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38-619: Bob Morane ( French pronunciation: [bɔb mɔʁan] ) is a series of adventure books in French, featuring an eponymous protagonist, created by French-speaking Belgian novelist Henri Vernes , the pseudonym of Charles-Henri Dewisme. More than 200 novels have been written since his introduction in 1953, the iconic covers illustrated by artists such as Pierre Joubert , Henri Lievens, William Vance , Claude Pascal , Antonio Parras, Patrice Sanahujas, Felicísimo Coria and René Follet . The popularity of Bob Morane led to his subsequent appearance in

76-454: A 1960 film (now lost), a television series in 1965 , a computer game in 1988 , a 1998 animated series , and a long-running series of graphic novels (roughly 80 books since 1959) which has featured the artwork of artists such as Dino Attanasio , Gérald Forton, William Vance and Felicísimo Coria. The novels, which started as straight adventure fare, quickly included elements of espionage, crime fiction, science-fiction and fantasy. Bob Morane,

114-467: A Frenchman, was a young volunteer RAF pilot during World War II (ranking from flight-lieutenant to wing commander depending on the translation of the term "flying commander"). He is the most highly decorated officer of the FFAL (Forces françaises aériennes libres or Free French Air Force ) under Gen. Charles de Gaulle . This would put him above Pierre Clostermann (actual FFAL top ranking pilot from whom Morane

152-523: A classic in the genre, and its success led to a surge of films in this genre, including Ganga Ki Saugandh (1978), once again starring Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan. An internationally acclaimed example of the genre is Bandit Queen (1994). The Tamil movie starring Karthi , Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru (2017) deals elaborately with bandits. The film reveals the real dacoity incidents which held in Tamil Nadu between 1995 and 2005. Director Vinoth did

190-429: A highly intelligent and dedicated but deadly spy for hire but often associated with S.M.O.G. ; and Dr. Xathan, the self-styled "Master of Light". There exist more than 80 Bande Dessinée comics stories of Bob Morane , serialised, published in albums and republished in integral editions. 5 comics artists have illustrated the series over more than 40 years, under several publisher labels. The first comics artist

228-613: A large impact in the Bhind and Morena of Chambal regions in Madhya Pradesh , Rajasthan , Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in north-central India. The exact reasons for the emergence of dacoity in the Chambal valley have been disputed. Most explanations have suggested feudal exploitation as the cause that provoked many people in this region to take arms. The area was also underdeveloped and poor, so banditry posed great economic incentives. However,

266-577: A medallion that allowed him to pass by his Dacoits (one of Ming's many minions), who were guarding the temple waiting to kill him. However, Ming's medallion would prove useful in many occasions in later adventures. Other recurring opponents include (in French) Miss Ylang-Ylang , head of the spy agency S.M.O.G. ; (in French) Roman Orgonetz a.k.a. "The Man With The Golden Teeth" ; "Callaverde" ; "Arthur Greenstreet",

304-428: A parody of Bob Morane. Eponymous Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovations, biological nomenclature, astronomical objects, works of art and media, and tribal names. Various orthographic conventions are used for eponyms. The term eponym functions in multiple related ways, all based on an explicit relationship between two named things. Eponym may refer to a person – or, less commonly,

342-497: A place or thing – for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Eponym may also refer to someone or something named after, or believed to be named after, a person – or, less commonly, a place or thing. A person, place, or thing named after a particular person share an eponymous relationship. In this way, Elizabeth I of England is the eponym of the Elizabethan era , but the Elizabethan era can also be referred to as

380-564: A symbiotic relationship with their followers. Among other benefits, a Sirdar would lend loans to members and provide them protection. This allowed for the formation of a special bond between Sirdar and his followers, which meant that cases of desertion and exiting the gang were virtually unheard of. In Burdwan, dacoities were heavily planned, and considerable thought was put into their seamless execution. Sirdars in Burdwan employed several informants who kept them updated about prospective targets. When

418-509: A target was finalized, the Sirdar and relevant gang members were constantly made aware of his whereabouts. The informants were always on the lookout for wealthy business people and kept a close watch on those who exchanged bank notes of considerable value or received a shipment of merchandise they would store in their houses. The term is also applied, according to the OED , to "pirates who formerly infested

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456-572: A two-year research about bandits to develop the script. A related genre of crime films are Mumbai underworld films . Bengali novel Devi Chowdhurani by author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1867. Bengali poem Birpurush by Rabindranath Tagore in 1903. A Hindi novel named Painstth Lakh ki Dacoity (1977) was written by Surender Mohan Pathak ; it was translated as The 65 Lakh Heist . Dacoits armed with pistols and swords appear in Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties . They frequently appeared in

494-404: A village defence group have been issued firearm permits to fend off dacoity. The Chief minister of the state, Shivraj Singh Chouhan , recognised the role the women had played in defending their villages without guns. He stated that he wanted to enable these women to better defend both themselves and their villages, and issued the gun permits to advance this goal. As the dacoits flourished through

