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Chitrasha Communications Presents:
Salute & shame
Holi Ke Rang
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Holi ke rang,
hurbal gulal le sang,
rang do unn sabko,
jo dil mein mallal liye saang ....
budget mein mahangai badhakarke.....
aam janta ka jeena muhaal karke,
methaiyon ka swad fika karke,...
pani ki killat mein....
suukhi holi kehlwa karke...
Holi ki badhaiyan de rahe hein....
Jai ho kah rahe hein.....???
aap sabko bhi holi ki badhai...jai ho!! |
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Kuchh Log Mujhse Kehte Hain Kyon Doosron Ki Kahi Likhte Ho, Ye To Chori Hai
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KUCCH LOG MUJHSE KAHTEIN HEIN
QUON DOOSRON KI KAHI LIKHTE HO?
YEH TO CHORI HAI?
MEINE KAHA,
VICHARON KI EKKIATA,
KUCH LIKHA HUA JO MERE HI VICHHARON KI GOONJ SA LAGTA HAI...
YAHAN CUT N PASTE KER DETI HOON
YEH CHOORI AUR SINA JORI NAHIN
BAS YEH BATANE KA PRAYAS HAI KI JO MEIN SOCHTI HOON WOH DISHAHEEN NAHIN!!
DEKHO AUR LOG BHI AISSA SOCH RAHE HEIN,SOCHNE LAGE HEIN...
YA SHAYAD SOCHTE RAHE HEIN!!!
MERE VYAKTITVA KE BHARIPAN KA AAPKO AHSAS NA HO,
KOYI BAAT NAHIN,
AUR SAAB HALKE HEIN AAISSA BHI NAHIN!!!
AAGE SE PRAYAS KAROONGI
ZYAADA MOULIK BHAVNAYEIN HI YAHAAN VYAKT KAROON...!!
VIBHA TAILANG |
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To Koi Gunah Naheen
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010
TO KOI GUNAH NAHIN ????!!!!
AURON KE SATH-SATH,KHUDH KO BHI TARASHNA TO KOI GUNAH NAHIN,
KHUDH KI KHUBIYON KO PAHCHANNE KA SAFAR LAMBA HO YA CHOTA,
PAHCHAAN MEIN AA JAYE TO NIKHAR KAR KIRNEE/ROSHNI FAILANA TO GUNAH NAHIN!!!
MEIN NAHIN KAHTI SIRF TAREEF KE LIYE HI KADAM UTHHAO,
PER GAR TAREEF HO JAYE TO KOI GUNAH NAHIN!!!
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India Is Shining Or Rising Or Emerging
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INDIA IS SHINING OR RISING OR EMERGING
SOME SAY INDIA IS SHINING,
DEFINTLY JEWEL SHINES AFTER POLISHING,
DUST OR DHUL CAN NOT COVER ITS GLITTER'S TO REFLECT FOR LONG!!
SOME SAY INDIA IS EMERGING,
TALENTED PEOPLE CAN NOT BE DROWN OR SINK IN WHIRLWIND FOR LONG!!
I SAY INDIA IS RISING,
AS AURA OR TEZ OR RAYS OF SUN,MOON,STARS CAN NOT BE STOPPED,OR ECLIPSED FOR LONG!!
TRAP YOUR TALENT,TRAP JEM IN YOU ,TRAP THE VISIONARY IN YOU,
TAP YOUR QUALITIES AND LET THE WORLD GLOW WITH ITS BEAUTY,
LET THEM NOTICE ITS ODOUR,GET ATTRACTED TO IT,
LET THEM LIKE IT,IMBIBE IT,INCULCATE IT,
LET THEM BE HAPPY AND FOLLOW IT.
YUVA BHARAT,YUVA HINDUSTAN,YUVA INDIA
IS READY TO TAKE EVERYONE ALONG,OLD,YOUNG,KID,MEN,WOMEN,LGBT,ALL LIVING BEING!!
OR MAY BE NON LIVING...HOLDING EVERYONE'S HAND LIKE A HUMAN CHAIN!!,
WORK,PLAY,PROGRESS,ENJOY AND MARCH AHEAD!!!
SO DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ANYONE'S POTENTIAL!!!
LIVE AND LET EVERYONE LIVE,SHARE AND CARE,
KEEPING MORAL AND HUMANE VALUES INTACT,
WITH EYES AND WINDOWS OF YOUR HEART AND MIND OPEN.
GOOD WISHES!!
VIBHA TAILANG....HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MERRY CHRISTMAS,NAV VARSH SHUBH HO!!!
I WAS READING 'BRANDING INDIA' WRITTEN BY MR AMITABH KANT' ONE EVENING,LAST YEAR,AND SIMILTENIOUSLY WHILE CHATTING WITH A FACEBOOK FRIEND FOR FEW MINUTES,I ASKED HIM TO GIVE A SLOGAN,OTHER THEN 'INDIA SHINING',HE SAID,"CAN'T SAY.YOU SAY IT. ", "I SAID IT SHOULD BE "INDIA RISING".
NEXT DAY I SAW SOME DISCUSSIONS ON TV CHANNELS SAYING INDIA SHOULD BE EMERGING,LATER ON RECENTLY DURING MR OBAMA'S VISIT TO INDIA,EVEN HE HAS SAID,"INDIA HAS EMERGED"!!!
.....WELL WORDS AND SLOGANS LIKE 'EMERGING AND SHINING' ARE EQUALLY GOOD, BUT ITS BETTER TO SAY "INDIA IS RISING',I BELIEVE.THAT'S MORE INDIAN,CONTEMPORARY,MIX OF WORLD'S ALL SIDES FAMILY/MORAL/HUMAN VALUES...EAST/WEST/NORTH/SOUTH/... BUT ITS MORE EASTERN. |
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Put The Cartoon Back On Front Page
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Put the cartoon back on the front page: Kalam to media
Last Updated: Sunday, June 24, 2007, 00:00
New Delhi, June 24: Put the cartoon back on the front page of newspapers and bring a smile to the face of the reader. This is President A P J Abdul Kalam's advice to the Indian media.
