West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday said he has made available Rs 5 lakh for healthcare of Padma Shri awardee cartoonist Narayan Debnath.
The governor and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar had on December 11 called on the ailing artist at his residence in Howrah district. "WB Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar has made available Rs five lakh for health wellness aspects of 96-year Padma Shri awardee legend Shri Narayan Debnath," he wrote on Twitter.
Debnath, the Bengali comics illustrator, and the creator of Handa Bhonda, Batul The Great and Nonte Phonte, was bestowed with the West Bengal government's highest award of honour, Banga Bibhushan, in 2013.
He is often hailed as the ‘godfather of Bengali comics’ and has been bestowed with myriad awards for his illustrious career spanning almost six decades.
In terms of popularity, his comic strips are even considered the Bengali equivalent of Superman, Batman and Spiderman.