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CARTOON JALAKAM

K e r a l a

C a r t o o n

A ca d e m y

P u b l i ca t i o n

Patrons Prof K V Thomas Ernakulam MP Soumini Jain Mayor, Kochi Hibi Eden Ernakulam MLA C N Mohanan Chairman, GCDA K Mohammed Y Safirulla IAS Dist. Collector, Ernakulam T A Sathyapal, Chairman Kerala Lalita Kala Academy R S Babu Chairman, Kerala Media Academy K Ravikumar President, Ernakulam Press Club Yesudasan Cartoonist, KCA Founder Chairman Anjan Satish Icon, Kerala cartoon Academy Prasannan Anickad KCA Chairman Sudheer Nath KCA Secretary & Editor, Cartoon Jalakam M S Mohanachandran CariToon Finance Convener Anoop Radakrishnan CariToon Director Manoj Mathasseril CariToon Director (Programmes) K Unnikrishnan CariToon Director (Media) Jayaraj Vellur CariToon Director (Seminar) Photos C V Yesudas, Renjith M S Cover, Layout and Design Rajesh Chalode Editorial Help Mohan Sivanand, TVG Menon, Balakrishnan Annat, Sajjive B, Thomas Antony Rajesh Ebraham Kerala Cartoon Academy C/o Amarakerala Buildings, Kalabhavan Road, Near Town Hall, Kochi-682 030, Kerala, India cartoonacademy@gmail.com www.keralacartoonacademy.in cartoonacademy.blogspot.in Not for sale

The Call of the

Caritoons

was in 1895 that Richard F. Outcault dragged a small bald kid in a yellow nightshirt to the inside page of an incredibly popular publication in the United States at the time, the New York World.

Like wildfire, readers started immensely liking the yellow kid in a matter of days. The creator did not know that the yellow kid would create a revolution in how stories were told and presented in sequential art pieces. By the by, that was a May 5. In the United States, the day is celebrated as the National Cartoonists’ Day in recognition of the Himalayan contribution a simple man made with a simpler looking boy in yellow shirt.

CariToon 2017, the second edition of the National Cartoon Caricature Festival was thus aptly flagged off on May 5.

CariToon 2016 had not created huge waves of awe like the Yellow Kid had done beyond our shores more than a century back. But it sure did embolden our weirdest fancies on how to make a fast imprint on Kochinites with the variety fare in cartoons and caricatures the Kerala Cartoon Academy could call into action from across India in a matter of weeks. Thus, CariToon 2017 carried class. The selection and display of cartoons and caricatures were a treat to behold. Cartoon lovers embraced this real change in attitude.

Two Caritoons behind, our team members are already working on more hilarious ideas to be kicked into action in CariToon 2018. We look forward to your presene in 2018. Even beyond that let us invite all of you in far advance to CariToon 2019, when everywhere Malayalam cartooning with a story to tell of a full 100 hectic years would be a complete presence with its richness, grace and native humour !

Team CariToon Kochi 2017 Views expressed in the articles published in Cartoon Jalakam are not necessarily those of the Kerala Cartoon Academy. Cartoon Jalakam welcomes free expression of divergent views and exchange of ideas through its pages

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CariToon Kochi 2017 – Report Caricature by: Rethish Ravi

When FunandTalent

ReturnedtoKochi Anoop Radakrishnan, Director, CariToon Kochi 2017

he Malayalam cartooning that charmed the literati of AD 1919 with the black and white caricature of Maha Kshama Devatha is turning 100 years young in the year 2019. As a prelude to the slew of activities that are going to happen, and to pay homage to this wonderful occasion, the Kerala Cartoon Academy unraveled the second edition of CariToon 2017, the National Cartoon and Caricature Festival, with more content and fanfare in the city of Kochi, bringing together Indian cartoonists from around the country. In commemoration of World Cartoonist Day that fell on May 5th, and the World laughter Day two days later, the festival got going from May 4th to May 8th, with active association with the PRD Government of Kerala, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, GCDA, Nanappa Art Gallery and Ernakulam Press Club. This year’s festival director of CariToon 2017

was Anoop Radhakrishnan, ace caricaturist who has been running one of the country’s major caricature gift shops in Kochi.

CariToon events were simultaneously staged across five different hotspots for decent crowding– Durbar Hall Ground, Rajendra Maidan, Durbar Hall Art Gallery, Lalithakala Akademi moving Gallery, Children’s Park and Nanappa Art Gallery.

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‘Varadakshina’ Year 2017 marked the diamond jubilee of Kerala becoming a reality. Kochi witnessed a fairly novel and auspicious start to the festival at the Durbar Hall ground, where 60 cartoonists jostled for space among the milling crowds for setting up their sparkling new easels, made available by the festival associate, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. Varadakshina kept on producing by the minute hilarious black-and-white impressions of the Queen of the Arabian Sea by the cartoonists. Whereas some of the invited cartoonists from outside Kerala recreated the cityscapes, Malayali cartoonists spread out their instincts to lampoon state politics.It was difficult to distinguish a non-cartoonist in the evening Durbar Hall ground crowd. The comic bards of the doodle kind spanned from the very significant veteran Yesudasan to the schoolgirl Sera Mariam Binny, the best cartoonist of Kerala State Kalotsavam, 2017.It also brought together several renowned personalities including Prof. M.K. Sanu, Prof. Chandra Das, Dr. C.K. Ramachandran, Gemini Ashok Shankar and Subair, to name a few.

Later, CariToon 2017 was formally inaugurated by the Kerala Cartoon Academy founder-chairman,Cartoonist Yesudasan, in the esteemed presence of Kerala Lalithakala Akademy Secretary Ponnyan Chandran. Among those who felicitated the second edition of this National Festival were artist T.Kaladharan, cartoonist Paresh Nath

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and Cartoon Academy vice-chairman, K. Unnikrishnan. CariToon director Anoop Radhakrishnan welcomed the gathering and KCA joint secretary Manoj Mathasseril thanked them at the end of it all. In the brief interval on the stage, Ralphin and Francis of the hit TV-show Music Mojo enthralled the cartoon-crazy Kochi crowd who were by now strolling around the easels rather than in seating in the chairs.

National Cartoon Camp Dr. Sebastian Paul, former MP from Kochi, gave the introductory lecture for the 21 participants of the National Cartoon Camp that started on May 4th. Other dignitaries included T.V.G. Menon, Jayaraj Velloor and Sudheernath, Fellow, Vice-Chairman and Secretary, respectively, of the Kerala Cartoon Academy.The camp

was held at the serene premises of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Durbar Kalakendra, Ernakulam, with the support of the Lalithakala Akademi and soon got transformed into a meeting point for alternative thinking and composition. The 21 cartoonists who took part the three-day camp included Paresh Nath (Khaleej Times), Subhani (Deccan Chronicle), Manoj Sinha (Hindustan Times), Manoj Kureel (Delhi), Mruthyunjay (Namaste Telangana), Narseem (from Hyderabad), ‘Bunty’ Chandrashekhar (Jammu), Mehboob Raja (Jharkhand), Sudheernath (Delhi), Prasanth Kulkarni (Mumbai), Baiju Poulose (Manorama), T. K.Sujith (Kerala Kaumudi), Yelias John (Deshabimani), K. V. M. Unni (Mathrubhumi), Thomas Antony (Metro Vartha), Sajjive Balakrishnan, E. P. Peter, Madhu Omallur, Tensing, Joshi A.M. and Ranjith M.S.

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Shankar’s original cartoons There was aVolvo bus stationed inside the Durbar Hall Kala Kendra on the first two days and later in the Rajendra Maidan (main venue).Inside the svelte vehicle was stored a treasure, a real treasure! About 50 original cartoons of the legendary Shankar (1902 – 1989), our Kesava Shankara Pillai of Kayamkulam, were elegantly displayed for public viewing inside this air-conditioned mobile gallery made available by the Lalithakala Akademy. The mobile gallery stood steadfast by us throughout the festival, which was inaugurated by the Zonal Inspector-General of Police P. Vijayan, IPS. One felt humbled by the immaculate attention to detail and ‘bhava’ of each character depicted by the doyen of Indian cartooning as each of his cartoons revealed. The determined flourish of the brush and the reflective swatches of poster white effacing any poor lines done in Indian ink created amused attention of the cartoon lovers to these old drawings. The works made viewers remember Nehru who pleaded with Shankar “not to spare me”. And, perfect in its execution, the old famous cartoon showing the cross country run for the PM’s post possibly made one think about the many drafts Shankar would have abandoned before arriving at this one. These were a master’s originals! Each cartoon might still be carrying the DNA of the seminal thinking that organised scattered ideas into major political statements!