"On the first page, when you see a cartoon, it puts a smile on your face. The rest of the news is about things like rape, theft and killing. The man or the child or the woman is happy to see the cartoon. You must bring back the cartoon on the first page," Kalam said during an interaction with journalists at its headquarters here.
"A man or a woman should smile in the morning. Don't make him or her unhappy," he said.
The President recalled that as a young person, the first thing he would look at when he picked up a newspaper would be the cartoon on the front page. "What I loved on the first page was the cartoon," he said.
Kalam said the editors might love political news, but people hate it.
The President also said mediapersons need to see beyond the capital for news. "Delhi is not the only place where things are happening," he said.
Bureau Report |
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Sense Of Humour Must For Cartoonist's Job
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Wednesday, August 31, 2005Course chat"Sense of humour must for cartoonist’s job"Vibha SharmaSudhir TailangYOU can count the number of political cartoonists in India on your fingertips. In fact, in the words of well-known cartoonist Sudhir Tailang, "Cartoonists, like tigers, are an endangered species in the country. But we are not as ferocious."Tailang, who made his first cartoon in 1970, when he was just 10 years’ old, started his career with the ‘Illustrated Weekly of India’, Mumbai, in 1982. In 1983, he joined ‘Navbharat Times’ in Delhi. And for a major part of his career, nearly 17 years, he was with the ‘Hindustan Times’. In between, he did a couple of short stints with the ‘Indian Express’ and the ‘Times of India’. His present assignment is with the ‘Asian Age’.When asked what advice he would give to those wanting to become professional cartoonists, he says in a lighter vein, "Why would anyone want to commit harakiri?"But on a serious note, Tailang describes his job thus: "Remember the story of the emperor and his new clothes. A political cartoonist is like the child in the story who told the emperor that he was wearing no clothes.""A cartoon is a political comment. A political cartoonist draws a visual editorial, and also manages to make fun of people and situations that some editorial writers may not have the liberty to do," he adds.Anyone aspiring to become a political cartoonist, must possess a journalistic worldview and analytical abilities in addition to the basic ability to draw, he feels."This is not a run-of-the-mill profession and I have been quite fortunate to land myself good jobs. But I have never been through an arts college. In fact, I am a science graduate and postgraduate in English literature.""One cannot train to become a cartoonist and most of us are self-taught. But what you do require is a sense of humour, a sense of mischief, a crazy sort of personality and a passion for doing something different," he adds."If you are an IT professional, you will have hundreds of work options. But opportunities in this profession are limited.`A0 You have to go a long way before making a mark, which requires a lot of patience and persistence."However, he opines, times are changing and there is now some scope for cartoonists in the electronic media and animation. But in the print media, it is still tough to carve a niche for oneself. For beginners, he has this suggestion, "Go and meet editors, show them your work, and get it published. Freelancing is another option, but it is tough going. Money wise too, this field is not too lucrative in the beginning." Twentyeight years into cartooning, E.P. Unny is now a veteran in the field. He started his career with ‘The Hindu’, where he worked for almost 12 years.Later, he moved to Delhi and joined ‘The Economic Times’. At present with the ‘Indian Express’, his political comments in "Business as usual" are well known. Simply passionate about his work, Unny says one cannot plan to become a cartoonist."I started by sending a couple of cartoons to ‘The Hindu’, the then Editor liked my work and asked me to join the newspaper.""One essential quality for becoming a cartoonist is the ability to draw with a comic twist, it’s not about faithfully reproducing pictures.""Cartooning is not a structured career like engineering, medicine or law. The bottom line is — it is not a routine career," he points out."One way to begin is to try and get your work published. There is no such thing as professional training, one just learns on the job,"Unny opines.Yesterday on 26th Jan, Sudhirji's niece Pupul celebrated her 18th b'day....an intelligent, sincere in her studies, a topper-(in best 5ives)in school since childhood(Birla Vidya Niketan),tez terrar, a go getter,good mix of tradition and mordernity, may have many hidden/latent talents...now is a class 12th student...good in cultural activities ....good wishes to her for her healthy,prosperous and a bright future. .....now On the 30Jan 10..in her class 12th farewell function in her school,...she got the TITLE of MISS BVN(BIRLA VIDYA NIKATEN)after going through 3rounds of few steps of dance,few lines of a song,few minutes of ramp walk and answers of few questions....good wishes to her.Yesterday..My younger brother -Alok's son Anupam(Golu) lead his house(Blue) holding Flag in the Republic Day march past at his Ryan International School,Chaandhigarh, in the age of just 14...good achivement...got 2Gold and 1 silver medals in sports...amongst toppers in class...good in Maths quiz(Olimpiads)..so as her sister Runu/Arushi(13)of RED House....got one Silver medal..participated in Aerobics ...on the occassion of Republic day. Good that kids in first family are doing well. So as Arun Bhaiyya's younger son Bunty/Vikram (23) has become full fleged professional software engineer joined INFOSYS at Mysore for one year training and now is posted in Pune for his first job....Good wishes to all of them.Even Nibha's daughter Nishu/Bhavya's 6 work got selected and displayed in her school's annual exhibhition in Patna...good wishes.Today(28/1/10) Is a great day for Aditi as Sudhirji while discussing some idea and sketching....checking chinu's work...he told her your FREE HAND SKETCHES are better then mine....good as he do not praise anyone unneccessarily....I wish she takes it humbly...so that she keep on growing....I know she has 'in born talent,kudrat ki den'...but need to polish it with constant and thourogh practice,observation,studies...theory/practical...in Sudhirji's and other experts guideince(she is doing it and still need more...and more effort).I wish she should be known for her work like Sudhirji(Though since childhood she refuses to copy(100%) even his father's line/drawing,mujhe aapne