Maharashtra: When Bal Thackeray Praised The Cartoonist

Maharashtra: When Bal Thackeray praised the cartoonist on his antagonistic cartoon. Shiv Sena founder Bala Sahab Thackeray was not only a politician of Maharashtra but also a high-level cartoonist himself. Two days ago, in the incident of violence with a retired naval officer Madan Sharma in Mumbai.

It was in the year 1996, then the government in Maharashtra was of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance. The body of a man named Ramesh Kini was found at Pune’s Alka Theater and in his suspicious death, fingers were raised on Raj Thackeray, a prominent Shiv Sena leader.

After this incident, Shiv Sena was being hit hard by the opposition parties, the ally BJP was also looking to capitalize on the opportunity. Ramesh Kini died while he was watching the English movie called Broken Arrow in the Alka Theater Pune.

The election symbol of the Shiv Sena is also arrow-command. Prashant Kulkarni, a young Mumbai-based cartoonist, created a cartoon on the incident, which featured blood dripping from the tip of a broken arrow placed on the bow and commented above – ‘Broken Arrow – Horrible cinema.’

After this cartoon was published in a Mumbai newspaper, cartoonist Prashant Kulkarni got a call from Shiv Sena leader Raj Thackeray asking him to come to the ‘Saamana’ office. When Prashant went to meet him, Raj Thackeray told him that your cartoon is very good.

In the first instance, I didn,t see it, Bala Saheb called me and said that look at the cartoon published in today’s metropolis, then I saw it. Nearly a month after this incident, Prashant also got an opportunity to interview Bala Saheb Thackeray. Balasaheb remembered that cartoon even at that time. He told Prashant that your Broken Arrow cartoon was very good.

Prashant still considers this praise received from Bala Saheb as a big certificate for himself. He says that cartoonists did not strike down from the waist down in their cartoons at that time, and those whose cartoons were made accepted them with a healthy spirit.

Abid Surti, who has won the hearts of the entire Hindi world by making cartoon corner ‘Dabboo Ji’ in Bala Saheb Thackeray’s cartoonist and literary magazine Dharmayuga, says that Indira Gandhi loved the cartoons made by RK Laxman, but his Laxman I often used to think about why do you make my nose like a parrot.

Abid Surti states that similarly, Pandit Nehru loved cartoons made by senior cartoonist Shankar. He also praised Shankar’s sharp cartoons that he said inspired me. Senior cartoonist Manjul of the English daily Mid-Day says that the purpose of the cartoon is so that you can tell the people of power by giving a hint where you are wrong.

A good cartoon is the one that highlights the shortcomings of the people in power. Manjul says that any poem, story, or cartoon should be answered in the same language and not violence.