
KOCHI: Narendra Modi as a vendor trying to sell his wares- digital India, acha din and jan dhan, while the citizen of India takes bath in a huge lotus-shaped bathtub, a funny take on mann ki baat. Hari Kumar, who goes by the nom-de-plume Ha-Ku, knows how to leave you smiling and the freelance cartoonist has now come out with two collections - Chirivarayile Modi and Carootinile Pinarayi. “I have done collections on two Prime Ministers and three Chief Ministers and I think no cartoonist has attempted something like this so far,” says Hari Kumar. Modi and Pinarayi are the latest ones in his politician series, the others being Oomman Chandy, Manmohan Singh, V S Achuthanandan.
Hari Kumar says he has his own criteria in selecting subjects. “All the politicians I chose had a very vibrant career, constantly in news for some reason or other. So there was no dearth of ideas or situations,” he adds. The old-gen cartoonists used to spend a lot of time observing their subjects and mannerisms before coming out with a comic, exaggerated output. “But now they are in front of you on a daily basis. You can watch their speech or the way they behave on your TV or phone,” he says.
The collections feature around 147 cartoons on Pinarayi and 103 cartoon on Modi, published in various print and online platforms. Hari Kumar says the most challenging of all politicians he has attempted so far is Pinarayi Vijayan. “The problem with Pinarayi is he has a very stoic expression most of the time. He hardly smiles and there is always an air of indignation. It’s not easy to bring expressions on his face, but Cartoonile Pinarayi has him expressing a range of emotions.” He adds V S Achuthanandan has very distinctive facial and physical features, making it easy to work. “The same goes with Manmohan Singh and Oomman Chandy,” he adds.
All the cartoons in his Modi series are inspired by social and political situations. From currency ban to ghar wapasi, the works touch upon a lot of political developments and the ensuing drama. “When Modi government used the picture of Prime Minister instead of Gandhiji I came out with a cartoon where Gandhi is asked to quit India. Then there is Modi serving ghar wapasi on a plate to an impoverished public,” he says. In the Pinarayi collection you will see glimpses of political intrigues including the positing of high-ranking police officials. When “Ambalapuzha palpayasam was distributed at CPM state conference it inspired another interesting work,” he says. Chirivarayile Modi and Carootinile Pinarayi will be released on August 5 at YMCA, Trivandrum.