jaise banaana hai??...but do have subconcious imprint of father's talent,he adores his papa...and a bit of mine,(mere passe ma hai...thats her dialouge for me)....must have latent talents yet to be discovered!!!... She is a good Human being....that I know.She is going to NID Ahmadabad next week on 11/feb/10 for 3 days College festival(50 of them from her College for 5days), will be back by 16th...participating in Photography competition...individual catagory(can participate in one event only)...there, on the spot, they will get topics...will have to shoot and edit in laptop...and get marked...good wishes....hope she should get some good 'cause'...to cover, in last 2yrs college festivals she oraganised fashion show and participated in it, as well in college,...and in IIT delhi, BIT Pilani,NID Ahmadabad...themes were from bible/black and white era...with causes...!! On the 27th feb 10..her School SPV(Sardar Patel Vidyalaya) is having almuni association get together in a big way...Aditi is invited to be part of organizing committee of students- management team...only one from her batch...is requested to do co ordination of her batch through email...and design Posters and stickers etc for PATELIANS...(publicity material...which she offered to do and teachers were very happy to know that)....glad to see her doing extra effort...as it is her final year as well...and exams are from March...right now she is busy packing and doing all preparations for her trip...as well as giving mock test in college...and helping in household work as well..( as our maidservant is on leave)...including has become our driver also...whenever possible,and if Sudhirji is busy)...doing most of the work on her own...inside and outside...appne aap(though we are always there to help her, good to see her so independent)....Its a good sign that after little bit of 'LADHKADHANA' in studies in school daysafter 8th std, becoz of that Sudhirji thought of doing SIFARISH during addmission in SPV and DCA(don't want to take a chance,these are a prestigious institutions and seats are limited...even I believe that by supporting a talented child to restore his/her confidence and come back on track...littlebit Push is not favouratism...if its not harming anyone else's career...I am sure she'll prove it with her work/talent)...though she has gone through written test and an interview(in school and College entrance test)...and got 70% in 10th and in 12th...and doing well in College....now....decided to focus on one of her subject Photography...aage-aage dekhiye hota hai kya...??Well Good news that Aditi won the only prize in photography....topic was 5 self potraits...She shot five activities which she believes,...she has!!...A woman worshipping a cow(I believe), a dog sleeping on the cot in a aangan(I leiseure),a street side barber cutting someone's hair..( I indulge), a bird sitting on the top of a big tree..(I seek), slogan written on the wall and a postbox in the side(I speak) and a paragraph about it.....(good to see today's youth are more career oriented and has higher awareness level about career/hobby and sorroundings.)!!!Good and my hearty wishes to her,so that she make all proud of her by her work(vaise bhi manke haare harr hai, mann ke jite jeet)'...her merit...her obedient behaviour(as much is necessary)...including them as well,who recommended her name....sabko iss per bhi FAKHR/GARV HO!!!(BADE GHAR KE SABHI LADLE BIGDE NAHIN HOTE...MERI LADLI BHI BIGDI NAHIN HAI...NEITHER SHE IS AUSTISTIC OR MENTALLY CHALLENGED LIKE AANTARA...OF A SERIAL)!!!...I wish same of SELF also,to be known for my contributions/work around me,in Society...will try more to work on it. I do believe in using OLIVE BRANCH for PEACE.Just cameback(28/1/10) from Sudhirji's college time friend Dr Rajan's B'day Private Party, with few more family friends, all of them from Bikaner...Sudhirji's classmates/spouses/kids...now settled in Delhi....nice evening in Noida club 26. These are few friends like a family to us for whom we can say "FRIENDS IN NEED ARE FRIENDS INDEED"....!!! GOOD WISHES DR.RAJAN, Live long,be healthy and live prosperous and cordial life.Sudhirji asked Aditi why only she is invited from her batch for meeting??......I have written few lines on her in chinuaditi blogspot.com.....I'll cut n paste here......25TH MARCH 2009...(When I was in school, we used to do 'surya-namaskar'as a PT curriculam in Kendriya Vidyalaya, no one ever said its communal(we had students of all religions)...and I don't think I am communal, but recently few years back it become 'communal'in MP.Why???When Aditi was in Apeejay school till 10th std...they used to chant 'gayatri mantra'...everyone studied sanskrit in school, they had 'yagya kund'...they celebrated every other 'thuohar' together in school which means thousands of them...I can speak about her, she is not communal...She has been to many church, mandir, golden temple, jama masjid...in Sardar Patel School (11th-12th), Which is a Gujrati school...She always won certificates for Rangoli making...or every year she participated in Navratri 'Garba' with others in school...in Gujrati Traditional dress and with dandiya...she still go there annually,in Navratri...as invited by school(invitation for all passouts)...does that make her communal or regressive???Once a Sudhirji's German Friend talking to her few yrs back, asked her about Akshardham Temple...She replied, its beautiful but one should do some meaningful use of land...which means, it should include real charitable work...He said, even in his country youth are less attached to Church, one should add some new dimensions to involve youth with them???Does that make her communal or Non-Believer???As a student of Political science, Socialogy, History, English and Psychology in 11-12th(I don't Know how much she remember her course now)... they have done many case studies...group discussions...with themslve, teachers, Guest experts, prepared own Agenda and Menifesto's for school elections, as electing class rep in quite democratic process, was interesting...was member of Neighbourhood project in school activities...did social work...does that make her politically aware or a politician???I am not saying I or Sudhirji has nor done these things...but these first time voters are smarter...we expect that they should not disrespect religion...but respect...what is socially wrong...be balanced, and unbiased...and discard wrong candidates not parties (as all of them are more or less same), who do not believe in our Constitution...who treates every citizens equally...We need leaders who make members of every caste and religions feel safe and secure and not do vote bank politics... )...FROM CHINUADITI BLOGSPOT.COM...IN CONTEXT OF COMMUNALISM.