World Cartoonist Day Seminar On World Cartoonist Day, May 5th, the CariToon stage was shared by several Malayali cartoonists and others Cartoon Jalakam

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from around the country, who engaged the audience with entertaining discussions about their experiences.

Political cartooning has remained a male bastion and here, the wives were more outspoken as they recounted tales of horror and seclusion woven round their husbands’ toonploits in the newspapers.Soubhagyalakshmi, wife of Paresh Nath recounted a telephone threat to send her husband to Kaalapuri while he was working for a local newspaper in Orissa. Undaunted, she challenged the voice “Which hand will you hack…? If you cut off his right hand, he will draw with his left…if you cut both his hands, he will draw with his feet. Cartooning is his life…” The lady’s grit was acknowledged with rapturous applause.

The late Sudhir Tailang was another leading cartoonist who under went similar harrowing ordeals. “Those were the days when two reputed cartoonists including Irfan Hussain of Outlook were killed,” Paresh Nath recollected. Several other artists too narrated real-life stories that depicted their world ridden with strife and anxiety, hidden behind the laughter and satire.

The spectacularly bald Bunty (Chandrashekhar) reminisced on the threats he received during his time in Jammu & Kashmir. “Papers always said Kashmir is full of problems. In fact, Jammu, Ladakh, Leh… are at peace. Only a small region in Kashmir is where the conflict is. This never affected lives in the whole state. Not even mine…”

Bunty in Kochi is no comparison to Bunty of the Jammu valley, where he is instantly recognized, but more as an actor, a veteran of nearly 200 TV shows and a few movies too. In the lunch recess, every day, sitting in the shade of a tree in front of the DH Library, the handsome baldie sang Dogri folk songs. The cartoonists took to it jovially but did not take kindly to his smugness in swearing by that complete lull in the Kashmir valley.

“There are a lot of carefully drawn caricatures that go unnoticed,”chuckled the exuberant Manoj Sinha 8 Cartoon Jalakam

(Hindustan Times, Delhi). The almost smile-less Mrunthyunjay from Hyderabad said that it was his meeting with O. V. Vijayan, noted for his black humour, that motivated his career. Senior cartoonist Peter from central Kerala who is arguably the cartoonist to have depicted the maximum number of policemen – mostly in frayed uniforms throwing impish outbursts at petty thieves. Peter thankfully remembered the complete freedom he was being given in Dinamalar, the prominent Tamil Nadu newspaper, where he was on the staff for 32 years and for whom he now freelances.

Subhani from Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, whose mesmerizing cityscapes remind you of Mario’s graphic travelogues,mentioned that it was his love for Kerala that brought him“back to God’s Own Country and CariToon festival for a second time. Baiju Poulose from Malayala Manorama pointed out that Kerala is a state that genuinely encourages cartooning. Narseem (Hyderabad), Prasanth Kulkarni (Mumbai) and Manoj Kureel took part in the discussion which was moderated by “FAToonist” Sajjive Balakrishnan.

Salim Kumar and Trolls There were some hilarious chats that stole the show in the afternoon of May 5th. One such instance was when

Salim Kumar, the National award-winning Malayalam film actor, whose pleasingly plastic face is frequently used in troll comments, sat against admins of some of the troll groups. “For people to forget an actor, it barely takes three weeks…I was absent from movies for three years, yet no one forgot me, thanks to the trolls that swarmed Facebook and WhatsApp,” the unassuming actor sniggered, recollecting the fun-filled stopovers in his staccato career.

Members of the popular troll group, International Chalu Union (ICU),shared their experience with Salim Kumar and the cartoonists.The actor revealed that in his films, as far as possible, he tried not to adlib dialogues with sexy innuendo. The actor maintained that mimicry artists are also cartoonists who only happen to use their throats to draw. Salim Kumar then picked on the breaking news on multiple occasions when social media announced his ‘untimely death’. He made a spoof on general human nature by referring to a Kalabhavan Mani Cartoon Jalakam

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Theyyam being revered in Kannur, Kerala, in memory to the late comic bard among Malayalam film actors.

Among others who spoke were cartoonist Sujith (Kerala Kaumudi), Cartoon Academy vice-chairman K. Unnikrishnan (Mathrubhumi), Secretary Sudheer Nath, CariToon director Anoop Radhakrishnan and ICU representatives Rishikesh Bhaskaran, K. S. Binu, Priya and Aarif Abdul Khadar.

On May 5th, World Cartoonist Day, mainland Kochi witnessed perhaps for the first time a qawwali performance by the Delhi band Mehfil-e Sama Qawwali.That day and for two following days, Cartoon camps named Kutti Chirikkoottam were organised for children. Famous cartoonists stood and sat with the kids at the Children’s Park to doodle and draw caricatures of the elderly onlookers in the crowd. Thus, Vinaya Tejasvi (Malayala Manorama) was on stage on the 5th, Sini Muhamma on 6th and Sajjive Balakrishnan and Karthika Kattanam

on 7th. Sajeev Shooranad, Sinilal O. Shankar, Shaji P. Abraham, K. Unnikrishnan, Anoop Radhakrishnan, Soorya Mariya Kurian, Nishanth thachambalam, Baiju Paulose and Chandrababu, art teacher at Global Public School and KCA fellow traveler, also mesmerized the kids with their styles. Manoj Sinha, Narseem and Mruthyunjay jumped in to draw Kerala kids. The director of this program was KCA joint secretary Manoj Mathasseril.

Then, suddenly on one of the days, a centenarian in the making, Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Valiya Methrapolitha, considered the apostle of the wackiest wits among the Christian clergy,peeped in and made a surprise offer to be caricatured by anybody. The presence of such a important elder was a windfall to Malayalam cartooning, which itself would be celebrating its centenary in 2019. In reeling out anecdotes, he was at par with Osho – in timing and relevance though not in dubious content. Cartoonists jostled around the patriarch to have the best view while the mediafolk swarmed the rest of the available spaces to catch the Thirumeni developing in black ink on white paper everywhere. The padre posed statue-like.

When he began to speak it was almost dead slow and inaudible, a decibel he maintained throughout but had the media rolling in laughter. The words sauntered “I am a person who is preparing for death at the age of 100 but I don’t want to immediately die and feel like living among these lines of laughter… If politicians were like cartoonists, the world would be a better place. But, then whether the human race will turn good, I do not know…and now, let us see if it is the cartoonists or Pinarayi sir [Chief Minister of Kerala] will decide matters.”

An hour later, the reverend father was suffering from a surplus of his caricatures drawn by Subhani, Manoj Sinha, Mehboob Raja Elham (Mumbai), Baiju Poulose (Malayala Manorama), Jayaraj T G (The Week), Yelias John, Sajjive Balakrishnan, Nishant Thachampalath (Gulf Times), Madhus and Naushad Ali. The works were handed over to him by CariToon director Anoop Radhakrishnan after felicitations by film director Blessy (currently doing a mammoth 100-hour documentary on Chrysostom stringing in recollections of this wonderful human by famous personalities of the land), Cartoon Academy vice-chairman K.Unnikrishnan and secretary Sudheer Nath.

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On May 7th, World Laughter Day, two highly talented differently-abled artists, Kerala Cartoon Academy icon Anjan Satish and Swapna Augustine, the wonder girl with the smiling face who paints with her feet, spoke and performed at the Rajendra Maidan venue. The program was organised with the help of the Kerala State Social Security Mission. It was attended by Anjan’s and Swapna’s mothers, Latika and Sophie and Dr. Mary Anitha, Chairperson, Centre for Empowerment and Enrichment. K. Unnikrishnan, vice-chairman, Kerala Cartoon Academy welcomed the gathering.

“When I was a kid, I used to pray before bedtime and fantasize that when I wake up, I would grow my arms back. But later, I knew that wasn’t to be.But, I never questioned God. What others do not have, you have given me…the ability to draw.” chuckled Swapna Augustine, who was born without arms. Her words carried both strength and wisdom. Meanwhile, Anjan was speechless but was immersed in caricaturing people with extraordinary passion.Anjan suffered from cerebral palsy that made him hearing-impaired. He has vision only in one eye. A recipient of the President’s National Award, Anjan presently teaches art at Tripunithura Adarsh Special School. Later, mothers Latika and Sophie spoke of the agony the families lived through until they felt Cartoon Jalakam

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so much pride in seeing their kids striving for perfection unfazed by nature’s unkind games.