532-433: A wide variety of languages and most books usually start with him traveling to some exotic location. His adventures over the years brought him in contact with numerous highly placed figures of the world's intelligence community (Herbert Gains ( Central Intelligence Agency ), Lt. Gros-Jean ( Royal Canadian Mounted Police ), Sir Archibald Baywater ( Scotland Yard ), who often ask him for help in some difficult business or other. He

570-458: Is Sholay (1975), written by Salim–Javed , and starring Dharmendra , Amitabh Bachchan , and Amjad Khan as the dacoit character Gabbar Singh . It was a masala film that combined the dacoit film conventions of Mother India and Gunga Jumna with that of Spaghetti Westerns , spawning the "Dacoit Western" genre, also known as the "Curry Western" genre. The film also borrowed elements from Akira Kurosawa 's Seven Samurai . Sholay became

608-561: Is deprecable . Periods have often been named after a ruler or other influential figure: Trends For examples, see the comparison table below. By person's name By category Dacoity Dacoity is a term used for " banditry " in the Indian subcontinent . The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word डाकू (ḍākū); "dacoit" / d ə ˈ k ɔɪ t / is a colloquial Indian English word with this meaning. It appears in

646-458: Is an anglicized version of the Hindi word ḍakaitī (historically transliterated dakaitee ). Hindi डकैती comes from ḍākū (historically transliterated dakoo , Hindi : डाकू, meaning "armed robber"). The term dacoit ( Hindi : डकैत ḍakait ) means "a bandit " according to the OED ("A member of a class of robbers in India and Burma , who plunder in armed bands"). The dacoity have had

684-513: Is described as a modern-day knight without fear or reproach, always ready to succor the needy and the oppressed as a modern Don Quixote (especially if they happen to be young ladies in distress, which apparently is often the case). Morane is however described as being as chaste as Sir Galahad . As seen in a few stories with a heavy science-fiction slant, Morane is a sometimes agent of the Time Patrol, an organization from Earth's future that polices

722-635: The Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases (1903). Banditry is a criminal activity involving robbery by groups of armed bandits. The East India Company established the Thuggee and Dacoity Department in 1830, and the Thuggee and Dacoity Suppression Acts, 1836–1848 were enacted in British India under East India Company rule . Areas with ravines or forests, such as Chambal and Chilapata Forests , were once known for dacoits. The word "dacoity"

760-647: The Ganges between Calcutta and Burhampore ". Dacoits existed in Burma as well— Rudyard Kipling 's fictional Private Mulvaney hunted Burmese dacoits in " The Taking of Lungtungpen ." Sax Rohmer 's criminal mastermind Dr. Fu Manchu also employed Burmese dacoits as his henchmen . Indian police forces use "Known Dacoit" (K.D.) as a label to classify criminals. Introduced in 1836, the suppression acts brought about several legislative measures, including establishing special courts, authorization for using rewards for informants, and

798-1005: The 1940s–1970s, they were the subject of various Hindi films made during this era, leading to the emergence of the dacoit film genre in Hindi Film Industry . The genre began with Mehboob Khan 's Aurat (1940), which he remade as Mother India (1957). Mother India received an Academy Award nomination, and defined the dacoit film genre, along with Dilip Kumar 's Gunga Jumna (1961). Other popular films in this genre included Raj Kapoor ’s Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1961) and Moni Bhattacharjee 's Mujhe Jeene Do (1963). Pakistani actor Akmal Khan had two dacoit films, Malangi (1965) and Imam Din Gohavia (1967). Other films in this genre included Khote Sikkay (1973), Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), and Kuchhe Dhaage (1973) both by Raj Khosla . The most famous dacoit film

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836-651: The CIA; and many others. Morane's path has on many occasions crossed that of the series' main villain, Mister Ming, also called (in French) Ombre Jaune (″The Yellow Shadow"). Ming is a Mongol genius in the mold of Fu Manchu . Like Sax Rohmer's creation, Ming intends to destroy western civilisation and replace it with a world more in harmony with nature. Also like Fu Manchu, Ming uses violent means to reach his goals — means which include assassination, terrorism, as well as too many strange plots to be counted. Ming has pierced

874-468: The albums drawn by Forton. Forton was succeeded by William Vance in 1969 as Bob Morane left Pilote and continued its serial run in Tintin magazine. After 10 years, Vance passed the task on to his previous assistant Felicísimo Coria in 1979, who has continued to draw the series since. Two albums have been issued by the publisher Ananké/Milko with artwork by Frank Leclerq . The comics of Bob Marone are

912-469: The countryside from the time of the British Raj up to the early 2000s, with the police offering high rewards for the most notorious bandit chiefs. The criminals regularly targeted local businesses, though they preferred to kidnap wealthy people and demand ransom from their relatives – cutting off fingers, noses, and ears to pressure them into paying high sums. Many dacoity also posed as social bandits toward

950-499: The dacoits of Bengal, the colonial official CH Keighly mentions the “great difference between gangs of hereditary dacoits or thugs in other parts of India and the dacoits of Bengal”. It is notable that, unlike the rest of India, dacoits in Bengal did not come from a particular social class, caste, or creed. Dacoit gangs in Nadia and Hooghly were mainly known for their ceremonial practices before