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Toonami
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Friday, April 10, 2009
hit by ‘Toonami’, courtesy Sudhir TailangExpress News ServicePosted: Sep 21, 2008 at 0331 hrs ISTVadodara, September 20 A bachelor degree in science has helped me in the professionA riot of caricatures of politicians and film stars mesmerised everyone at the M S University's (MSU) Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) department on Saturday, as cartoonist Sudhir Tailang stole the show.“Cartoonists always make sketches of famous personalities. One of the most amusing and famous personalities is Modi. In the Gujarat Assembly election, he had shouted a slogan—mujhe fansi de dena, agar main maange na poori karoon (hang me if I don’t fulfil the goals). I drew a cartoon strip where Modi is shouting and Manmohan Singh is running away,” Tailang said.Tailang began early, at the age of 10. Till now, he has covered around 10 Prime Ministers right from Mrs. Indira Gandhi to Manmohan Singh. He has an educational background in biology. “A bachelor degree in science has helped me in the profession. As a biologist, I dissected living beings including many frogs. Former prime minister Late P V Narasimha Rao had certain frog-like features,” he said with a smirk.He said further, “Science makes one’s mind analytical and English literature makes an individual philosophical. Several such things make a cartoonist.”Tailang said that no professional degree could make a cartoonist. “I always make caricatures that are for the common man, he said.Tailang will be releasing a compilation of 150 cartoons on Manmohan Singh in his book ‘No Prime Minister’. “It takes six months for a prime minister to be a cartoon material. Everyone including Manmohan Singh has passed that acid test. I have invited Mr Singh to release the book and comment on the caricatures. It will be interesting see his comments since all of them are controversial,” Tailang added
I am sure now no more failure, no more 'jhataka'...in my family...Aditi and Sudhirji will do better and better, so will I....as we have to go miles and miles...best wishes.
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Amar Singh, Shatrughan To Launch Manmohan Singh Cartoon Book
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Amar Singh, Shatrughan to launch Manmohan cartoon bookApril 3rd, 2009 - 8:41 pm ICT by IANS -
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New Delhi, April 3 (IANS)In poll season a collection of 150 cartoons of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to be brought out in a book will be launched not by the man himself but by Shatrughan Sinha of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh at a function here Saturday.The compilation of cartoons titled “No Prime Minister” traces the evolution of Manmohan Singh during his tenure first as a reluctant prime minister to one who became a cartoonist’s delight.
Sudhir Tailang, a political cartoonist for over 27 years and who has worked for several publications, said he asked Sinha, the veteran film star, and Amar Singh to do the honours as Manmohan Singh had declined to do so.
“Sinha is a close friend of mine. And Amar Singh because he is the second most important man after the prime minister because it was he who gave Manmohan Singh a second lease of life after the Left parties pulled out the government on the Indo-US nuclear deal,” he said.
Tailang said he had approached the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) requesting Manmohan Singh to inaugurate the book, but he got a reply saying it would be “awkward” and “embarrassing” for him to release a book on himself.
“I was immediately reminded of Shankar the famous cartoonist who parodied Pandit Nehru in his weekly. Nehru had told Shankar never to spare him,” says Tailang.
“If Manmohan Singh had accepted to inaugurate the book it would have symbolised the beauty of democracy which is to accept criticism. And that did not happen.”
“I chose the title deliberately to pun with the satirical British sitcom ‘Yes Minister’. You can draw a hundred interpretations from that title I chose, whether we had a prime minister at all in the last five years or if this is the stock answer Congress President Sonia Gandhi gave him for every major decision he wanted to take,” said Tailang.
“The cartoons trace the metamorphosis of Manmohan Singh, a person who symbolises the establishment and the powers that be. There are some caricatures of him while he was finance minister during Narasimha Rao’s government but essentially it is these five years.”
An official of Wisdom Tree, the publishers, said a representative from the PMO would be present on the occasion.Sphere: Related Content
yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = "Amar Singh, Shatrughan to launch Manmohan cartoon book".
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/books/amar-singh-shatrughan-to-launch-manmohan-cartoon-book_100175198.html |
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Sudhir ji's Interview In F Bar Exhibition
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Fri Apr 10, 10:18:04 AM
Not everyone can become a cartoonist- Sudhir Tailang
August 22, 2008 RSS Tell a friend Printable Version
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New Delhi: Not everyone can become a cartoonist, prominent caricaturist Sudhir Tailang says, even as he maintains the profession will never die out.
"Not everyone can become a cartoonist. Only those who have a blend of creativity and a personal opinion of the world and can present this vision with humour can succeed," Tailang said.
Despite the lack of youngsters in the profession, Tailang was confident that the art of cartooning would never die out.
"Cartoons will not die an easy death. It is not easy to kill cartoons," Tailang told sources at an exhibition at the F Bar art lounge here on Wednesday as part of its "In Focus" celebrity theme.
"In Focus" events are conducted once a week to applaud the accomplishments and talents of achievers and newcomers.
Tailang, 48, has been a cartoonist for 28 years. He first made a mark with his daily "Here and Now" pocket cartoons in the Hindustan Times in the 1980s. Drawing his first cartoon at the age of 10, he began his career with the Illustrated Weekly of India and now draws a daily caricature for the edit page of the Asian Age - under the "Here and Now" label.
That he has his finger on the pulse of the nation can be gauged from the cartoon in Thursday's edition of the Asian Age.
It depicts a worried looking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh telling Congress president Sonia Gandhi: "Not Jammu, Soniaji...JMM needs our immediate attention".
It's a telling comment on the Indian political establishment where Kashmir might be burning but the focus is on ensuring the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha continues its support to the Manmohan Singh government.
According to Tailang, "cartoons will always get exclusive space in a newspaper".
