India Gets Serious About Cartoons

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Political cartoons are an established tradition in India.

They have been a staple of Indian newspapers since before independence in 1947, and over the years, most cartoonists there have been left alone, and allowed to satirize or lampoon Indian politicians as they see fit.

But in recent weeks, two Indian political cartoonists have experienced pressure to censor their own work.

One of them is Satish Acharya whose cartoon depicting Indian politician Sharad Pawar pole dancing appeared in the Indian newspaper Mid day in early September.

The other is Harish Yadav, who goes by his pen name Mussveer. He is a cartoonist with Prabhatkiran, a newspaper in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, that published a cartoon lampooning the Indian politician Narenda Modi.

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There are a range of newspapers published across India and many feature the satirical staple: the political cartoon. Alex Gallafent was recently in Bangalore and met with Rasheed Kappan, city bureau chief for the Deccan Herald, the city’s second largest daily. Kappan is also a long-time cartoonist and presents a few of his works — and of other influential Indian cartoonists. Check out the slideshow below.