandes then worked on producing the first story, which was originally named "Shambu", before Shahid Hidayat prefixed Shikari (Hindustani for "hunter") to the name. Some of his editorial team-mates had reservation over the use of the name Shikari, as the wildlife conservation theme was in its prominence. But, the sheer charisma of the name, they and the editor Anant Pai, decided to let it continue. But, contrary to the name, the creators ensured that Shambu never would shoot or kill any animal in any of its episodes. More than that, creators slowly even disassociated him from his trademark hunting gun, after few episodes. The "non-violence" policy of Tinkle also resulted in Shambu being portrayed as more of an explorer than a hunter.