Cartoonist RK Laxman once said, “My sketch pen is not a sword but it’s my friend”. This statement holds true for some of the finest cartoonists across the world and some of them could be right here in Karnataka. Now, you can check out their work, as the Indian Institute of Cartoonists is hosting an on-going festival.
Some of the cartoonists whose work will be displayed are B G Gujjarappa, Y S Nanjundaswamy, Ra Suri, Chandranath Acharya, Sathish Acharya, to name a few. What makes this exhibition special is the caricatures, sized about two by three inches by 21 cartoonists across the state, will be displayed. “Usually cartoonists work on A3 size, which is a standard magazine size, but we wanted to display it in a bigger way,” says Gujjarappa, who is known for his illustrations, caricatures and political cartoons.
Gujjarappa, who also curated the exhibition, says though he comes from the fraternity, it was not difficult for him to handpick artists whose works were supposed to be exhibited. In an age when people are exhibiting their works on social media, he feels that such exhibitions are hard to come by.
“Now, most of the artists are sharing their work on social media, but in these exhibitions people can have a closer look at the work,” says Gujjarappa, who has been a cartoonist for 45 years.
The exhibitions will mostly have caricatures of known personalities. “APJ Abdul Kalam is a favourite muse of cartoonists. Apart from that, there are many famous people from Karnataka whose caricatures are on display,” says Gujjarappa, who has also illustrated children’s books.
The exhibition will see lifetime achievement awards being presented to four senior cartoonists — K R Swamy, V G Narendra, B G Gujjarappa and G S Naganath.
(The exhibition is being held at Indian Institute of Cartoonists, off MG Road, till Jan 21. For details, contact 080 41758540)