Proof of this can be found in the fact that almost every leading and even middle-level newspaper carries at least a pocket cartoon on its front page every day.
"I represent the common man, what he thinks and what he goes through everyday. My cartoons represent them," Tailang maintained.
For him, a cartoon is 70 percent idea and 30 percent drawing.
"There is a thin line between a good and an insipid cartoon. It's up to a cartoonist to nurture his thoughts and put them across in the appropriate manner," he said.
Like every cartoonist, Tailang has his share of favourite politicians - and in his case, it is former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.
"Rao's entire personality was made to order for a cartoonist. His nostrils and pout gave him an edge over his counterparts. I think he was invented for cartoonists," Tailang contended.
Rao apart, there's also Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani.
"I have drawn more than 100 cartoons of Advani," Tailang said, adding: "(Samajwadi Party leader) Amar Singh is another vibrant candidate for a cartoonist."
Among the younger leaders, it's Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi whom he likes to draw because of his sharp features and sophisticated looks. IANS |
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We cartoonists are endangered species
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"We (cartoonists) are an endangered species"-Sudhir Tailang
By Meeta Mishra/
Society Magazine...(newsroom)
September 2012/
Photograph -Aditi Tailang
Eminent cartoonist Sudhir Tailang defends the freedom of drawing and shares some interesting episodes from his career in this candid interview to society.
Recently,Mamata Banerjee's cartoon led to the arrest of a professor,and then an Ambedkar cartoon invited the ire of Politicians,Eminent cartoonist Sudhir Tailang challenged Mamta Banerjee to arrest him on national television.A Padma Shri awardee,Tailang is presently working as the Associate Editor and Political Cartoonist with The Asian Age and has been associated with The Hindustan Times,Indian Express,and The Times of India in the course of his career.He has also created a 16x20ft mural at DT Cinemas,Mega Mall in Gurgaon.It has colour caricatures of Hollywood and Bollywood stars.It found a place in the Limca Book of Records in 2005.
1)QUOTE-"I AM LIKE THE BOY WHO HAD THE INNOCENCE AND THE COURAGE TO TELL THE EMPEROR HE HAD NO CLOTHES ON!
MAYBE,I'M SARCASTIC,VITRIOLIC,ACIDIC....BUT THAT;S MY JOB.I NEVER HIT BELOW THE BELT."
2)QUOTE-WE ARE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES,BUT NOT HERE TO DECORATE THE PAPER,WE ARE HERE TO JOLT THE POLITICIANS AND THE READERS OUT OF THEIR SLUMBER."
3)-QUOTE-"I AM LIKE THE BOY WHO HAD THE INNOCENCE AND THE COURAGE TO TELL THE EMPEROR HE HAD NO CLOTHES ON!
MAYBE,I'AM SARCASTIC,VITRIOLIC,ACIDIC,...BUT THAT'S MY JOB.I NEVER HIT BELOW THE BELT."
4)QUOTE-"WE ARE AN ENDANGERED SPECIES,BUT NOT EXTINCT YET.WE ARE NOT HERE TO DECORATE THE PAPER,WE ARE HERE TO JOLT THE POLITICIANS AND THE READERS OUT OF THEIR SLUMBER."
5)QUOTE-"CONTRARY TO POPULAR PERCEPTION,DRAWING LALU IS THE MOST DIFFICULT JOB.YOU CAN'T DRAW A CARICATURE OF A CARICATURE!"
6)QUOTE-"DR MANMOHAN SINGHI'S NOT YOUR RUN-OF-THE MILL POLITICIAN,HE HARDLY SPEAKS.I NEVER IMAGINED A VERY SIMPLE GENTLEMAN LIKE HIM COULD TURN INTO SPLENDID CARTOON MATERIAL."
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7)-QUOTE-"YOU ARE NOT A POLITICIAN OF ANY CONSEQUENCE IF YOU ARE NOT IN CARTOONS.IT'S A MEASUREMENT OF YOUR STATURE IN PO*LITICS.WHEN A POLITICIAN STOPS APPEARING IN CARTOONS-THAT'S THE BEGINING OF THE END OF HIS POLITICAL CAREER."
8)-QUOTE-"OUR PARLIAMENTARIANS HAVE BECOME SO THINSKINNED THAT EVERY TIME THEY ARE ATTACKED OR MOCKED EVEN SLIGHTLY,THEY RESORT TO THREATENING WITH A CONTEMPT NOTICE! COME ON!GROW UP!"
The recent uproar over the Ambedkar cartoon must have baffling.Surely,Ambedkar himself must have laughed it off.But now,there is a whole tamasha around it.Do you think people are losing their sense of humour?
I was stunned when I saw a united Parliament deciding to ban not just Shanker's cartoon on Dr Ambedkar in one text book,but all cartoons,on all leaders,in all text books! Leaders like Sonia Gandhi were seen thumping their desks.I participated in several TV debates.Not one politician had a logical argument.They've interpreted the Ambedkar cartoon in a totally contrived way just to suit their vested interests.
Even those who were victims of the Emergency joined the cartoon killers.Except for Jaswant Singh (who is a great cartoon-lover), not a single BJP leader had the courage of his conviction to stand up and be counted.Leaders of the Communist parties,who were calling didi names when she arrested the professor for a cartoon,were now singing a different tune.
Only a self-confident and self-assured political class can laugh at itself.The ability to laugh at oneself is a sign of maturity and power,Much of the media has been tamed.
the cartoonists are the last bastion of free speech and a powerful voice of dissent that has to be demolished.That is what our politicians are doing.But,they must remember---the day cartoon is dead,democracy won't survive for long in this nation.
You were seen on news channels,challenging Mamata Banerjee to arrest you for a cartoon that spoofed her in the wake of the arrest of the Jadavpur chemistry professor Ambikesh Mahapatra,who posted a cartoon on internet depicting her in a poor light.What prompted you to do so? Did you hear anything from her?
