“The business of political cartooning has always had its ups and downs but in the age of social media outrage and thin-skinned autocrats, the few square inches of visual satire are fighting for survival,” said a recent report. And rightly so.
Sometimes cartoons are really offensive with hits below the belt, but it is sad that even benign cartoons drawn to tickle the funny bone are rebutted with a pugilistic stance. Looks like the centuries-old art is facing a kind of fatwa! The Madras High Court has recently opined,” The cartoon is inherently an art of ridicule. So it has to be read in that way.”Despite that, while some take it in the right spirit, others go hammer and tongs against these few inches of satire.
One cartoon that I really found objectionable in recent days was the one depicting rape-accused Bishop Franco Muskoka of Jamnagar as a rooster where he is shown holding a crosier with an image of a woman’s underwear replacing the cross. The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council demanded the immediate withdrawal of the award given by the Kerala fine arts academy on grounds that the State officially honouring such work would encourage the insulting of Christian symbols. Father Vallonia said a democratically elected government in a secular country has a responsibility to respect the sentiments of people of all religions. The Church has officially registered its complaint with the government but the controversy refuses to die down.
The New York Times published a cartoon sometime ago showing Donald Trump and Benjamin Netophah that was slammed for its “anti-semitic” tropes. It apologised but the matter didn’t stop at that. The paper then dispensed with editorial cartoons altogether in its international edition. Cartoonists are often impartial but just like in a poster they can be biased resorting to one-sided political propaganda.
It is true that even in the age of social media memos, this century–old art form has lost none of its power to provoke and to shape opinion. The business of satire is clearly getting harder as cartoons trigger firestorms especially for their stereotyping of religious and ethnic groups.
Bal Thackeray had his genre of incendiary cartoons portraying migrants as tentacled octopuses. But writing about Shiva Sena’s rise, he said, “A cartoon often speaks louder than 100 editorials and my cartoons did manage to have this effect. Whatever we are today is because of this act.”
Sir David Low was probably the most celebrated political cartoonist of the last century. He is best remembered for the way he mercilessly ridiculed dictators Hitler and Mussolini in the 1930s. Despite all attempts to censor him, Low fought almost a lone personal battle against Hitler and the Nazis, which was played out for all to see in the pages of the Evening Standard. Indian political cartoonists are also becoming more and more cautious of rubbing politicians on the wrong side with the gross state of intolerance that prevails today.
RK Laxman, whom I remember so well from my days when I studied for MD in Mumbai, took most of his inspiration from the common man’s life and aspirations. His works were appreciated by people belonging to all age groups. From making us laugh using a humorous tone to presenting a scathing criticism of society, his cartoons still resonate in the present century.
The late Mario Miranda, a cartoonist, painter and one of India’s most well recognised illustrators, was based out of Goar for most of his life. When he finally came to settle down in Goar he, and his wife Habitat, became my good friends. Mario was a great lover of all artistic forms and would never run anyone down despite his high status. When my wife and I sang together he would enjoy it so much that he would be the first one to come to hug us with a warm embrace. Miranda was known best for his brilliant depiction of Goar and his political satire; he was fond of capturing everyday moments and humorous encounters. His artwork truly spoke about his own whimsical experiences and witty personality. As an aside I ask, “Would his sexist stereotypes and voluptuous bug-eyed women pass muster in today’s prudish world?”
But my favourite cartoonist by far is my bosom friend, Alexyz. He has been making Goans laugh as well as ponder through his art. Alexyz doesn’t have a dull moment in his life as he finds humour in every situation and captures the same in his beautifully illustrated cartoons. He is humble, down-to-earth and filled with joie de vivre. I was privileged to write a preface for one of his books and have presided over several of his book releases. He has gifted me with quite a few cartoons depicting me which I treasure like gold.
Asked whether any politician has taken offence at his cartoons, Alexyz replies, “Oh yes, I have been severely reprimanded more than once.”But the man of fibre that he is, he carries on doing what he does best.
The cartoonist’s task is admittedly a difficult one. Within a few square inches, he has to grab the reader’s eye. Regrettably our society is so polarised nowadays that a neutral position is hard to sustain. Let’s pray therefore that the beautiful art of cartooning instead of becoming bland and aseptic remains vivacious and retains the desired punch!
(Dr Francisco Colaço, a
pioneer of Echocardiography in Goa and is past president of the state IMA).