“I have never seen a child born with such complicated problems. We raised Anjan like a normal child. Our whole family came together in his support. When we knew he could draw, we encouraged him…Drawing is his life…he worked himself for it. We are always there for him,” said Latika. Anjan regularly announces his presence joyously on Facebook with fabulous works painstakingly completed on his digital drawing pad.

Swapna, a native of Pyngottoor in Kerala’s Muvattupuzha area, grew up in an institution run by nuns. She remembered the day when news of a flower she drew with her foot to gift to her foster nuns spread like wildfire and became a story on TV. A swiss organization, which supports foot-and-mouth artists, came asking for the drawing. The organisation also commits to selling the artworks of such artists.

While Swapna made a beautiful demo of her painting technique, making a rose to bloom in the process, Anjan gave a fitting tribute to womanhood by presenting Swapna with a painting of Swapna’s performance.

The programme concluded with thanks by CariToon director Anoop Radhakrishnan.

Dr. Muhammad Asheel, executive director of the Social Security Mission, spoke about the Government’s policy on differently-abled citizens, aptly called Anu Yathra. Prof. K. V. Thomas, MP, inaugurated the programme.

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On the final day of CariToon 2017, TV humorists carried the show forward focusing on political satire. The smiles from the crowd soon turned into hysterical laughter. Shashi Tharoor, MP, who was among the audience remarked on how politicians are limited by perceptions on what is mentionable by public servants, which creators of these satires are immune to.

Mathrubhumi TV’s Vakradhrishti presenter D. Pramesh Kumar talked about how LDF’s election campaign promise – LDF will come. All will be OK FÂ.Un.F^v. hcpw FÃmw i-cn-bmhpw –left them completely terrified.

“A maveli naadu stared them against their faces. Unemployment and penury were lurking around the corner.

But, what was to happen was just the opposite and dramatic too. The political red in the state was to be knotted in controversy after controversy.It was food for thought for everybody. Spoof presenters like Pramesh Kumar (Vakradrishti, Mathrubhumi TV) could never take rest since!”

George Pulickan from ‘Chithram Vichithram’ on Asianet pointed at the growing intolerance of religious groups against criticism, leaving politicians a distant second in the job. He recollected an occasion when police escorts had to give him cover.

“TV shows like these will simply make a value addition to our general knowledge about day-to-day activities of these politicians and the events they participate in,” said Jayachandran (CICC Books). Other persons who spoke included cartoonist C. Santhosh Kumar (Khaleej Times), District Information Officer Nijas Jewel and Cartoon Academy vice-chairman K. Unnikrishnan.

That evening, the in-house events of CariToon 2017 winded down with a live caricaturing show by Sajjive

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Balakrishnan, Anjan Satish, Karthika Kattanam, Sajeev Sooranad and Nishant. Justice Asha of the Kerala High Court and actor Dileep Shankar were among the prominent personalities present.

Curtains were finally down on CariToon 2017 with a folk program ‘Naadan Pattode Chiri’ presented by the students of Thevara S. H.College. Chief guests who graced the closing ceremony were CEO of D. C. Books, Ravi D. C. and senior journalist and TV personality, A. Sahadevan.

GOOD DAY! KeeeEEP SMILING!!

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CARITOON 2017

Kochi hosted the second season of ‘CariToon Kochi – 2017 from May 4 to 8, 2017.

The five-day mega cartoon and caricature event saw the participation of well-known cartoonists from across the country. Here’s what they had to say about the event.

“Unforgettable hospitality, overwhelming affection and appreciation of cartoonists of Kerala and street art, art galleries of Fort Kochi after the first edition of CariToon-2016. So I readily accepted the invitation by Kerala Cartoon Academy, as one of the ten special invitees from other states of the country for this second edition of CariToon-2017. Cartoon exhibitions, live cartooning, spot-caricaturing, thoughtprovoking sessions, powerful power-point presentations and power-packed entertainment programs… We had three days of memorable time.

Subani Cartoonist / Deccan Chronicle, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh

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Cartoonist, The Khaleej Times, Dubai( UAE)

CARITOON 2017

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elebrating 60th birth year of the state of Kerala, sixty cartoonists from different parts of the country at drawing boards go on sketching live. On the beats of music and rhythms, through the dancing strokes of pens, pencils and crayons on paper, come out the figures: the pictorial satire, fun, caricatures, lampoons, images, metaphors and symbolic illustrations‌ Thus began the inauguration of mega cartoon and caricature event, CARITOON Kochi-2017, Season2 and National Cartoon camp at the Durbar Hall ground in Kochi, a first of its kind in the whole country, jointly organized by Kerala Cartoon Academy and Kerala Lalitha kala Akademy.

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By Paresh Nath Being face-to-face with the press and public, the cartoonists had their field day through Toon-talks. People of different age groups, from different walks of life became mere spectators and had their doses of humour in the mega cartoon exhibition.

Conducting seminars, debates, children’s workshops, felicitations, slide presentations, drawing visitors’ caricatures, mobile exhibition—all meant for a regular interaction with the people.

As Calicut is promoting Malayalam literature, the capital Thiruvananthapuram is being busy with cinematic visions, Thrissur is imbibed with Thespian connection, Kochi is justifiably getting metamorphosed into a “Humour hub”. The Kerala has been the fertile ground for producing a record number of successful cartoonists. This is the land of legendary cartoonists like Shankar, O.V. Vijayan, Abu Abraham, Kutty, Samuel, Yesudasan, Gopikrishnan and many others.

The mega event has been successful because of the hard work by the organizers like Pooniam Chandran of Lalitha Kala Akademy, B Sajjive,Unnikrishnan K., Sudhir Nath, Anoop Radhakrishnan, Manoj Mattaseril and others.

Being one of the oldest port cities, Kochi is now harbouring the novel ideas of cartoonists and caricaturists of India and abroad !

KOCHI, in a cartoonist’s view: Cochin’s most beautiful landscape, I find, is the Vypen Island zone, comprising of a small group of islands, soars out at the point where the ethereal Vembanad Lake merges with the Arabian sea. The magnificient Fort Cochin emerges elegantly on the other side. A ride through boats and jetty services to Vypen from Ernakulum is a thrilling experience. It is amusing to find the jumping dolphins at the Cherai Beach, located at the northern end of Vypeen Island.

The oldest church built by the Europeans in India is the St, Francis church, located in Fort Cochin. Unique to this place, the Chinese fishing nets set an example of amicable relations between the ancient Chinese emperors and Cochin kings of 14th century.

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The Roman Catholic Basilica of Santa Cruz is a magnificent cathedral of prominent Gothic art. At the top of the main altar is a majestic painting of the ‘Last Supper’ modelled on the renowned work of Leonardo da Vinci. Beautiful Dutch cottages, houses influenced by European architecture and built by rich traders of British era are found in Fort Cochin. The Dutch Palace or Mattancherry Palace built by the Portuguese in 1553 was gifted to Kochi kings. The building is known for its excellent murals.

Being known as Mattancherry Synagogue, the Jewish Synagogue at Cochin is the oldest existing structure among the Commonwealth countries.

Alleppey is one of the most visited backwaters destinations in Kerala. Being referred as ‘Venice of the East’, Alleppey is a spectacular maze of shimmering waterways composed of beautiful lakes, rivers, lagoons, canals and a number of rivulets, Surrounded by picturesque tropical flora and fauna, it appears likea green Paradise on the Earth in God’s own country, Kerala. I find the houseboats are important tourist attractions.

Being the largest producer of spices, Kerala has finest spice shops in different market places.

E-mail: pareshnath2003@gmail.com

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No Curfew for

Qawwali Courtesy / Afrah Ali/ Times Of India / Published: 06th May 2017 The first feeling is of surprise, at how thestereotype has been defied – instead of men in flowing white pajamas and mehndi-stained beards lost in religious fervour, the audience that greets Mehfil-e-Sama’a on a Friday evening in the heart of the city is clad in ripped jeans and ‘loud’ tees.

A couple of songs later, it’s more than surprise;you are smitten. At Rajendra Maidan inKochi, the qawwalis eulogizing the Prophet and Nizamudeen Auliya left the listeners enthralledand wanting an encore.

“This is the new trend among the youth. As opposed to what people think, qawwalis have transcended the

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Photo credit : Sudheernath

Photo credit :Jipson Sikhera/TOI

boundaries set by religiosity, despite Urdu being a barrier for their comprehensive understanding of the lyrics,” says Irfan Erooth, lead singer of Mehfil-e-Sama’a, the first-ever Keralite Sufi ensemble of its kind,that performs compositions by Amir Khusro,Ustad Nusat Fateh Ali Khan, Sabri Brothers and Abida Parveen.

