KOCHI: The importance of using hand sanitisers, social distancing and staying indoors to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak are some of the messages conveyed by K B Harikumar aka Haku through his Malayalam and English cartoons. His caricatures are being widely used by government institutions such as the Suchitwa Mission and the health department to create awareness on the pandemic in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to Harikumar, various state departments and programmes are sharing his creations on their respective social media handles and websites to educate the public. Although ecstatic about the recognition, the artist admits that sketching cartoons for state agencies is not an easy task due to creative limitations that can be exercised while making them. “One of my cartoons was rejected as it represented a particular religion. Cartoons that do not touch upon sensitive topics are preferred. Social awareness cartoons also tend to be less humorous since the importance is on the message being conveyed,” says Harikumar.
An Alappuzha native, Harikumar has been creating political caricatures and cartoons for the past 35 years. Apart from coming up with satirical sketches on the Indian and Kerala politics; he has used his art to spread awareness on social issues such as smoking, energy conservation, violence against women, road safety and environmental problems over the last few years.
State Police Chief Lokanath Behera, an admirer of Harikumar’s work, had requested him to install his caricatures in all police stations of Kerala. “He wanted the cartoons to be made in a humorous vein to lighten the mood of people who enter the station. Five of my works are now displayed at the Thampanoor police station based on his request,” says Harikumar.
Apart from his work for the government agencies, Harikumar is also actively promoting his independent sketches titled ‘Corona toonz’ on his Facebook page. “I have already shared 10 cartoons with the public over social media and all of them have received positive feedback,” he says. Although his cartoons were quite popular in the initial days of the outbreak, Harikumar believes that the trend of cartoons related to Covid-19 is on the decline. “People are staying indoors. A proof that they are now aware of the issue. The situation in rural areas has also improved,” he adds.