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This lesson talks about ‘thunukkugal’ or trivia in newspapers and magazines. Thunukkugal are tidbits, jokes, anecdotes, comic strips or small news stories. These are used to relieve the tedium of other serious news stories and articles. They are also used as fillers. An average reader always looks out for these interesting bits of information.

Comic strips or ‘Kathai Thunukkugal’ based on popular tales or short stories are commonly found in children’s magazines and newspapers. ‘The Yellow Kid’, a comic strip published in the ‘Newyork World’ in the year 1894, is famous all over the world even today. The Adventures of Sindbad, Ambulimama Stories, Tales of Vikramaditya and Sindu Bindu are some comic strips that are popular among the Tamil readers.

Thunukkugal are usually published with a corresponding comic illustration. Drawn as cartoons or caricatures, these provoke laughter. ‘Aananda Vikatan’, a popular Tamil magazine, owes its success largely to these comic illustrations.

Sometimes 4 or 5 Thunukkugal are published together. A string of Thunukkugal or trivia is called ‘Thunukku Thoranam’ in Tamil. Thunukkugal are classified as ‘Kathai Thunukku’ i.e., (comic strips), ‘Karuthu Thunukku’ i.e., (trivia that provide information) and ‘Nagaichuvai Thunukku’ i.e., (jokes and humorous anecdotes). Karuthu Thunukkugal provide interesting information of general nature, astonishing facts, pithy reviews and gossips. Newspapers generally avoid publishing gossips. ‘Nagaichuvai Thunukkugal’ are of 2 types: viz. cartoons and caricatures that lampoon polticians and satirize political issues and jokes and humorous anecdotes of a general nature.