Even as soft rock and pop bands continueto mushroom among the youth, an ardent followership for qawwalis has become conspicuous lately. “We have performed in many cities,for all kinds of audience. But the best we experienced were in universities, including Calicut University. In Delhi University, the fervour was such that the students came over to the dais and started raining money on us, a practice not so popular here,” Erooth says.

Jawed Aslam, the harmonium player who founded the group along with Erooth in 2016,says that although the music genre is closely associated with Muslim culture, qawwali’s enchantment – there is a lingering after tastelong after the melody has ceased – ensures that it transcends cultures and languages. “For connecting with the audience, sometimes we play Malayalam qawwalis too which are quite popularin the Malabar region, but there are limitations as the elegance of the lyrics in Urdu is lost in translation. What we are focusing onpresently is to acquaint listeners here with the original form of the art to which they are rarely exposed,” Aslam says.

The minimal acquaintance of Malayalis with qawwali is partly because of the religious rigidity of some sects in the state, which still view music as haraam, or forbidden, Aslampoints out. “There was a singer in our groupwho had to discontinue as his family did notapprove of him singing praises for Nizamuddin Auliya. But many Sunni sects are incorporating qawwalis into many of their functions, although tweaked in accordance with their beliefs by decreasing the preponderance of instrumental elements in the songs,” Aslam explains.

“Even if you don’t believe in a particular ideology, with qawwali you become one with that entity of believers lost in the trance.It can be seen in dargahs in the north, where the general antip athy seen towards Muslim culture is not reflected in the love for qawwali.You can see large numbers of non-Muslims and foreigners attending qawwali nights at the dargahs,” says Aslam.

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I am really thankful to Kerala Cartoon Academy for giving me this opportunity to meet so many great and intellectual people. According to me Kerala is a hub, and the ‘Mecca’ for all the cartoonists. I have learnt a lot here. It will not only give opportunities to local artists but also to other national and international artists. It was a surprise to me to see so many superb artists under one roof and that too so down to earth. Earlier I knew most of the cartoonists either by their name or work but thanks to this cartoon festival that now I know them personally.

Manoj Kureel, New Delhi

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Cartoon festival gets under way in city courtesy / The Hindu / Published :05 May 2017

The second edition of CariToon Kochi, a national-level cartoon and caricature festival got under way here at Durbar Hall Grounds on Thursday with 60 cartoonists from across India coming together to engage in live cartoon drawing. “The cartoon and caricature festival is being organised this year to commemorate the 60th year of formation of Kerala,” said the organisers. The cartoon and caricature festival is being organised by the Kerala Cartoon Academy in association with the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, Kerala Social Security Mission and Information and Public Relations Department.

Cartoonists Mahboob Raja ‘Elham’ from Ranchi, Manoj Kureel from New Delhi, Major K. Sinha from Faridabad, Chandrashekhar from Jammu and Kashmir, Paresh Nath from New Delhi, Subhani from Secunderabad, Prashant Kulkarni from Mumbai, Mrithunjai from Telengana and Sudheer Nath from New Delhi were part of the inaugural functions. They were joined by Yesudasan, M.M. Monaye, Elyas John, T.K. Sujith, Madhu Omalloor, Thomas Antony, K.V.M. Unni, Sajjive B., BaijuPaulose, Renjith M.S., Joshy A.M. and Tensigh. With the theme, ‘Smile, Let’s Change the World’, the cartoon and caricature festival was preceded by a cartoon camp that was opened on the forenoon of Thursday (May 4th). The camp was organised under the aegis of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi.

Kochi turns humour hub

Courtesy / TNN / Times of India / Published: 05th May 2017 CariToon Kochi 2017, Season 2, the mega cartoon and caricature event began in Kochi on May 4. The event, which will see the participation of prominent cartoonists and caricaturists from across the country The event according to the organisers is intended to turn Kochi into the humor hub of Kerala. This is the main reason why the event provides several avenues to prompt kids and adults alike to keep away their tensions and bring out the humorous side in them. May 5 being the World Cartoonist Day, an event -—Toon Talk—wherein the cartoonists interacted with media and shared their experiences and challenges took place at Rajendra Maidan. Later, there was another event where actor Salim Kumar interacted with popular troll group admins. All the programmes according to AnoopRadhakrishnan, director of CariToon, saw a good crowd which is a clear indication that the second season of CariToon is also a major success. As part of the curtain raiser to the event, a marathon live caricaturing- FLIGHTtOOnS was held at the new International terminal of the Cochin International Airport on April 18. On the very first the artists created 1001 caricatures of passengers present at the emigration terminal and presented them on the spot. As part of CariToons, cartoon workshop for children and various other cartoon and caricature exhibitions will be held in the city.

Away from movies, and yet reigning over memes Courtesy / M P Praveen / The Hindu / Published : 6 May 2017 Salim Kumar thanks ICU for his popularity on social media In the satire-driven world of Internet memes, hits are created by the minute unlike in tinsel town where fates are decided every Friday. And when it comes to Malayalam memes on Facebook, actor Salim Kumar is probably the uncrowned king.

For three years after winning the national award in 2011, the affable actor kept away from the silver screen owing to health issues. But, he remained live in people’s memory, thanks largely to the popular Facebook page, International Chalu Union (ICU), who used the actor’s image and his many witty dialogues effectively to give a satirical edge to their memes.

So when the Kerala Cartoon Academy brought together the actor and the young admins of ICU for an interaction during the ongoing national cartoon-caricature festival in the city on Friday, Salim Kumar lost no time in thanking the youngsters who had made a star on him on social media.

“Malayali audience needs only three weeks to forget an actor, and I was away from the scene for three years. You made my

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presence felt and helped me make a successful comeback to the film industry,” said the actor.

Salim Kumar marvelled at how many of his dialogues, delivered casually in films, had come to assume epic proportions in memes through their effective contextualisation. “It’s as if those dialogues were created for those memes,” he said.

Binu, one of the four admins of the Facebook page who attended the event, recollected that just like the character in the blockbuster ThenkasiPattanam turned out to be big break for the actor, his characters such as Manavalan and Srank from the films, PulivaalKalyanam and

Mayavi, proved to be big breaks for the ICU during its initial days.

When a member of the audience wanted to know his thoughts on the fake Whatsapp message on gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s death, the actor said the death of a person behind several riots in the country might have brought happiness to a few.

“But I didn’t set off any riots in Kerala, and yet got ‘killed’ over 15 times,” said Salim Kumar, amid laughter from the audience.

What makes Salim Kumar the face of Malayalam memes?

Courtesy / Anjana George / Times Of India / Kochi Times / Published : 7 May 2017 Scroll through any social networking sites or messaging app and you are sure to come across at least one meme featuring Salim Kumar’s contempt-laden face, the typical expression of Malayalis. The actor’s various expressions are the favourites of the ‘trollans’ of Kerala; and a meme is incomplete without his ‘Manavalan, Pyari or Omanakuttan’ images.

So, is Salim Kumar the face of Malayali memes? “Yes!” says James Sebastian, advertising creative head from Chennai, a frequent contributor to the troll group International Chalu Union (ICU) on Facebook. Quiz him why, and he says that after Jagathy, it is Salim Kumar who has been able to bring out a variety of comic expressions that can leave the audience in splits. “If you keep pausing a scene enacted by Salim Kumar, you would easily get more than four or five different expressions or ‘rasas’ which can be used in different contexts by someone creating a meme. Also, his characters such as Manavalan from PulivalKalyanam, Ashan from Mayavi or Pyari from Kalyanaraman are so popular among Malayalis that they instantly connect to it,” he says, adding that Salim Kumar can provide a meme maker with everything he could ask for.

A frequent follower of memes, HR professional Athira Sukumaran says that the influence of memes is so much that she automatically visualises Salim Kumar’s face in her mind when thinking about a satiric moment. “The actor has given us some iconic comic moments in films. Just an expression or a word from him is more than enough to make us laugh. His face became more prominent after the memes became popular on social networking sites. He has actually triggered a laughter revolution in us.

Even if he is mocking at some serious issue happening in society through humour, it never makes us angry but just makes us laugh,” she says, citing the recent viral video where Salim Kumar says that Kattappa killed Baahubali because he claimed that ‘everything will be alright when the Left front takes over’.