I am yet to hear from Mamata didi! I didn't do it for effect.I was deeply hurt.Freedom of expression is our fundamental right.Democracy gives us the right to question the establishment without fear.That's one of the reasons the art of political cartooning could blossom in our country.Political cartooning has flourished only in democratic countries.You won't find a political cartoonist in China.
The Mamata government had taken refuge behind draconian IT Act to arrest a professor for just emailing a cartoon.And,it wasn't even a cartoon.At best,it was a graphic,with photos of Mamata,Mukul Roy and Dinesh Trivedi.An innocent and harmless spoof on Ray's Sonar Kella.
Governments do not like a free and fearless press.But,all politicians have not only "tolerated" us cartoonists for over six decades,but have even appreciated our role.If the press is our democracy's fourth pillar,Political cartoon is the fifth.
I always thought that as a cartoonist,I had the licence.I am like the boy who had the innocence and courage to tell the emporer he had no clothes on!+-* Maybe I'am sarcastic,vitriolic,acidic...but that's my job.I never hit below the belt.And,there's a layer of humour that sweetens the bitter truth.I am not only know how to draw the line,but also where to draw it.On Arnab Goswami's programme,I showed my cartoon on Mamata,and dared her to arrest me from the Times Now studios--just to puncture her pompousness and arrogance of power.
Do you think a cartoonist gets his due for his contribution to journalism?
Do you believe that sometimes a cartoon can put across a point better than a long winding article?
A cartoonist actually becomes a kind of a mascot for the newspapper--Laxman for the The Times of India and as for me,I became almost synonymous with Hindustan Times.Readers associate the two immediately.In the past six years,I have been able to create the same sort of bond with my new readers--at The Asian Age and The Deccan Chronicle.
Do you remember the names of five(5) former editors of TOI? I can bet you can't recall even two(2)? But,ask anyone about the TOI cartoonist--you'll get an instant reply R.K.Laxman.That explains how important the role of a cartoonist is in a newspaper and in journalism as a whole.
From 1940s to the 1970s was golden period of cartooning.A whole generation of cartoonists flourished.Shanker,Laxman,Abu,Kutty,Vijayan,Puri,Mario,Ranga...My generation made an entry into the field when the golden age was ending.
Political cartooning is an art of dissent,of protest.It is bound to offend someone high and mighty.Many newspaper find it inconvenient to have a cartoonist on their staff.In the age of opinionnless graphics,cartographer-maps and illustrations-it's a very difficult for a hardcore political cartoon to survive.But,we have managed to survive thus far.We are an endangered species,but not extinct yet.We are not here to decorate the paper,we are here to jolt the politicians and the readers out of their slumber.
We're going through the most disturbing phase in our history.Corruption,criminalization of politics,lawlessness,terror and price rise rule the roost.It"s in a period like this that a political cartoon is needed the most to play a role.I believe a good cartoon always has an edge over a long article.If a cartoon is succinct,to-the-point and razor-sharp --it can convey a huge idea in a nutshell. A political cartoonist is essentially a journalist.It's a only incidental that he is capable of drawing.
What do you think about the evolution of cartoons in the media.?
Cartoon is a bridge between art and journalism.Cartooning is high art.In the west,people are fast taking it seriously.In the lourve in Paris,caricatures done by the world's first caricaturists,the Carracci brothers,share the gallery walls with the likes of Piccaso and Michelangelo.Why shouldn't the National Gallery of Art exhibit my cartoons or Abu Abraham's work or RK Laxman's and Mario Miranda's along with Husain and Raja Ravi Varma?mArt establishments have to come to their senses,
I have sold many of my original drawings during my shows.And,many of my cartoons are in the private collections of several people.But still,people do not buy cartoons as frequently as they buy paintings or sculptures.I think cartoons will be a great investment for art collectors.
Who are your favourite cartoonists and why?
Abu Abraham will be on top of the list.He had a chillike style of drawing--natural and powerful.His captions were close to literature and ideas thoroughly political.There is no one to match his calibre even today.RK Laxman apart from being a great cartoonist,enjoyed a prime position in TOI.No one messed with him.He drew what he liked and ensured his work got the best position.I had some interesting experiences with him when I worked in the same building in Bombay.I think Mario Miranda is our best social commentator.His depiction of life in Goa and Bombay is beyond compare.Rajni Nimbupani,Godbole,Miss Fonesca and many other characters created by him were very popular.I made a documentary on him.I shot it at his 200 year old ancestral house in Loutlim,Goa.I also made a film on Shankar.He inaugurated my cartoon exhibition in 1986,on his 84th birthday.He was a pioneer,who introduced the art of cartooning in India.
Who are the favourite subjects for your cartoons? And Why?
I have drawn 10 PMs in the past 30 years--from Indira Gandhi to Dr Manmohan Singh. from Indira Gandhi to Dr Manmohan Singh.To date,PV Narsimha Rao remains my most favourite PM.He was designed for the cartoonists.His pout could easily beat Angelina Jolie's.He wore very long-sleeved kurtas.Nobody could see what was up his sleeve.Incidentally,lalu Yadav too wears long sleeves.Contrary to popular perception,drawing Lalu is the most difficult job.You can't draw a caricature of a caricature!
In my earlier cartoons,Rao only appeared as a sidekick,standing behind Indira Gandhi or Rajiv.But when,by a quirk of fate,he was catapulted into that coveted chair in the south block,he became my hero by default.I initially thought it would be impossible to make fun of him.He was an elderly statesman,a scholar who knew 16 languages and was quite a writer too.But,I soon discovered he was the best thing to have happened to me.He was a true liberal.Despite the fact I had drawn hundreds of ruthless cartoons on him,Rao came to see an exhibition of my cartoons.He wrote a rather flattering comment in my visitors' book.
