BENGALURU: Recently, cartoonist Satish Acharya quit working for a daily after his cartoon got rejected and was replaced by a photograph. He posted the e-mail he sent to his editor on Facebook, which read, “Lately, I have observed that my cartoons were being rejected/asked to modify for reasons best known to the editorial board... I won’t mind quitting this space just to safeguard my freedom and to avoid the embarrassing encounters with the editor.”Through the cartoon, Acharya depicted the growing influence of China on India. He also went on to talk about the incident on his blog, where he wrote how the editor had asked for the cartoon to be replaced with a picture instead, thereby “shutting a voice”.
This not the first time a cartoonist has been made to censor his work. City Express had earlier reported on how cartoonists from Karnataka are being censored and trolled, Satish Acharya being one of them. In the light of the growing censorship of cartoonists in Tamil Nadu, the Madras HC had made an observation stating that a cartoonist must be able to work without any inhibition. Despite this ruling, cartoonists like Satish feel that their freedom is being curbed by an ‘unknown hand’. Speaking about his stint at the tabloid, Satish says, “There was no point continuing, I have been facing the same kind of censorship, it was a lot of pressure on me. Being an editorial cartoonist, it’s my duty to have a critical look at the government. Still, I try to strike a balance.”
‘Must come forward and support artist’
CE spoke to cartoonists in the city on artistic freedom. While many have been in support of Satish Acharya for putting his foot down and questioning the curb on his freedom of expression, some say that while working as freelance artists, they have the freedom to choose the right kind of medium, and hence, their expression is not curbed.
Narendra VG, senior cartoonist and managing trustee at Indian Institute of Cartoonists, speaks in support of Satish Acharya. He says others must come forward and support him too. “It looks like a singular case now, but no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Today, when Amartya Sen says democracy is coming to an end, it is something to think about. Many like him are coming forward and saying that democracy is in danger, that slowly we are reaching a point where many voices are being silenced.”
Another senior cartoonist,
BG Gujjarapa, says, “This has been happening very frequently, and it is worrying now. Even writers and journalists feel a pinch of this censorship,” he says.Naganath GS, a freelance cartoonist and designer, says hat there are very few cartoonists like Satish in India. Most of the other cartoonists work as professional cartoonists for publications and are aware of the mentality of the editor. “Because he is a freelance cartoonist, he can express without any bias and is also prepared for the consequences. As a community, we have to support him in his case. Freelancers have multiple options, but when you work with one publication, you are bonded to it.”
Appupen, who also works as a freelance cartoonist, says that editors disapprove of his work on his face. It is only some online publications that agree to have a look at his content and publish it, but most
reject them outright.For cartoonists who work for news organisations and publications, there are a set of guidelines they need to comply with. And these editorial decisions differ from one publication to the other. Prakash Shetty, a senior cartoonist, says that even though he has not experienced censorship, it is common among staff cartoonists.
“Lot of times, they have to compromise to survive. Some cartoonists fight with editors, others resign. Satish Acharya wanted to tell the world it happened, and he used social media as a medium for that.”Citing his own example, he says, “Most cartoonists get their freedom, but now, the scene is changing. Irrespective of political leanings, editors are silently afraid of publishing certain cartoons - it also depends on the editor,” adds Prakash.