One of the world’s first cartoon books with the pandemic as a theme has emerged from Karnataka.
Satish Acharya, one of India’s foremost cartoonists, began responding to the pandemic last April, reflecting the entire gamut of human responses from panic and cruelty to empathy and compassion.
In a couple of months, he had produced about 200 cartoons, boldly deploying humour against the Covid gloom. He then published his book Go Corona Go, its title inspired by a politician who believed shouting slogans would defeat the virus.
Satish, who lives in Kundapura in Udupi district, has put together 130 cartoons in the book. The cartoons take a zany look at various aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic, from the exasperation with the frequent hand-washing (Gabbar Singh offers his hands to Thakur, saying ‘Mere haath tu le le, Thakur’) to the hitherto unfamiliar implications of social distancing (Ravana uses a grid to keep his 10 heads apart).
As the March 2020 lockdown was extended and livelihoods came under threat, the cartoons became grimmer. Some cartoons are heart-wrenching chronicles of tragic events such as the one in which migrants walking home got crushed under a train.
Prime Minister Modi’s dandy appearances, especially the one where he poses with peacocks, comes in for special savaging. He is shown fiddling on an ornate peacock-shaped violin, in the manner of Nero, as the country burns in the background. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman blaming God for the state of the economy is satirised too, with the Almighty being heckled as ‘anti-national’.
Satish’s hard-hitting opinion cartoons have upset politicians and resulted in occasional run-ins. "I realised the power of cartooning when the government started snatching my work," says Satish.
On social media, he is prompted to explain to Modi supporters how he was equally sharp in his criticism of the erstwhile UPA government.
Satish refuses commissioned assignments from political parties and places his creative freedom above all else. "I will continue to be critical of governments, present and future," he says.
Cartoonists thrive on politicians’ follies, but the pandemic has been devastating even for those who see a silver lining in disaster, he observes.
“The lockdown actually inflicted unthinkable hardship on the poor. When the government failed to notice their suffering, many heroes emerged from our society. It was a privilege to use my art to pay a tribute to these heroes. Sonu Sood, Vikas Khanna, Barkha Dutt and many others out there appreciated my gesture," he says.
The book, self-published under Satish’s Vibhinna Books imprint, is priced at Rs 350. You can reach Satish at cartoonistsatish@gmail.com.