The admin of one of ICU, HrishikeshBhaskaran echoes her views. “His ‘hu huhu’ laughter of Manavalan and Pyari- Bhavani combination has led to some ‘hit trolls’, and the comments and likes have been beyond expectations.” Binu KS, another admin of the group adds, “ICU is a crowd-sourced-platform. We have no control over the pictures the members chose for memes, but still I get to see Salim Kumar’s face every single day.”

And what does the actor himself think about all this? “I never knew my face could bring out all these expressions. I am always surprised when I see a meme of mine being used by youngsters to convey a funny yet thoughtful message. I came up with those random dialogues spontaneously during shoot. I have to admit that these meme makers have amazing creativity!” Salim Kumar adds that he would be always indebted to the meme-makers as they kept his face alive even during his sabbatical. “Due to my ailment, I was away from the industry for three years. For the audience, it takes just four days to forget an actor, but these memes never allowed them to do so! And it brought me back to the same space where I was,” he says.

Mar Chrysostom graces CariToon with his wit

Courtesy / Times Of India / Published : 07 May 2017 KOCHI: Mar ThomaValiya Metropolitan Philipose Mar Chrysostom, who is known for his wit and sense of humour, made a short visit to CariToon Kochi-2017 on Saturday, where 10 acclaimed caricature artists and cartoonists from Kerala and other states drew his image on paper in a matter of few minutes.

Thrilled by the uniqueness of each caricature and its exaggerations, the 100-year-old Metropolitan praised the artists for their ability to individually identify the unique identities of the person in front of them and said that if political, and church leaders were also able to accommodate this virtue then “the world would be a better place”.

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Sudheer Nath, secretary of the Kerala Cartoon Academy, said that the Metropolitan had plans of attending the inaugural session of CariToons but was unable to attend the occasion as he was not feeling well at the time. Then it was agreed that Reverend would attend that last day of the Caritoon’s National Camp organized by the Kerala LalithakalaAkademi.

“The biggest problem we face is that people do not pay attention to other people and what they have to say. Cartoonists are among those who always listens and pays heed to each individual,” he said.

He concluded his talk by emphasising on the influence that a cartoonist can have on the political discourse of the stateand nation: “The public opinion is in your hands.”

‘Do not spare Church leaders too’

Caricature by: Rethish Ravi

Courtesy / The Hindu / Published : 07 May 2017 Philipose Mar Chrysostom, Senior Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church, said here that society would be better off if cartoons were made of political and Church leaders. Cartoonists have a way of seeing the world from different angles, he said during an interactive session with cartoonists from different parts of India here on Saturday (May 6th).

The Senior Metropolitan had a brief interactive session with journalists and cartoonists at Rajendra Maidan before posing for the cartoonists. Around a dozen cartoonists got to work and produced interesting caricatures of the Metropolitan, who said that the artists provided a glimpse into his own life as he thanked them for the effort. The cartoonists then posed for photographs with the caricatures they made of the Senior Metropolitan, who is celebrating his 100th birthday this year.

The programme was organised as part of the ongoing CaritoonKochi under the aegis of Kerala Cartoon Academy in collaboration with the Information and Public Relations Department, government of Kerala and Kerala LalithakalaAkademi. The programmes on Saturday included a cartoon and caricature exhibition as well as a media seminar on the theme ‘Line of Control to Cartooning’.

Cartoons on demonetisation upply comic relief to Kochi

Courtesy/ TNN / Times Of India / Published:4th February 2017 KOCHI: Cartoon exhibition ‘Surgical Strokes’ on the theme demonetisation which was inaugurated near Subash Bose Park on Thursday is another example as to how Malayalis take any ‘disaster’ with a pinch of humour. The exhibition displays about 200 cartoons on flex boards across the park fences drawn over the period of two months since the ‘surgical strike’ on black money by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The exhibition is held as a curtain raiser to the national-level cartoon caricature festival, ‘CariToon’, that is to be held in Kochi from May 5 to 8, the International Cartoon Day. Demonetisation was chosen as a theme as it was one of the most distressing issue for the public. It evoked varied reactions from world over and cartoon being a satirical medium that handles even sensitive issues vividly thus portraying the entire spectrum of responses,” said AnoopRadhakrishnan, the director of CariToon 2017.

The collection of cartoons includes picks from 64 cartoonists whose works were portrayed in the national and vernacular newspapers as well as from some international newspapers that commented on the Indian demonetization crisis.

“The exhibition is dedicated to those who struggled during the crisis which still remains unresolved. And thus, the event was inaugurated by local labourers in the presence of finance minister T M Thomas Issac,” Anoop said.

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Cari-Toon was an awesome experience for all cartoonists. I came here for the second time, and I feel it like my second home. People were very welcoming and down to earth. Cari-Toon is now a national festival for cartoonists and caricaturists. Thanks a lot Kerala Cartoon Academy and Kerala Lalithakala Kendra.

Manoj K Sinha, Hindustan Times / Haryana Caritoon 2017 Kochi was like a blessing to me. After attending three days national cartoon camp I really have fallen in love with Kerala, which is a cartoonist’s paradise. Thanks so much for your heart-warming affection and open-armed hospitality. Meeting and spending time with master contemporary cartoonists at the camp was a great learning experience. I must say it was my first close encounter with the real cartoon world. International cartoon exhibition, live cartooning, spot caricaturing, intriguing sessions and soulful qawwali night. It was an experience of the lifetime. Many thanks for inviting me and giving me so much appreciations Mahboob Raja elham, Ranchi, Jharkhand Kerala is not only the God’s own country but also the cradle of legendary personalities from the fields of creative world like cinema, culture, arts and cartooning. Legends like Shankar, Abu Abraham, O V Vijayan, Yesudasan and others made the country proud with their remarkable contribution. The second season of Cari-Toon was packed with a multiple programs like cartooning, spot caricaturing and power-point presentations. The 60 years of formation day of Kerala, the world cartoonist day (May5) and hundred years of Kerala cartoon-the multiple occasions have come together and the program was filled with enthusiasm.

It was a tremendous experience for cartoonists to mingle with other cartoonists. People who attended the event went home laughing reminiscing the cartoons exhibited.

Narsim, Cartoonist, Nava Telangana daily, HYDERABAD I am enthralled by the nature of the banks of Arabian sea where Cari-Toon-2017 show was held, and also the kind nature of the cartoonists of Kerala. Kerala is the cartoonists’ heaven of India. The Kutty’s quote ‘The per-capita cartooning in Kerala is very high’, is absolutely true.

Mrityunjay, Cartoonist NamastheTelangana Daily. Hyderabad, Telangana.

I feel blessed to visit the ‘God’s own country’ Kerala and to participate in National Cartoonists Camp Kerala Lalitha kala Academi and Kerala Cartoon Academy, and had a wonderful experience to meeting with legendary cartoonists and other Kerala cartoonists and fellow cartoonists from all over India. Watching Sajjive Balakrishnan’s speed caricature technic was a special attraction for me. I’m very thankful to Mr Subhani from whom I learned the techniques of shading in with pen. Kerala Cartoon Academy is an institute of learning. Thanks for this five day trip.

Chandra Sheker, Jammu

To President, with love

Courtesy / Arathi Kannan / Express News Service / Published: 01st March 2017 KOCHI: In all of the 111 cartoons and caricatures of President Pranab Mukherjee displayed, well over a dozen show off his tryst with the Dunhill pipe.

Once famous for smoking the pipe, he shook off the habit later and has since been urging people to quit smoking. If in one caricature, the president is smoking his pipe and working on Gandhiji’s trademark ‘Charkha’ (the spinning wheel), in another, he is seen reminiscing through the pictures that appear through his pipe in smoke bubbles!

“This ongoing exhibition at RashtrapatiBhavan was inaugurated in 2012. On November 16, 2015, it was exhibited as part of National Press Day celebrations in Parliament,” said Sudheer Nath, secretary, Kerala Cartoon Academy.

“P K S Kutty, late political cartoonist, was close to the president. He always used to draw Pranab Mukherjee with his pipe, while he held ministries of finance and external affairs. Those cartoons became so popular that cartoonists started to imitate Kutty’s work, and the pipe became an unavoidable companion of the president in his caricatures,” he said. “In fact, the president has once jokingly admitted that this is the reason why he quit the habit.”

“The exhibition, ‘Cartoon Pranam’ is conducted in view of President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to the city on March 2nd. This is the first time that the caricatures and cartoons are being

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exhibited in Kerala. Since this could be his last visit to Kerala as President, it’s a sort of farewell gesture too,” said AnoopRadhakrishnan, director of Caritoon.

