Ace animator Bhimsain Khurrana breathed his last on April 17, after suffering a massive heart attack in Mumbai.The maverick is best remembered for creating animation for Pandit Vinay Chandra Maudgalya classic : Hind desh ke niwaasi sabhi jan ek hain, rang roop vesh bhasha chaahe anek hain (Indians are one despite the heterogeneity of colour, look and language). This animation classic evokes memories of a bygone era to an entire generation of Indians who grew up watching Doordrashan.
The credit for this and several other iconic animated films goes to Bhimsain Khurrana, the man who spearheaded India’s animation movement along with his mentor Ram Mohan. In 1970, Bhimsain debuted with a one-minute animation film The Climb, which earned him the Silver Hugo Award in the Chicago Film Festival. In 1976, he made his feature film debut with critically acclaimed Gharaonda, followed by other successful ventures Doooriyan and Tum Laut Aao.
In his versatile career, the maverick directed over 200 ads, mostly popular ones. His pioneering work earned him as many as 16 national awards. In 1985, he returned to TV with popular sitcom Choti Badi Baatein. He also made country’s first computer-aided animation serial Lok Gatha. Despite his demise, his work will always continue to resonate with us.
