Among Rafiqun Nabi's various awards are the Ekushey Padak of 1993 and Shilpakala Academy Award 1989. He has held six solo exhibitions so far. He was, earlier, the Director of the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University.

Ranabi spoke to The Daily Star's Fayza Haq, about his early days and his creative work.

In his words:

'I began doing cartoons in the mid-1960s when I was a student. Earlier, I was fascinated by cartoons strips in newspapers and magazines and illustrated classics. I enjoyed drawing from the outset. I began work in Forum with Rehman Sobhan, and with Purbodesh. They were not so serious then. However, even at that time they dealt with socio-economic and political problems.

'It was in the late 1970s that I regarded my work as something serious. I began Tokaii in 1978 for the then Bichitra. This was after coming back from studying print making in Greece. The character was not imaginary but rather an illustration of what I saw around me. I chose Tokaii as tokaiis tend to crop around us for decades on end. They wear the same lungi and behave in the same manner over years. The Tokaii cartoons now appear in Shaptahik 2000. The cartoons are not a great source of income but through this I can freely express my feelings about society around me.

'Some of the elements of paintings go into cartoons while some of the characteristics of cartoons go into paintings: they overlap and interplay. Lines play an important part in my water-colours and woodcuts as they do in my cartoons. There are other aesthetic elements such as balance of composition. In the present exhibition are also paintings centred around Tokaii, the child whom people have grown to know and love. He is shown as an observer of life in the Bangladeshi cities, especially Dhaka.

'Most of my cartoons contain the character of Tokaii. I don't deal with serious political subjects but rather the socio-economic scenario. I believe that our politics is something dirty and I'd rather avoid it, if possible.

'The essential characteristics of a good cartoon are wit, subtlety and good line work with some exaggerations and experimental work. One must be careful that the subject is not vulgar or awkward for the average reader.

'Now, I simply reflect my thoughts and don't really care so much for the feedback. I speak on behalf of the general masses and people should not be offended by it. The other people who enter the cartoons also regard themselves as a part of the masses.

'I see the cartoons and my other work on an equal basis. They are both creative works, though done in different ways. I try to make each work in the different mediums a success. They all carry a message and appeal to one's artistic sensibility. The new exhibition consists of pure water-colours and brush and ink drawings.'