While a lot of the exhibits are caricatures, around 12 of them are cartoons, and some of them have included conversations as well. Works of artists spanning over a considerable time period are exhibited; there’s R K Lakshman’s poignant caricature from the times when Pranab Mukherjee was the finance minister.

“The passage of time and the evolution of cartoons and caricatures are apparent features of the exhibition,” said Unnikrishnan, Vice Chairman of the Kerala cartoon Academy.

T Kaladharan, veteran artist and owner of Nanappa Art Gallery, talked about cartoonists and their observations. “It’s a quality that is inevitable for a good cartoonist. One can see the changes that caricatures of Pranab Mukherjee undergo with time. Even seemingly small things, like the shape of the watch dial or the pattern of tie, could become a significant things when trying to talk about someone with brush strokes.”

Women cartoonists lampoon society

Courtesy /TNN / Times Of India / Published : 8th March 2017 KOCHI: ‘Save the pink from the red,’ said a line below one of the cartoons displayed at Press Club gallery in Ernakulam on Tuesday.

It was just one among the several cartoons which took potshots at the society, where women are regarded only as a mere commodity. The exhibition of nine women cartoonists was organized by Kerala Cartoon Academy in association with Ernakulam Press Club.

As many as 51 works of nine women cartoonists have been exhibited in the gallery. The exhibition showcases many contemporary issues and works on abuses being faced by women and children. The works exhibited at the gallery are of noted cartoonist late Maya Kammath, writer Manjula Padmanabhan, RachanaVijith, Remadevi S, Mini V S, Aisha Haseen, Salviya Raj, Surya Maria Kurian and Sera MariyamBinny.

Mayor Soumini Jain who inaugurated the exhibition also put one of her paintings, showing the crying face of a woman, on display. A cartoon work, based on the recent incident wherein a 16-year-old girl was raped by a priest in Kannur is

also on display at the exhibition, which will conclude on Wednesday.

“Women cartoonists should get a venue to exhibit their skills before the society. It is very difficult to find out an idea for the work. The skills of women cartoonists can be brought out through competitions and that should be done,” said Remadevi S.

Women are funny too

Courtesy /Deccan Chronicle /DeepthiSreenivasan / Published : 8th March 2017 As part of Women’s Day celebrations, Kochi hosted anexhibition of works by eminent and upcoming women cartoonists.

The world of cartoons is more than often hailed as a man’s territory. Especially in India, few women have braved to step in and outshine men with their humour and satire-strewn sketches. However, on Tuesday, Kochi witnessed some of those bold strokes by women cartoonists. For the first time, the Kerala Cartoon Academy gathered iconic cartoons created by some of the popular female cartoonists from across the country and upcoming female cartoonists of Kerala.

‘Pink Toons — Feminine strokes of laughter’ organised by the Kerala Cartoon Academy along with Ernakulam Press Club as part of Women’s Day celebrations saw cartoons of noted cartoonists such as the late Maya Kamath, Manjula Padmanabhan, AyshaHuseen, Salvia Raj, Remadevi, RachanaVijith, Mini V.S., Soorya Mariam Kurian and Sera Mariam.

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The exhibition was a potpourri of bold socio-political statements and cartoons that spoke volumes about how society treats women today. Young artist Sera MariyamBinni, the first prize winner for cartoon in 2017 School Kalotsavam, and Surya Maria Kurien, first prize winner for cartoon in 2017 Mahatma Gandhi University youth festival, had also displayed their cartoons at the exhibition.

Sera Maria Kurien, who is also a dubbing artist, says, “At such a young age, I got an opportunity to display my work here.

I see this as a learning experience.” Surya, a first year LLB student, says, “Cartoons have interested me since school days. I wish to take both my legal studies and art side-by-side.”

Ramadevi, a senior cartoonist from Kerala, who is also a recipient the Kerala LalithakalaAkademi Honourable mention, says, “I started off as a cartoonist years ago. Compared to those days, we clearly have more opportunities now.”

The event was inaugurated by Kochi mayor Soumini Jain, who is an artist herself. The mayor who inaugurated the event by sketching a woman’s face on a canvas, said, “What we see today is that the term empowerment is connected to feminism and then seen as a joke. Empowerment is the first step to realising one’s strengths.”

Expo of Aravindan caricatures begins

Courtesy / The Hindu / Published: 16th March 2017 On the 26th death anniversary of cartoonist-director G. Aravindan, an exhibition of his cartoons and Aravindan caricatures done by various cartoonists got under way at Nanappa Art gallery on Karrikamuri Crossroads on Wednesday.

With long texts containing images and expressions from a bygone era, the cartoons present a world that inhabited Malayali life in the 1960s and 1970s.

A r a v i n d a n ’s c a r t o o n s d i s p l a y e d a t t h e g a l l e r y a r e f r o m h i s s e r i e s ‘CheriyaManushyarumValiyaLokavum’ and Kerala Cartoon Academy has collaborated in the exhibition.

The exhibition, on till March 19, is in the run up to the cartoon-caricature mela, CariToon, which will get under way in Kochi from May 4 to 8.

Fond memories Writer K.L. Mohanavarma recalled his friendship with the film-maker that began at the Kerala University hostel in the 1950s.

He said Aravindan searched for a means of communication that surpassed words, even images. Poet M. Sarita Varma, whose childhood memories of Aravindan, who was her father writer N. Mohanan’s bosom pal, etched a not-so-familiar picture of the auteur.

Actor Urmila Unni said she owed it to the auteur for bringing her to the world of cinema through his Marattam.

A satirical take on vagaries of society

Courtesy / Unnikrishnan S / Express News Service / Published: 06th April 2017 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For Class X student Sera MariyamBinny and septuagenarian P V Krishnan women safety or the lack of it is a cause that motivated them to take up their pencils. Drawing cartoons is their method of sensitising the society against a menace that has gripped it viciously.

Both of them are trying to depict the aberrations in modern society.

Sera uses symbols to represent women who are trapped in the guise of love. Trap’s sprung on women is something that senior cartoonist Krishnan wants to highlight. People with casting couch mentality and those who uses social media to prey on women are his subjects. Sera won the drawing competition held as part of the school arts festival recently, while Krishnan is a veteran cartoonist.Along with Sera and Krishnan, 32 other cartoonists have showcased their work on the theme ‘Women Safety’.

The cartoon exhibition titled ‘Nervarakal’ has been jointly organised by Kerala Cartoon Academy and Press Club. “Cartoon is the best medium to make people think. The role of the cartoonist is to drive home a point using a few lines,” says Krishnan.

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The cartoons displayed at the Press Club express various issues that revolve around women safety. Some of it points to the shortcomings of the society, policing and superficial ways to address it.

Paintings talk about the concerns of a girl in womb, parents bringing up a girl, their helplessness, prevalence of social media and its role in worsening the situation.

A painting by AyshaHaseen, who works as an art teacher in Dubai is particularly noteworthy. In her painting a girl walking alone is uncomfortably watched by ‘eyes’ in the buildings around. It is something that many women experience daily. Are the cartoonists offering any remedy? Some of them are pessimistic and mock at the system that drags women reservation bill for ages or the unresponsive society while some of them prescribe remedy in terms of harsher punishments.

Cartoonist Sageer gives an interesting interpretation to the ancient script ‘Manusmriti’ with incidents of sexual abuses of women in various age groups at the hands of priests in different religion. Cartoonists who have contributed to the cause include Soorya Maria Kurian, Remadevi, Manjula Padamanbhan, Yesudasan, Salviya Raj, K Unnikrishnan, T V G Menon, AnoopRadhakrishnan,Aneesh Thomas, Raghupathi, Hemanth, Sudheernath, Manoj Mathasseril, M MMonayi, PrasannanAnickal, Madhu Omalloor, Madhoos, Elias John, JayarajVelloor, G Hari etc. ADGP (prisons and correctional services) R Sreelekha inaugurated the exhibition.

