The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : The right mix of politics and humour

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Sunday, Jun 12, 2011
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The right mix of politics and humour

Staff Reporter

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Smart and snappy:Vivek Thakkar

BANGALORE: The Maya Kamath Memorial Awards were given away at the Indian Institute of Cartoonists here on Saturday.

The cartooning competition, which drew participants from across the country, had 86 entries compete in the category of Excellence in Political Cartooning and 63 for the Best Budding Cartoonist Award.

In the category of Excellence in Political Cartooning, Vivek Thakkar of Open Magazine, Mumbai, won the first place, Syamal Das of Hindustan Times, Patna, the second, and Satish Acharya from Mid Day, the third.

Mr. Thakkar bagged the top prize for a satirical portrayal of yogi-turned-political activist, Baba Ramdev, saying “Saas Lo, Vote Do.

Speaking about his winning entry, he said that he used a combination of portrait and caricature. “I find inspiration in the quirks of everyday life and I use the cartooning canvas to represent it.”

Margaret Samte, a student from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, won the Best Budding Cartoonist Award for her comic strip-inspired take on music and youth. Reflecting on her achievement, she said: “I view cartooning an escape from the rigors of everyday life.”

The Special Jury Appreciation Prize was given to Sajit Kumar of Deccan Chronicle, New Delhi, T.F. Hadimani of The Week, Kochi Gajanan Ghongde from Deshonnati, Akola, Maharashtra, and Siyang Borang from the Echo, Arunachal Pradesh.

The jury comprised playwright Girish Karnad, artist S.G. Vasudev and cartoonist B.G. Gujjarappa. Mr. Vasudev said: “The skill in terms of drawing, original thought, humour and social and political analysis were the elements we focused on while evaluating the entries.”

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