Tantri

Tantri, often referred to as Tantri the Mantri, is a Tinkle toon and the eponymous main character, or anti-hero, of Tantri the Mantri. He is one of the oldest recurring toons, having debuted in Tinkle Digest #1.

Tantri is the minister, or mantri, of Hujli, a kingdom under the rule of King Hooja. Tantri is constantly attempting to kill Hooja so that he can become king himself. However, due to either Hooja's luck or Tantri's misfortune, all plans fail or often backfire. In some specifically comical situations, failed traps from several stories prior return to impediment Tantri. Tantri is most frustrated by the fact that he often provides the solution to the assassination attempts himself, albeit inadvertently.

Despite all of it, Hooja remains oblivious of all of Tantri's attempts, and considers him a close, trusted friend. Even when he puts his life in Tantri's hands, Tantri is unsuccessful. In fact, most failures cause Hooja's trust in Tantri to increase, as they often portray Tantri in a good light, at least for Hooja. Tantri himself shows great frustration towards this as they are a constant reminder of his tendency to fail.

History and Origins
There have been various suggestions as to the origin of Tantri's villainous ambitions. On the title Father's Day it has been told that Tantri was never appreciated or recognised by his father, who seemed to only have eyes for Hooja. The young Tantri resolved to become king instead of Hooja to finally win his father's recognition.

More recently, it has come to light that Tantri's ambitious scheming is hereditary, as his grandfather, Grantri, the mantri of Hujli before him, used to scheme similarly against the king of his time and Hooja's grandfather, Booja. Tantri's father, as well as Hooja's father, never took the posts of mantri and king, however, as both roles fell immediately on Tantri and Hooja as the father's were at war during Grantri's apparently successful attempt against his monarch. Tantri's father himself does not showcase any ill will towards Hooja's family. On the contrary, he was considerably fond of the young Hooja prior to the latter's reign: he is potentially an anomaly in his family as he was never after the throne.

As a boy, depicted in the Little Tantri: Christmas Miracle story arc, Tantri was a bit of an outsider and reject from Hooja's gang of friends. However, he would eventually ditch the potential companionship of the latter and form friendships of his own with Dushtabuddhi and Vichitrabuddhi, who would continue to serve as friends and evil henchmen during his adulthood.

One particularly wacky story line, Tantri: Prom King, shows Tantri in college, where he was a star student and popular kid who was expected to become king of the upcoming prom. However, due to a misunderstanding, his friend Vichitrabuddhi schemed against him and had Hooja become prom king instead. This sparked a hatred in Tantri for the until then loser, Hooja. Little clarity was provided, but it seems that the Hooja who became prom king "later became the king", and Tantri has been in pursuit of the title ever since. The unrealistic translation of a college drama into a political one plays down this story line.

Personality
Tantri is sadistic, not caring how or by who's hand Hooja perishes; he just wants it done. He is completely absorbed by his plots, and is willing to do just about anything to become king. It was demonstrated that Tantri himself is not a good king, as when he did ascend the throne for a while, he made horrible decisions and admitted that Hooja was better at his job than he had thought.

Traits
He is not without compassion, however, as he generously rewards those who help him, and has great appreciation for professionals in various fields, leading to many potent connections. Tantri himself is supposed to be well versed in chemistry, calling himself "The King of Chemistry" at one point. His knowledge was sufficient for him to serve as a visiting professor at an academy, and his students were acknowledged to be well taught by both Tantri and Hooja.

Tantri's repeated failures are more often associated with bad luck than incompetence. He is repeatedly shown to be highly cunning, manipulative, and resourceful in endeavours that don't involve Hooja. He could easily maneuver a helicopter, and could plot schemes that required expansive technological and scientific knowledge. He can also manipulate Hooja quite easily, due to a combination of Hooja's trust and his understanding of the latter's psychology.

Relationships
He is shown to have strong relations with family and friends, and is on especially good terms with his grandfather Grantri, who referred to him as his "favourite grandson". He constantly attempted to win his father's recognition, which he finally did in the story line Father's Day, and is close with all his friends.

Tantri has a very strange relation with his wife, Hoki. The latter is usually disillusioned from Tantri because she does not condone his attempts on Hooja's life. In some cases, she has personally intervened with her potent magic to save Hooja, while remaining concerned for Tantri's well being. This shows that while they conflict in terms of views, they tolerate each other for unknown reasons, apparent by the fact that Hoki never exposed Tantri's true intentions.

Another noteworthy fact about Tantri's relations is that when it comes to henchmen, such as Dushtabuddhi and Vichitrabuddhi, he is prepared to forgive their failures and move on, accepting their help in the future if necessary, save during some rare displays of frustration. In some situations, he has even accepted full blame and responsibility for events that transpire.

Despite his devious intent, Tantri's true loyalties lie with Hujli, seen in when he saves Hooja and his army from certain defeat by Dooja's army in the nick of time. Similarly, he used his considerable knowledge and cunning to exact revenge on Dooja for an assassination attempt on Hooja without having to resort to any form of confrontation. Even Hooja was impressed by the tactic and stated, ironically, that he would dread to be Tantri's adversary.