KOCHI: Cartoons are now treated as mere space fillers in newspapers rather than an item with artistic value, feels Mohan Raj Sivanand, former Editor-in-Chief of Reader’s Digest. He was speaking at a session - ‘Meet the Cartoonist’ held in connection with the ongoing cartoon exhibition “Cari Toon 2016’ here on Monday.
Mohan Sivanand was the editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest for a decade from 2005 and educated mostly in Kerala. He has also exhibited his paintings at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai.
“Many editors print cartoons in national dailies that are totally out of context with the Indian scenario. Halloween cartoons have no relevance in India and yet are published leading to the diminishing popularity of the art. K Shankar’s cartoons had a political impact during the emergency but such cartoons cease to exist today,” remarked Mohan, who has established his skill in the world of cartoons.
The representation of the cartoonist community in print media is gradually fading, he added. “In the 1980s the pay for a strip of cartoon was Rs 300. Now a days, it is Rs 3000. Though we can see an increase in the figures, we cannot claim that it is a considerable amount. In terms of the current monetary value, the payment is only minimal. Strip comics like Jim Davis’ Garfield need a kind of artistic sensibility which is not part of our culture and hence we need to bring out more original ideas,” added Mohan.
The New Indian Express Resident Editor (Kerala) Vinod Mathew Jacob, who spoke at the session, said in the age of start-ups, it wouldn’t be too difficult to find some angel funds, provided the cartoonists put their work on a proper platform. “The whole idea should be to move forward from the unorganised cottage sector that it is now to a full-fledged industry,” he said.
“There is a Start-Up Village here in Kochi and the cartoonists needn’t look far,” he added.
Reduced employment opportunities for cartoonists and minimal payment have forced the cartoonists to abstain from coming up.
Due to the lack of financial security while pursuing cartoons as a full time career, the majority of them are opting it as a part-time profession.