The world in cartoons

Cartoon on display at the recent Drik exhibitions.

Two cartoon exhibitions were on at Drik Gallery recently. One included cartoons on the Liberation War published in newspapers worldwide in 1971. The other was a compilation -- featuring an Abu Abraham retrospective, works of five Nepali cartoonists reflecting the dynamic political changes that have taken place in their country in the last 10 years, and award-winning sketches from the South Asian Cartoon Competition organised by Himal.
"Liberation War in Cartoons" -- jointly arranged by Bangladeshi satirical magazine Unmad and Drik -- featured cartoons published in local (the then East Pakistan) and international newspapers on the war that involved West and East Pakistan, and India. Seventy-four cartoons at the exhibition are from the publication "Gonomadhyamey Bangladesh-er Muktijuddho." Cartoon collector Reaz Ahmed has painstakingly accumulated and preserved these sketches that bear witness to the war that was all too real, yet too sensitive an issue, apparently, for the west to acknowledge.
The exhibition included the famous cartoon, "Annihilate these demons," by 'Patua' Quamrul Hassan depicting the Pakistani despot General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan as a vicious beast. Others on display included "Leave some for Bhutto, Yahya," published in the weekly Darpan on April 16, 1971. The sketch shows vultures congregating on a mass of skeletons. Another illustration shows Lady Liberty (Statue of Liberty) holding her torch high as always. The accompanying caption reads, "Liberty for all, except Bangladesh." The cartoon was published in Hindustan Standard on April 9, 1971.
The Abu Abraham retrospective was no less sensational and informative.
Born Attupurathu Mathew Abraham in Tiruvalla, Kerala on 11 June 1924, Abu Abraham began his career as a cartoonist at Blitz and the political journal Bharat. In the spring of 1956, Abu was invited to become the first staff political cartoonist for the weekly Observer in London. In view of the turbulent political situation in West Asia at the time, coupled with the Jewish connotations to the name Abraham, the publication's editor, David Astor, requested that Abraham take on a pseudonym. Thus began the life of 'Abu'.
Abu returned to India in 1969 to work as a political cartoonist at the Indian Express (1969-81) in Delhi. In 1981, as a freelance cartoonist, he launched his own strip cartoon, Salt and Pepper. From 1972 to 1978, Abu was a member of the Rajya Sabha. Over the years, he has also authored several books, including "Abu on Bangladesh," "Private View," "Games of Emergency" and "Arrivals and Departures". Abu passed away in Kerala on December 1, 2002, at the age of 78.
The cartoons in the retrospective are selections from Abu Abraham's work (between 1966 and 1988). These illustrations reflect crucial political events that were taking place not only in India but throughout South Asia, from the Liberation War, the 1975-77 Indian Emergency, the 1979 hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the 1984 assassination of Indira Gandhi, the mysterious death of General Zia ul-Haq in an airplane crash in 1988, to the controversial Indian Peace-keeping Force operations in Sri Lanka from 1987 to 1990. Throughout all of these events Abu saw himself as a socialist; the Guardian once described him as “the conscience of the left and the pea under the princess's mattress.”
During the last two decades, Nepal has been in a perpetual state of political unrest. This political limbo has naturally inspired some remarkable cartoons. The exhibition at Drik featured works of five noted Nepali cartoonists -- Durga Baral ('Vatsayan'), Abin Shrestha, Basu Kshitij, Rabin Sayami and Rajesh K C. The illustrations explore a wealth of issues, ranging from the astounding show of people's power in restoring democracy; the tumultuous peace process, culminating in the Maoists joining mainstream politics; polls to elect a constituent assembly; and the subsequent abolition of the monarchy.
Other attractions at the exhibition were award-winning illustrations from the first South Asian Cartoon Competition (June 2008) organised by Himal. The theme was “Dramatic Divide: The distance between the powerful and the powerless.” The response was overwhelming, with 379 cartoons submitted from across South Asia, as well as neighbouring Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, China and the Philippines, and from as far as Brazil, the US and Russia. The three-member jury, of senior journalists Sadanand Menon, Madhuker Upadhyay and Kunda Dixit, awarded the first prize to Husejin Hanusic ('Hule'), from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tied for second place were Oktay Bingöl from Turkey and Jamal Rahmati from Iran. Himal also recognised 20 of the best cartoonists in its Editors' Pick list.