Thank God for Dennis

HOW did I look and behave when I was five years old? The old, fading family photographs showed a fat boy with unblinking, big eyes. I did not get much help or enlightenment from my elder sisters on this issue. "Oh, you were a mookuvazhi (running nose)," one of them informed me. "Lots of asadu (silliness) on the face" chortled the other. They were pulling my legs.

Was I a naughty child? Parents are often proud their children were naughty. How often had we heard expressions like vishama koduku (naughty boy) or veetuku theeyai veppan ( he will set the house on fire). These were indulgent expressions uttered with a sense of pride. No parent would like to admit that his child was incapable of being naughty. Childhood, boyhood, manhood. All these come and go.

There are occasions when we would like time to stand still, or go back in a Time Machine to our favourite age. It could be five, 15 or 25. But there is one blessed fellow in this world, who, for the last 50 years, has not aged at all. He is Dennis Mitchell, or more popularly known as Dennis the Menace! The cartoon character created by American cartoonist, Hank Ketcham completed 50 years recently. Happily, he is still going strong!

An old man like me was not expected to admire a cartoon character. Yet, how can I forget Dennis the Menace whose antics had given me immense pleasure for the past so many years! Every Dennis cartoon strip was loaded with fun and appealed to us because it dealt with realistic, domestic situations.

Dennis is popular because he thinks and acts like a five-year- old. He is not like the obnoxious child actors of Indian cinema who are made to mouth cliches, talk like adults and deliver lectures on Indian philosophy. As they go on and on, I often feel like strangling them! Thank God, Hank Ketcham did not make Dennis like that.

Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell often wonder at the antics of their son and confess to each other that they had never been like him. "None of us thought or acted like him," they exchange notes. Dennis is immensely popular with his grandfather, who is always ready to play "horsy, horsy" with him. He is the natural leader of his gang and hero-worshipped by his special friend, Joey. It is a different story with the neighbours, particularly the unfortunate Mr. Wilson, for whom, Dennis is a menace. As for Mrs. Wilson, well, look at the cookies she provides him. Dennis pays Mrs. Wilson the highest compliment that could be given. She has the softest lap in the neighbourhood.

Dennis differs from most of the normal kids because he does what he wants to do and seldom bothers about the consequences of his actions. He must write or draw something on a newly-painted wall. He does not like carrots and refuses to eat them. He does like girls, but not hoity-toity Margaret who is determined to reform him and ultimately marry him. Naturally, he has to scare her with his pet frog or caterpillar. He prefers the company of tomboyish Gina who willingly aids him in his pranks.

As for Mr. Wilson, well, he is old, he is fat and sometimes he is a grouch. Why not liven up his life with the beating of drums or ringing his door bell and being the first at his dining table? The intentions are good and that matters the most.

Dennis reflects the joy of living and does not want to miss out even a single moment. That is why on most days he is up early even when his parents are sleeping and is ready to make breakfast for himself and them. The results are not encouraging, but it is the thought which matters! Accompanied by his dog, Ruff, he whirls through the neighbourhood, checking out if the Wilsons needed any help. Mr. Wilson does not, but for Mrs. Wilson, the young chap is always welcome. The energy spills over at school too, he is the last to take a nap, the first to wake up.

Like any normal child, Dennis speaks out his mind. When a guest arrives for dinner, he does not hesitate to tell him, "You do not look like a horse, dad said you ate like one!" The mother's friends are not spared either. "Mom said we should be careful talking to you, how do you leak like a sieve?" Well, the parents can only look down in embarrassment and learn the lesson not to make such comments in front of their son.

Complexes? No, Dennis has none. Unlike his famous contemporary, Charlie Brown of the "Peanuts" group, Dennis does not regard himself a failure. That word is not in his vocabulary.

His friends do not need any security blankets. As for girls, no complexes. While Charlie can only sweat from nervousness thinking about the little red-headed girl, Dennis is the darling of Gina and Margaret.

Compared to Calvin ("Calvin and Hobbes"), Dennis has less vivid imagination. He is always DENNIS and that is enough for him. No, he is not a space creature or a monster, capable of destroying the world. His sense of humour is normal for a five-year-old and not weird like that of Calvin. Would Dennis ever do a class report on his home which said that he was kept chained at home and fed with raw meat, already chewed upon by dogs?

No, that would not be Dennis' style. Even while sitting on a chair in the corner of his home ( as a punishment), his thoughts towards his parents and the world in general, are more charitable.

His creator, Hank Ketcham, now 81, ruefully admits that while not many people know him, his creation is internationally famous. Well, that is not so bad. Creating an immortal cartoon character is a good reward in itself.

V. GANGADHAR

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