ALAPPUZHA: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy dedicated India’s first National Cartoon Museum and Art Gallery to Cartoonist Shankar at Krishnapuram near Kayamkulam here on Thursday.
In his inaugural speech, Oommen Chandy said that the museum was the pride of the state.
“The government is entitled to the task of future development of the museum. It is a great honour to the state for setting up the first museum in the name of the internationally acclaimed cartoonist,” he said. Cultural Affairs Minister K C Joseph presided over the function. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, C K Sadasivan MLA, District Collector N Padmakumar, Shankar’s daughters Yamuna Shankar and Santha Sreenivasan and Akademi Chairman K A Francis spoke at the event.
The museum, constructed under the aegis of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and designed in a 15,000-sq ft area, has showcased Shankar’s major works.
His tools including brush, pen, easel, table, overcoat and dolls have been displayed at the museum. Almost 120 original cartoons have been received from his daughters. Cartoons featuring Gandhiji, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi are among them. A water-coloured portrait of Nehru is the major attraction at the museum.
Cartoons of Abu Abraham, O V Vijayan, Kutty, Samuel, B M Gafoor, John Mathew, Thomas P Mohan, Kerala Varma, K S Pillai, P K Manthri along with Shankar’s students and existing cartoonists including Yesudasan and B G Varma were also exhibited at the museum.