The Philosophy of Shikari Shambu
Written on February 20th, 2023 by {"login"=>"jcbphc21", "email"=>"f20181005@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"Journal Club", "last_name"=>"BPHC"}I'd like to really take you back in time and remind you of the greatest adventure-embarking, world-touring, hat-wearing, bad guy-fighting, snake-fearing, risk-taking and equally mistake-prone fictional HERO to ever exist. Nope, sorry, it's not Indiana Jones. I'm, of course, referring to Shikari Shambu. Yes, that old hunter with some kickass moustache that always, due to a stroke of luck, ends up being the victor of some very weird situations he finds himself in. If there ever was a literal embodiment of the phrase 'suffering from success,' it would be him. The-what was supposed to be a tragedy but had a happy ending- a set of tales of the escapades of Shikari Shambu are for sure mindless and frivolous fun. But, I really think on a deeper level, the tales of Shikari Shambu do a very good job of advocating for a certain kind of philosophy in their own waggish way.
Well, all the Shikari Shambu stories are structured similarly. The stories set up a hunter who, despite his caricaturish appearance, has built quite a reputation for being one of the best in his arena. He and the other people around him then always find themselves in situations where there's an external threat that leads to absolute chaos, disarray and disorder. Well, guess who steps up to restore order to a structure that was previously in shambles (or should I say, shambu-less) (no, I'm not gonna show myself out for that pun). Yep, the hero of the day is most certainly our man Shambu. But all these stories are told with a small twist. These are not exactly the lore of a hyper-masculine saviour and his endeavours; these are stories where you find Shambu being extremely vulnerable and helpless in the face of danger. Its vulnerability and helplessness are pushed to their logical extreme, to the point where the stories derive their comic fodder from it. There's a lingering sense of irony in how Shambu wins his battles despite being so helpless.
This is exactly what makes Shikari Shambu profound. He's not built differently, nor is he someone with god-sent magical abilities. He's equally sensitive (if not comically more), equally defenceless in the face of an attack, and equally confused, ambiguous and in doubt as the man on the street. He is literally the man on the street, with nothing really setting him apart (except for the aforementioned kickass moustache). He is you and me. And within this little design of Shambu and the story lies the beauty of the comic. The comics of Shikari Shambu, in a very twisted way, stand as a subtle reminder of how the dice of randomness of life can sometimes roll in your favour. It's an ode to how life sometimes has its way of functioning and pushing you towards unexpected glory and victory, but only if you show up to your challenges.
Terrence Mckenna, the amazing and formative philosopher, who now sadly has a fandom which is almost exclusively teens who are stoners, once said, "You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream, and the world will not grind you under; it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it's a feather bed."
I really think that the comics of Shikari Shambu pass on the same message, but in a manner which is less verbose and a hell of a lot more entertaining and rib-ticking.