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In black and white

Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

Articulate lines Caricatures drawn by Ajith K throw light on the personality of the subject

Ajith K. is a man of few words. He lets his minimalistic but articulate lines speak for his wicked sense of humour and keen sense of observation. His first exhibition of caricatures and cartoons, which was held at Museum Auditorium in the city, spoke volumes for the innate talent of this self-taught cartoonist.

“I want my caricatures to throw some light on the personality of the subject and not just be a clever drawing. So, usually, I read extensively about the subject before I begin a work. Each caricature must be packed with content,” says the Kannur-based employee of Public Works Department.

And so we have A.R. Rahman, perched on dizzying heights, picking and choosing musical notes from a basket; fast bowler Sreesanth’s visage shaped as a whirling sphere that is all movement and pace; Veerappan’s mug resembling that of a jumbo, with his handlebar moustache fashioned into tusks; U.S. presidential candidate Obama Barack standing proud, holding aloft the torch of freedom while a poignant one of Laurie Baker shows his face imposed on a brick house.

Not all the caricatures have achieved the same levels of perfection. There were some like that of Mammootty, Rajnikant, Srinivasan and K.J. Yesudas that have not quite touched the core of their personality or their works. But some like that of Sukumar Azhikode, M. Karunanidhi and M.A. Baby were perfect thumbnail sketches of their public profile or sphere of work.

Of the 85 works displayed, 25 are cartoons. Ajith’s keen interest in politics and news is evident in the works, many of which are takes on political issues, sans any political leanings. His favourite one shows the Father of the Nation watching the Gandhi family (including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka) with a fair amount of confusion and surprise. One work cleverly depicts veteran Congress leader K. Karunakaran’s present situation in the political arena in Kerala while another one touches upon the relationship between Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and CPI(M) State secretary Pinrayi Vijayan.

A former employee of C-DIT, Ajith says he always wanted to conduct an exhibition to gauge the reaction of viewers. Having watched the smiling, chucking visitors trooping out of the gallery, Ajith is a satisfied man. He says he has no plans to hold another exhibition immediately.

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