Rajiv was the toughest one of all the PMs.He was too handsome to be caricatured
and too innocent to be rediculed.But,all the PMs take just six months to shed all masks of inhabition.Soon,Rajiv started losing hair and putting on weight.Bofors came as a great help.He fast metamorphosed into perfect cartoon material.A great dream come true for me.
Deve Gowda was the sleeping beauty of Indian beauty of Indian politics.Gowda came to see a one-man-show of my cartoons in 2002 and laughed heartily at his own cartoons.LK Advani is my hero number two.His bald pate,toothbrush -like moustache and bushy eyebrows make him a treat.
Soon after the Kandhar hijack drama,I did a cartoon on Jaswant Singh.It appeared on the front page of HT.I got a phone call and a baritone voice said,"Sudhirji,I love your cartoon on me this morning.Can you give me the original?I want to frame and hang it at my home." I asked.He said he looked cute in it.I presented the cartoon to him over a cup of coffee.He also used this cartoon in his rather controversial book,"A Call to honour".
I find it difficult to draw women,especially beautiful ones.Most of them are.Among our women politicians one.Most of them are.Among our women politicians,many of them have played a great role in my career---Jayalalitha,Sonia Gandhi,Rabri devi,Mayawati,Mamata,Shushma Swaraj.
Your latest book,No Prime Minister,is a set of cartoons on Manmohan Singh.What prompted you to bring out this compilation?
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It was an unusual cartoon collection.All my previous anthologies had focused mainly on the tenures of different Prime Ministers."This features about 150 cartoons of only one protagonist: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.I did it in 2009.
Dr Singh is not your run-of-the-mill politician.He hardly speaks.He rarely interacts with media.He was airdropped at the South Block.His boss,Sonia Gandhi,never loosened the reins. Coalition government best serves the cartoonist's interests.Much of its energies are invested in the effort to survive.And,in keeping me busy.I never imagined a very simple gentleman like Dr Singh could turn into splendid cartoon material.I think No,Prime Minister is a slice of comic history of the period between 2004 and 2009.
I contacted the PMO to get the book released by Dr Singh himself.He was the natural choice as it was a book entirely devoted to him.The dummy of book was sent.After a few weeks,his office responded."The PM says he would feel embarassed and awkward releasing this book."So,I got someone who would be rather delighted to release it---Amar Singh and Shatrughan Sinha.We had a grand release function.The book is still doing well.
Recently,I did a book,India for sale",my cartoons on corruption.I got Sitaram Yechury,Ravi Shanker Prasad and Kapil Sibal to launch it.It seems nothing has changed in the past decades.We're a deeply corrupt nation.
It must be a challange to think of a smart punchline every day.How do you manage that?
Cartooning is a taxing profession my cartoon,I feel as tired as a building construction worker.The satisfaction and the pleasure you get after doing a fine cartoon is immeasurable.When I produce a really good cartoon,I jump and dance with joy in my studio.But,I am irritable and unhappy when I am not able to draw a good cartoon.
I read 10 newspapers every morning.I watch TV and keep an eye on the web.Things are changing at mind boggling speed and chasing news can be a draining exercise.Much of what you see is disturbing.I feel hopeless,helpless and frustrated.I am angry.Then,I look at the blank sheet of paper on my drawing board vent out all the anger within that frame on the frame. Despite having been in the trade for almost three decades,I still haven't been able to figure out the process.If I could decipher the formula,I wouldn't be spending eight to 10 hours daily in my studio,struggling to get a cartoon idea.Half the battle is won once you have selected a topic for the cartoon.If you know your destination,it's easy to navigate.It is daily challenge.And a newspaper cartoonist's life is a never ending ordeal.Before you finish your cartoon for the day,you begin to worry about tommorrow's.
At the rate of six cartoons a week,I must have drawn a few thousand cartoons in the past 30 years.You'll be surprised to know I haven't missed a single day in the past six years.Isn't that a feat?
You started your career with the Illustrated weekly in 1982 in Mumbai.And,you have worked with almost all the newspapers since then.How did you get interested in becoming a cartoonist?
I was born and brought up in Bikaner.It's a famous for Haldiram and bikanerwala their sweets and Bikaneri's bhujia.And ofcourse,the Karni Mata rat temple and Maharaja Dr.Karni Singh.When my first cartoon appearedd,I went to the market and bought 10 copies of the newspaper.I became a mini celebrity.I don't think even getting a Padmashri gave me that kind of pleasure.I was 10 when my first cartoon was published in a national newspaper.I was 10 when my first cartoon was published in a national newspaper from Delhi.Not one(1),but in fact,two(2) cartoons appeared on the 4th of october,1970,in the Sunday magazine of the daily,Hindustan.
Next week,three(3)more cartoons appeared.A couple of months later,A couple of months later,a money order of Rs 25,a princely sum those days,arrived.Five rupees for each cartoon.That was a huge amount for me.I went to the market,bought a pair of sunglasses and went to see the Rajendra kumar-Sairo Bano starrer,Jhuk Gaya Aasman.I watched the whole movie with my sunglasses on.I was a sort of a child prodigy.But,I had no idea that cartooning would become my full time profession.
I never went to an art school.But that was a great advantage.It gave me the liberty to go beyond the rules of drawing.It made me spontaneous and natural.I practiced by sketching a lot from life.I went to railway stations and markets,to zoos and other places,just to observe and draw.I was too young to appreciate a Laxman or Abu Abraham then.But soon,I started understanding their cartoons.My destiny was in the newspaper world.After a Bachelor's degree from the University of Rajasthan,I did MA in English Literature and I was posted in The Illustrated Weekly of India in Mumbai.
At the weekly,my editor was KC Khanna.I started doing political cartoons for the front page of the Economic Times.The ET editor,MKB Nayar,encouraged me.Mavin Kurve gave me prominence in the Evening News.And,Bikram Singh was kind enough to use my cartoons in Filmfare.I flooded all the TOI Publications with my cartoons.I was all 22 then.
