Hubballi-Dharwad police adopt toon tantra for communal harmony

Toons as a tool to maintain communal harmony? That’s the new innovative route that Hubballi-Dharwad police have taken to spread the message of maintaining peace.
Image used for representational purpose
Image used for representational purpose

HUBBALLI: Toons as a tool to maintain communal harmony? That’s the new innovative route that Hubballi-Dharwad police have taken to spread the message of maintaining peace. And it appears to be quite a hit with the citizens.

A series of cartoons, created by cartoonist Satish Acharya from Kundapur, is being used by the Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissionerate to spread message on importance of peace and communal harmony. The Commissionerate posted a few cartoons on their social media sites, a day before Eid Milad.
While most of the cartoons depict the importance of living in peace, a few show the ill-effects of posting fake news on social media platforms. The cartoon series begin with a Hindu and Muslim hugging Mahatma Gandhi with a message ‘Ishwar Allah Tere Naam’ while others talk about importance of ‘team work’ for country’s progress.

A senior police officer said, “ Hubballi is known for communal clashes. But in the recent past, the situation is comparatively peaceful. Police too are striving hard to maintain communal harmony by conducting peace meetings and march, regularly. The cartoons are a strong medium and they convey the message clearly. Hence we decided to post them to spread awareness about communal harmony.”
Last week, Chikkamagaluru SP Annamalai had requested cartoonist Satish Acharya to draw a series of cartoons which could encourage communal harmony among masses. Chikkamagaluru is considered as a sensitive district as often there is tension over Dattapeetha and Baba Budan Giri, and its challenging for the police to maintain peace here.

“This year, both Datta Jayanthi and Eid Milad have fallen on the same day (Saturday). Members of both the communities will have processions. It is important that both of them should mutually respect their religions and conduct processions in peace. Hence, the cartoons were printed on large canvases and were taken on a procession in Chikkamagaluru town,” the officer said.

Acharya said that it was a privilege to be part of programme and to be associated with different police divisions. “It is a good cause and I am happy to be part of it. I have been associated with different police divisions and working on awareness campaigns. I also had a special cartoon workshop in Belagavi in 2016 to create awareness about traffic rules,” he said.

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