Toons lay bare unpleasant truths

Courtesy / The Hindu / Published: 06th April 2017 Atrocities against women have been happening in Kerala for a long time, but more awareness and a vigilant civil society have contributed to the surge in reporting of such cases, Director General (Prisons) R. Sreelekha has said. She was speaking after inaugurating Nervarakal, a cartoon exhibition highlighting atrocities against women, organised by the Kerala Cartoon Academy. “Cartoonists and artists can represent with a single stroke, ideas that would take up a whole book. Some of the cartoons displayed here throw up new ideas in tackling these issues,” she said. She said she had recently conducted a study in the State’s jails on cases charged under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and found that those who were convicted were few in number. “However, there were quite a few under-trials. Now, slowly more convictions are happening. For this, we have to thank the media and a vigilant civil society,” she said. Works of thirtythree cartoonists are on display at the exhibition at the Press Club. A striking one depicts a young girl walking along a city street at night, with the buildings around shown as having prying eyes. One cartoon is a commentary on recent discussions on paedophilia, during which attempts were made by a few to support paedophiles. Another cartoon shows the helplessness of the police in some of these cases, held back by money and muscle power, and political influences of the accused. There is criticism of the voyeurism of the media in some cases too.

Different Lines of Talent on Laughter Day “During my childhood, in the usual prayer before I sleep, I used to wish for the growth of hands the very next morning.

But there has been no result at all. Gradually I realised the truth. For I did not blame the God but thanked him for the blessing which others haven’t get ” said Swapna Augustine, the well known foot painter. She was on the stage of Caritoon 2017 for a live performance along with Anjan Satish, another well known differently abled artist. The Programme was in association with Kerala Social Security Mission. It was a heart-touching session for the audience as Lathika ,mother of Anjan and Sophi, mother of Swapna shared their hard experiences of their own life for bringing up these gifted children.

Anjan was born with cerebral palsy having hearing impaired and sight for one eye only. “ But we treat him as an ordinary child without any discrimination. We adjusted our family life for his convenience. Drawing is his life. He dedicates himself to the world of art . We support him in every sense.” Said lathika. Now Anjan Satish, the Icon of KCA, is an art teacher at Adarsh Special School ,Thrippunithura. He bagged the Talent Award for the differently abled people from the President of India. “ When I was a child once a boy was pointing to me and exclaimed , ‘ See a handless sister !’. I replied coolly, ‘ Son, I forgot my hands at home. Please give me one of yours…” rememberd Swapna Augustine. Swapna was born without hands at Paingottur, Movattupuzha. She was brought up in a Mercy Home run by nuns at Changanasseri.

On a special occasion she liked to present something different to the Sisters of the Home . She drew a flower by her foot.

It attracted everybody and which became news gradually

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. Now Swapna is being supported by a Swiss based Organisation, an international helping hand for mouth painters and foot painters. Prof. K V Thomas M P inaugurated the programme .Dr. Muhammed Asheel ,Director of Kerala Social Security Mission and Dr Meri Anitha, Chairman of Centre for Empowerment and Enrichment spoke in the session. KCA Vice Chairman K Unnikrishnan welcomed the gathering .Caritoon Director Anoop Radhakrishnan extended the vote of thanks.

LDF came ; Every thing is okey (for us) !

When the creators of mini screen political satire paneled for a debate on the stage of the Caritoon2017 spectators enjoyed the behind the scene stories of several bygone funny episodes they have already seen. “Criticism is the power of democracy. A satirist can criticise anyone but a politician has certain limit for that ,” spoke the diplomat turned politician ,Shashi Tharoor MP who participated in the debate. D Premeshkumar ,the anchor person of the programme ‘Vakradrushti ’in Mathrubhumi TV, disclosed his apprehensive mind on the key slogan of LDF during the last Assembly election. “ If everything becomes all right what would be the role of all satirists like us? But what happened is quite opposite.LDF gives us in puts endlessly.

There should be no limitations for such political satires on TV. If any one tries to control this area everything may be derailed.” he added. “ Actually the intolerance is not from the politicians but from the religious sectors,” opinioned George Pulikkal the ‘Chithram Vichithram’ fame of the Asianet. “ When I presented a matter of contention between two factions of a religion the police had to escort me for several days on my homeward trips.” said Pulikkal. “ At the time of starting this sort of programme we had some expectation of changing the politicians towards a better direction . But it didn’t happen as we desired . They became more and more comical to do any gimmicks for getting media attention.

And they even phone to us as if they created something fit for our branded programme.” he said .

Sharing the positive aspects of mini screen satires Jayachandran of CICC Books said “any way TV programmes like these may give us the totality of the daily political developments of Kerala.” Cartoonist C Santhosh Kumar (Khalij Times),District information Officer Nijas Jewel and KCA Vice Chairman K Unnikrishnan spoke on occasion .

The world of toons

Courtesy / Express News Service / The New Indian Express / Published : 03 May 2017 KOCHI: A few weeks before the curtains opened for the International Cartoon Exhibition in Kochi, cartoonist T V G Menon got a e-mail from a Syrian artist. ‘There is no internet connection or electricity here. I want you to give me more time to send my work over’, TVG was told.

Since TVG was appointed the coordinator of the ‘Toons of the World’ International Cartoon Exhibition which began on April 29, he was a bit worried. But, since he knew the severity of the situation in Syria, he told the artist it was fine. A few days later, a poignant cartoon which caught the essence of he refugees who were affected by the war crisis in Syria landed on T V G’s desktop. “The gravity of the situation hit me like a hammer. His work spoke a thousand words,” says Menon, a retired electrical engineer who resides in Kakkanad. The work is also a hit at the ongoing exhibition at Durbar Hall. Apart from this, the International Cartoon Exhibition is an amalgamation of 100 cartoons and caricatures from 83 cartoonists in 30 countries across the world. The works were collected via email from the artists who are mostly first-time exhibitors in India. “Since I am a freelance cartoonist, I met all these artists online through Facebook. When I told them about the idea to bring their works together under one roof, they were all excited. For most of them, India has always been a romantic concept so they loved the idea,” he says. The artists include people from Central America, Europe, Russia and countries like China. There were stipulations that needed to be followed. “We told them the issues they touched had to be general and relatable to the Malayali audience. This is why a Chinese and Egyptian’s humorous depiction of water scarcity struck a crowd for all viewers,” he said. The other rule was the cartoons should not be dialogue-led. “In Europe, owing to the diversity of languages, there is a strict guideline that dialogues should not be used

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in cartoons. So, we applied the rule here too, because people needed to understand without having to figure out what the text was,” he said. Apart from droughts, the cartoons have touched upon terrorism, corruption, elections, movile phenomena, dictatorship alluding to Turkey’s new ruler, among others.

Greetings from Egypt

HI TVG, I was a little surprised when I got an e-mail from you , requesting me to send cartoons for a forthcoming International Cartoon Exhibition that is being organised in Kerala as a part of the planned Mega cartoon event Caritoon Kochi 2017.

My knowledge of Kerala and Kochi is limited to the books and articles on the net since I haven’t been to the place. Apparently it is a scenic place with lush greens , rivers and mountains. However I came to know that parts of the country are now going through a draught-like situation with water disappearing from ponds and rivers.

So I had chosen to send a few of my works based on water- scarcity and am glad some of them have now been accepted by the organisers. Because of the specific guidelinesI received my works are all text-less which I understand have been well appreciated by visitors. I have been seeing regular updates on the net regarding the progress of the preparations for the CariToon Kochi 2017 through many run-up events such as Pinktoons by women cartoonists as also Solotoons, by individual members of the cartoon association of Kerala.

I understand that there were as many as 83 cartoonists who responded with their works from 30 countries. The exhibition, it seems , show-cased 100 works in all. I am very happy to have been able to participate in this event and wish the very best to the event and its organisers Samira Saeed Cartoonist / Egypt

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LAUGH WITH THE WORLD Dear Friends “It was during the Caritoon Committee Meeting on 5th February 2017 at YMCA, Ernakulam, that the idea of an International Cartoon Exhibition was mooted by Caritoon Director Anoop Radhakrishnan while assigning the various work responsibilities to the assembled academy Members connected with Caritoon Event. At that time I was requested to take over the organising of an International Cartoon Exhibition as part of Caritoon Kochi 2017.

Then again, during the Cartoon exhibition on the foot path of Subhah park in 2017 February 3rd Anoop Radhakrishnan reminded me about the matter of such an exhibition. He had in mind about 50 cartoons. Although I agreed I was not very hopeful of getting much response. However since I have many cartoonists among my FB friends group I decided to give it a go.

Surprisingly some 80 to 90 cartoonists responded and chipped in with a staggering number of 250 plus cartoons. It was in fact a tough job to select 100 entries out of that lot because most were of excellent quality.

I think this is the first time in Kerala and perhaps in India too, that an exclusive exhibition of cartoons of well known cartoonists from around the world is being organised in Kochi and this time, as a part of Caritoon Kochi.

