MG ROAD: Among the winners of the annual prizes given out by the Indian Institute of Cartoonists this year is a dentist-turned-cartoonist.
The annual Maya Kamath Memorial Awards Competition received 91 entries in the political cartooning category, 44 for the best upcoming cartoonist award and 53 in the best foreign cartoon category. The jury included well-known names such as playwright and actor Girish Karnad, artist S G Vasudev and cartoonist B G Gujjarappa.
Baba needs guns?
Satish Acharya, who bagged the first prize, created his cartoon in response to the announcement that Baba Ramdev would be provided Z-category security.
“He’s supposed to be a baba, and I found it funny that he needed this sort of security,” he says. “The cartoon is a take on that and yoga.”
A contributor to several well-known newspapers and websites, he feels it is sad that contests for editorial cartoons are so rare. “So the Maya Kamath awards are a great opportunity for cartoonists,” says the cartoonist, who hails from Kundapur in coastal Karnataka.
Maya gave him tips
The second prize went to Kantesh Badiger of Bengaluru, who commented on the Charlie Hebdo attack by depicting terrorism as a wolf contained within a prison of pens.
“Freedom of expression is a real problem, especially outside India. Here, thanks to social media, I think we are better off,” he says.
In the late 1990s, the freelance cartoonist attended a workshop that Maya Kamath was part of and she shared valuable tips for political cartoonists. “So that makes the honour even more special,” he says.
Wildlife enthusiast
The third prize was bagged by the wildlife cartoonist Rohan Chakravarty (27). His prize-winning cartoon takes a peek at the new government’s policies, seen as destructive by environment protection groups. “I’m not a political cartoonist.
But since this was something that related closely to what I talk about, I decided to send this in,” says Rohan, who left his career in dentistry to become a full-time cartoonist.
Rohan’s interest in nature was sparked in 2005, when he went on his first safari at the Nagzira Wildlife sanctuary. “I decided I wanted to combine my love for wildlife and my interest in art, and now here I am,” he says. Rohan regularly posts his environment cartoons on his Facebook page, Green Humour.
The first prize for the Best Foreign Cartoon-2014 went to Paolo Dalponte of Italy, and second prize to Behzad Ghafari of Canada. Leeza John was adjudged Best Budding Cartoonist of 2014.
The prizes will be distributed on June 6, at the IIC Gallery. An exhibition of select entries will coincide with the awards presentation