Line of control for cartoons?

When the discussion was on line of control on cartoons, a sketch on the occasion had to do something with controls and defiance. And V.T. Balram, MLA, drawing a cartoon of Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan, with the latter watching him solemnly, made most of the occasion to depict the veteran stepping out of the LoC of the party.

Mr. Balram had a sly smile on his face as he signed the cartoon, showing Mr. Achuthanandan, stern face, folded dhoti and all, with one foot precariously stepping out of the LoC, depicted by the CPI(M)’s hammer, sickle, and star lying like rope around his legs. Amidst the continuous flashes from cameras,

Mr. Achuthanandan slightly strained his neck to have a look and then smiled, immediately extending a handshake to Mr. Balram before leaving with the customary wave to the audience that sat with bated breath to see his response.

That was the quintessential Mr. Achuthanandan for the cartoon world, always tolerant and despite being almost a daily subject for cartoons, enjoying the sketches, as he himself said while inaugurating a debate on ‘Line of Control on Line of Cartoons’ organised jointly by the Kerala Cartoon Academy (KCA) and the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club here on Monday.
Intolerance

Intolerance to criticism was increasing and even reaching a stage of violence, Mr. Achuthanandan said adding that there was a need to examine why some cartoons, like those of R.K. Laxman and Shankar that got into controversy recently, several decades after they actually appeared in newspapers, were being targeted. Mamata Banerjee had started the trend, he said, even arresting a lecturer allegedly for spreading cartoons of her among his friends. This was one of the most serious attacks on freedom of expression after the Emergency, Mr. Achuthanandan said, adding that the trend was dangerous for democracy.

He himself, the Leader of Opposition said, was a regular subject for cartoonists in the print media, but he had never felt angry and actually enjoyed these, considering them only as opinions of the cartoonist or the media in which they appeared.

Cartoonists Toms, Sukumar, Sudhirnath, and KCA chairman Prasannan Anikkad and others spoke.



-The Hindu




Achuthanandan decries intolerance in cartoon row



Holding that freedom of expression is an essential component of democracty, CPI(M) stalwart VS Achuthanandan expressed serious concern over the intolerance shown by certain political quarters towards cartoons and caricatures in recent times. Referring to the row over Sahankar's and RK Laxman's cartoons reproduced in textbooks, he said attacking cartoons and cartoonists did not augur well for a healthy democracy.

He was delivering the inaugural address at a discussion on "Lakshman rekha for cartoons?", organised by Kerala Cartoon Academy and the Press Club here last evening.

"I am a subject of large number of cartoons. I always enjoy them and try to understand the message sought to be conveyed through them. In a democracy, tolerance and readiness to face criticism are vitally important", he said.

The CPI(M) leader said it was quite unfortunate that works produced decades back by eminent cartoonists like Shankar and Laxman are being targetted now by certain quarters.

He also came down heavily on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Bannerjee for taking action against a college professor for sending an online caricature.

On the occasion, Congress MLA VT Balaram drew a cartoon of Achuthanandan, for which the octogenarian leader posed and enjoyed, despite it alluding to inner commotions in CPI(M) in Kerala.

Eminent cartoonist Toms and Kerala Cartoon Academy chairman Prasannan Anikkad were among those who spoke.



-HT





Cartoonists in state want no lines of control over their creativity

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At first there was only a U shape. Then followed a spectacle, nose and ears. Congress MLA V T Balram, with just four strokes of his pen, succeeded in sketching the caricature of none other than V S Achuthanandan.

The leader of opposition himself sat by, closely watching the young leader developing his caricature, which on completion, portrayed the senior politician firmly placing one foot inside the curvature of the sickle and hammer, the party's symbol, and one foot outside it.

Balram then titled his caricature 'Line of Control', suggesting indirectly that the CPM veteran has, himself, drawn a line of control for which Achuthanandan never forgot to pass his usual intriguing smile.

The occasion was a talk organized by the Kerala Cartoon Academy, in association with the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club.

Titled, 'Line of control on line of cartoons', the programme saw well known cartoonists gathering to discuss various issues and curbs faced by cartoonists in recent times.

Delivering the inaugural address, Achuthanandan said that Kerala always had a mindset to view political satire as a sign of healthy society.

"From Kunjan Nambiar, who showed courage to make fun of his king, to Shankar, one of the most famous cartoonists India has ever seen, satire was always used as a form of criticism against leaders. But in recent times, cartoonists are being targeted and even the decades-old works of Shankar and Laxman are not being spared. This is not a healthy tendency and if a few religious and caste outfits can ensure that cartoons are prevented from getting published, then we are heading towards a not-so-democratic future," the CPM leader said.

Cartoonist Toms, who pointed out that Achuthanandan always maintained a positive attitude towards cartoons, said that the politician belong to those rare individuals who appreciate a work of art.

Recollecting his fight against court cases after a former chief minister filed a judicial case against him, Toms said that very few politicians have the tolerance level of Achuthanandan.

Balram, who promised to take efforts for setting up a cartoon museum, also declared that he would fight to thwart efforts to suppress works of political satire.

-TOI