Humour, pathos, terror ,environment, sport and health issues all figure in these Works. They bring out these issues very poignantly without the aid of even a single line of text in any one of them. This characterictic of their works is because of the fact that their cartoons are normally aimed at the world community which speaks many languages , more so in the Central Europe , and text can handicap their penetration .This is quite different from the Cartoon scenarios that we usually come across in Kerala and elsewhere in India I am glad to say that the show was a success and people like Kerala Assembly Speaker Mr. Sreeramakrishnan, who inaugurated the exhibition on 28th April 2017 , as also the Chaiman of the Kerala Lalita Kala Academy Mr. Satyapal were highly appreciative of the high level of relevance and rendition of the various entries in the Exhibition. So much so, Mr. Satyapal even suggested to me that I , on behalf of KCA , curate exclusively for the Kerala Lalitha Kala Academi another exhibition of International Cartoons with more serious subjects for them to organise a travelling show�

TVG Menon, (Curator)

Inauguration of Cartoon Camp Aluva Cartoon camp MES College Marampally, Aluva

Keralam @ 60 Cartoon Exhibition at Thiruvananthapuram

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solo cartoon

caricature exhibitions Report by Balakrishnan Anat

Kerala Cartoon Academy, as part of Caritoon ’17, organised a series of solo cartoon-caricature exhibitions called “Solo-toons” from April 11th to May 6th, 2017 in Kochi. The exhibitions featured nine artists who, despite hailing from varied careers, share a strong passion for cartooning. The cartoons and caricatures featured in the exhibitions brought forth deep insight and diverse perspectives to issues and themes of national global significance. The academy takes great pleasure in being associated with these artists and is very glad to have shared their exceptional work with the city of Kochi.

Murali K Mukundan Murali K Mukundan, a retired inspector with KSRTC, is also a man of many talents. He is a poet, journalist, film maker, and most importantly, a cartoonist. A cartoonist since 1975, he has authored popular cartoon columns such as Veshangal (Deshabhimani Weekly), Ambada Njane and Doctor Simon (Manolokam Masika). He was an executive member of the Kerala Cartoon Academy until 2015, when a loss of vision forced him into a hiatus. With a restorative surgery that returned his vision, he too has returned to cartooning now. Mukundan was the first artist of the series. His work was exhibited from April 7th to 9th 2017 at the Press Club Gallery. The exhibition was inaugurated by the renowned cartoonist Yesudasan.

TVG Menon Menon, aka ‘Kar2nist’, is a former Senior General Manager at Alstom who has been a freelance cartoonist since 1980.

His works have been published in the house magazines of several companies in India and the UK. They have also been parts of travelling exhibitions in France, Croatia and Portugal. In the 30 cartoons that were displayed in this exhibition, Menon explored topics of contemporary relevance, ranging from deforestation and global warming to terrorism. The exhibition was held from 11th to 13th April, 2017 at the Nanappa Art Gallery and was virtually inaugurated by Mehmat Saime Bilge, a cartoonist and journalist with the Turkish news channel Kuresal TV. Cartoon Jalakam

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Dinesh Dali Dinesh P. V., known better through his signature, Dinesh Dali, is an avid cartoonist and a former art teacher at MES Central School, Thirur. A native of Chettappadi, Malappuram, he is currently working in the Painting Division of KSRTC. His works have been featured in several publications, foremost in the Pakkanar Vinodamasika. He also founded the Dali Parasya Kalakal at Parapanangadi.

His cartoons for the exhibition covered an array of socially relevant themes, including demonetisation, animal rights and sexism. K. K. Vijayakumar, the BMS District President inaugurated his exhibition, which was held on 17th and 18th April 2017 at Nanappa Art Gallery.

Sreejith Kudamaloor Sreejith Sasidharan, alias Sreejith Kumaloor, is from Arpookkara, Kottayam. He had been highly successful in school and university youth festivals and has worked for Mangalam and Moolyasruthi magazines. Additionally, he has directed five short films, two documentaries and six plays. The collection of his work was exhibited at the Nanappa Art Gallery on 20th and 21st April, 2017, and was inaugurated by TVG Menon.

Balakrishnan K. Anat Balakrishnan Anat is a self-taught artist, cartoonist and photographer from Thrissur. He is an Assistant General Manager, Air Traffic Control at the Chennai Airport; it therefore doesn’t come as a surprise that he has an array of aviation cartoons to his credit, published in various national and international magazines. Balakrishnan Anat has also freelanced for several regional and national dailies, including Malayala Manorama. The exhibition of his works was held on 23rd and 24th April, 2017, at the Nanappa Art Gallery, and it was inaugurated by former Chief Justice of India, K. G. Balakrishnan.

Tensingh A native of Thripunithara, Tensigh has been associated with the arts since his childhood. His first cartoon was published in Malayala Manorama Weekly in 1972. He his best known for his silent cartoon column Motta, which has been running for two decades in Mangalam weekly.

At present, he is a graphic designer in Ernakulam, and also undertakes photo reconstruction. The exhibition of his 28 cartoons, old and new, was inaugurated by the Chairman of Kerala Lalita Kala Academy, T.K. Sathyapal, and was held on 26th and 27th April 2017 at Nanappa Art Gallery.

Aravind Payyanur P. G. Aravindakshan, signing as Aravind Payyannur, is a graduate of English Literature who had been freelancing as a cartoonist for the past many years. He presently works as a Personal Assistant under the Ministry of MSME. His exhibition was held on 29th and 30th April, 2017 at Nanappa Art Gallery and was inaugurated by Kiran Bhasi, PAYTM, Business Head Kerala.

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Aysha Haseen Haseen is a cartoonist, art teacher and painter. She is a Mahe native, currently residing in Dubai, where she is an art teacher at Sharja Indian High School. Her cartoons are politically inclined, with a strong eye for contemporary political developments. Her works were exhibited at the Nanappa Art Gallery on 2nd and 3rd May 2017 and the exhibition was inaugurated by Dr C J John, a renowned psychiatrist with the Medical Trust Hospital, Kochi

James Manalody James Manalody, known mononymously as James, is an Electrical Engineer from Kottayam and based in Mumbai, who has now taken to full-time cartooning.

He has authored several cartoon columns such as Topsy-Turvy, Just James, MaskaPav and Bottom line in publications like The Free Press Journal, Asian Age, Mid-day and The Times of India; although he is currently working solely with The Free Press Journal.

He is also an actor and a theatre enthusiast. His exhibition was held at Rajendra Maidan on 6th and 7th May, 2017. It was inaugurated by Dr Sebastian Paul and Times of India Kochi resident editor, Manoj K. Das.

Venu Rajamony, The Then President’s press secretary, (Now India’s Ambassador to Netherlands) explains to children the caricatures displayed inside the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum.

111 caricatures of President Pranab Mukherjee by cartoonists/ caricaturists from across the country compiled by Kerala Cartoon Academy are displayed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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Caricature gift to Cial T3 first passengers

The first set of passengers at Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) Terminal-3 were welcomed with a special gift from the Kerala Cartoon Academy. Around 1,000 passengers had the unique opportunity to get their caricatures drawn by acclaimed cartoonists at the Terminal-3.

The CIAL along with the Kerala Cartoon Academy organized this live ‘caricature gift’ programme on first day of T3 becoming fully operational on April 18. CIAL Managing Director P J Kuryan inaugurated the programme by drawing a smiley.

Kerala Cartoon Academy engaged 15 of their most acclaimed cartoonists including Anjan Satheesh, Anoop R, Basheer P K, K Unnikrishnan, Karthika Kattanam, Madoos, Manoj Mathasseril, Naushad Ali E M, Naushad P U, Remadevi S, Rethish K R, Sajive Shooranad, Sajjive B, Santhosh TS and Sinilal O Shankar to prepare 1,000 caricatures and gift it to passengers.

“Caricatures received on the spot reactions. If people don’t like it, they will throw it into the trash before boarding the flight. And if they like it, they will keep it safely for the most part of their life,” said Sudheer Nath, secretary, Kerala Cartoon Academy.

The programme at CIAL was a part of their promotion for the Academy’s second International Cartoon Day celebration, ‘Caritoons Kochi 2017’, which also celebrates ‘100 years of cartoons in Kerala’.

“The concept of cartoons in India was introduced by the British and overtime cartoonists from Kerala introduced several unique attributes to their cartoon and thereby making it their own form of cartoons. Today some of India’s most prominent cartoonists are originally from Kerala. So, when passengers depart, they will be taking a unique bit of Kerala abroad. That’s the big picture behind this programme,” said Sudheer Nath.

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