988-475: The eponym of Elizabeth I of England . Eponyms may be named for things or places, for example 10 Downing Street , a building named after its street address. Adjectives and verbs may be eponyms, for example bowdlerize . Adjectives derived from the word eponym include eponymous and eponymic . When Henry Ford is referred to as "the eponymous founder of the Ford Motor Company ", his surname "Ford" and

1026-457: The fact that many gangs operating in this valley were composed of higher castes and wealthy people appears to suggest that feudalism may only be a partial explanation of dacoity in Chambal Valley (Bhaduri, 1972; Khan, 1981; Jatar, 1980; Katare, 1972). Furthermore, traditional honour codes and blood feuds would drive some into criminality. In Chambal, India, organized crime controlled much of

1064-455: The fading of dacoity was also due to social changes, as few young people were any longer willing to endure the harsh life of highway robbers in the countryside. Instead, they prefer to join crime groups in the city, where life is easier. While thugs and dacoits operating in northern and central India are more popularly known and referenced in books, films, and academic journals, a significant number of accounts also come from Bengal. Writing about

1102-474: The local poor, paying medical bills and funding weddings. One ex-dacoit described his criminal past by claiming that "I was a rebel. I fought injustice." Following intense anti-banditry campaigns by the Indian Police, highway robbery was almost completely eradicated in the early 2000s. Nevertheless, Chambal is still popularly believed to be unsafe and bandit-infested by many Indians. One police officer noted that

1140-633: The name of the motor company have an eponymous relationship. The word "eponym" can also refer to the title character of a fictional work (such as Rocky Balboa of the Rocky film series ), as well as to self-titled works named after their creators (such as the album The Doors by the band the Doors ). Walt Disney created the eponymous Walt Disney Company , with his name similarly extended to theme parks such as Walt Disney World . Medical eponymous terms are often called medical eponyms , although that usage

1178-418: The night of dacoity. Before setting off for their mission, the members would assemble to perform “kalipuja” led by the Sirdar (leader). The dacoits would form a straight line, and a pot of liquor, torches, and weapons to be used in the dacoity would be laid down in a clear space. The Sirdar would then dip his finger in oil and touch the forehead of all the dacoits, making them promise never to confess. Even during

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1216-653: The power to arrest suspects. The suppression acts marked the beginning of active British intervention in policing and law enforcement in Indian society. These acts were known to be authoritarian and further deepened the uneven power dynamic between the British and the Indians. The British often saw Indians as primitive, violent, and unruly, and this often acted as a justification for colonization and further consolidated their “civilization mission” pretext. The practice of thuggee and dacoity

1254-452: The raid, when dacoits opened chests and discovered a good fortune, they would shout “Kali, Jai Kali”. Dacoity was prevalent in 19th century West Bengal. One of the gangs, led by a charismatic leader named Bhabani Pathak, was known for its loyalty to their leader. After the British captured Bhabani, the inner workings and social factors that led to the construction of this gang were revealed. Leaders such as Bhabani were known as Sirdars and had

1292-441: The secrets of eternal life, of creating androids, and of time travel. Despite Morane's constant opposition, Ming holds his enemy in high regard, and never forgets he actually saved his life during their first encounter: his hand cut off by a deadly trap hidden in an ancient statue, Ming was bleeding to death but Morane cauterized the wound and made a tourniquet. In return, Ming decided to spare Morane's life this one time and gave him

1330-542: The time stream and stops time travelers from disrupting history. Morane's close associates include (in French) Bill Ballantine , a herculean Scotsman who acted as Morane's aircraft mechanic in New Guinea (first novel); professor Aristide Clairembart, an old but energetic French archeologist; Sophia Paramount, a British journalist; Frank Reeves, an American worth more than a billion dollars; Herbert Gains, head of

1368-494: Was Dino Attanasio who from 1959 to 1962 illustrated the first 5 stories which were published in Femmes d’Aujourd’hui . The first album was released in 1960. Gerald Forton took over the series in 1962, as it continued publication in Femmes d'Aujourd'hui , Pilote magazine, and Het Laatste Nieuws . René Follet who illustrated covers for the early novels, also illustrated the covers for

1406-407: Was probably copied). He was wounded in action by flak and has a scar on his face. After the war, he becomes a full-time explorer and freelance reporter for Reflets magazine and adventurer. 6 ft 1 in-tall (185 cm) and athletic, Morane is proficient in many forms of hand-to-hand combat (Karaté black belt 2nd degree, Ju-Jitsu and Judo) as well as with many weapons (marksman). He speaks

1444-415: Was seen in a similar Eurocentric light without understanding the local context. An orientalist view of such activities was portrayed in the rest of the world to account for several repressive legislative measures that the British took. Under this punitive approach, several innocent individuals fell prey to false suspicion and were incriminated. Notable dacoits include: In Madhya Pradesh, women belonging to

#31968