I shifted to delhi the next year.When I got an offer from Hindustan Times,which is the biggest English newspaper in North India,I knew I was in the big league.It was a big challenge to establish myself.I was competing with a stalwart like RK Laxman now.
I was an out and out political cartoonist.HT readers Lapped me up.Within 6 months,I became synonymous with HT.I worked with them for a long time and and a whole generation of HT.I often meet pretty old people zwho claim to have grown up watching my cartoons.
Could you share with us some interactions with famous people vis-a-vis your cartoons?
Once I got a call from the then HRD Minister Dr MM Joshi. His secretary said,"Please speak to the minister.He is very angry,"I asked him why he was angry since I hadn't done a cartoon on that morning."I am angry because you have not drawn me for last six(6)/ months,"Dr.Joshi shot back and we both burst into laughter.
This is true.You are not a politician of any consequence if you are not in cartoons.It's a measurement of your stature in politics.When a politician stops appearing in cartoons--that's the begining of the end of his political career.Do you ever come across a cartoon of Lalu Yadav these days? What does it tell?
There are many politicians who call me on the phone and ask for the original drawing.LK Advani is a great cartoon lover and he has many of my original cartoons.He often calls to appreciate a good cartoon--even if it is on him.He quotes- "my cartoons sometimes in his speeches.Madhav Rao Scindia,Atalji,PVN Rao,VP Singh,Jaswant Singh and many other politicians loved their cartoons.TN Seshan and MS Gill have some of my best cartoons hanging in their drawing rooms.MS Gill,for some strange reason,has my cartoons in his bed room.The former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quereshi has a great sense of humour too.
I find very few politicians to have the persona and panache to be in cartoons now.Many of them hardly understand or appreciate a cartoon.In this entire UPA Cabinet,I haven't come across a single minister who enjoys a good-natured cartoon.Perhaps,they have are so busy defending the several scams that they have forgotten to laugh,and to laugh at themselves.
Our Parliamentarians have become so thin-skinned that every time they are attacked or mocked even slightly,they resort to threatening with a contempt Notice! Come on! Grow up! We are supposed to be the largest democracy in the world.When you are in the game,be prepared for the occasional bouncers.
The younger lot of politicians hardly inspire me. They all look alike. Just like in the USA or the UK,we will soon have a crop of leaders--all in suits and ties.We'll cease to have the variety.Where is an Idira Gandhi a Morarji bhai or a Jagjivan Ram? Where is an Atalji or an Advaniji? No Gandhi or Nehru type giants any more.Where is the variety of attires and headgears?
VP Singh came to see his creations in my show,straight from Apollo Hospital,after a session of dialysis.He arrived in a shervani,churidaar pyjama and his trademark fur cap.
"Singh saheb,you stopped wearing a sherwani and this cap long back.What a surprise."I said.His reply floored me."You haven't stopped drawing me in my trademark attire despite the fact I don't wear them anymore.So,I have specially worn them today to look like my cartoons drawn by you." The man,known for his anti-corruption crusade and Mandal,had the ability to laugh at himself.I was in Patna once and Lalu invited me to the CM's official residence for a cup of tea.I quickly drew Lalu,to which he objected,"Arre Sudhir bhai,why are you drawing me?I am nothing.Please draw my wife,she's the CM." I sketched her.Lalu had a good look
at it and pronounced,"Aur sab toh theek hai par Rabdi Deviji ka lips theek nahi banaaya!(Everything else is fine,but you have not drawn her lips correctly).I said."Laluji,you know better about her lips,I don't."
He took the pen and seriously started working on the caricature.And finally,having spoiled it completely,he returned it to me,saying,"Humse nahiin hoga Sudhirji."(I won't be able to do it).I tpld him,"If you could do it,I would be the CM of Bihar." (I later wrote a piece in HT,"Lalu,the cartoonist." And we used that Rabdi Devi caricature with it..
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Salutes to the courage of Shivraj
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Guerilla Warfare with a pencil
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SUDHIR TAILANG
GUERILLA WARFARE-WITH A PENCIL! MARCH 2004/DASH MAGAZINE FOR MEN,INSPIRED BY WOMEN
The pencil that launched a millions smiles.Most of us just can't get enough of those magical sketches which inspire instant joy and delight with their telling commentary delivered in a few amazing strokes.But Padamshree Sudhir Tailang is no ordinary scribbler.He is one of those unique,talented artist who can journey into the heart of a politician with nothing more than a pencil and a blank sheet of paper! Assistant editor Devesh Charan tries to sketch out the cartoonist who has redefined the art of cartoon making!
One of the foremost political satirist of india,Sudhir Tailang's cartoons have a wonderful combination of the interplay of words and straight forward lines hones to perfection.Completely self-taught,his flair for the genre is evident in all his works,spanning well over two decades.A talented professional cartoonist,Sudhir has been drawing cartoons since the 70s.Asked about his cartooning career he said,"cartooning is not run of the mill kind of profession.It requires lot of hard work and patience.After years of the cartoonist gets recognition."Born on 26thFeb 1960,Sudhir was brought up in a rural hamlet of rajasthan.He has done his primary schooling from Maharaja Sadhul School,Bikaner.Recalling his school days he said."It was full of fun and as I lived in a culturally and traditionally rich area.I was inclined to creative things from very early age.I had a different kind of upbringing.I recall the days of 1971 war with pakistan.It was a picnic time for us as we were playing the game of hide and seek in the L and Z shaped trenches made by indian army."His first drawing was published when he was in school.And,for a small town boy it was a great sense of accomplishment.After passing out from school he went to Poddar school in Jaipur and finished his graduation on biology from Jaipur University.He wanted to become a doctor but destiny chose a different destination for him.During his graduation he found himself inclined towards creative things.But he did not know where to go.About this period,he said,that he might have tried his hands to film art and anything which seemed creative but still at that point of time he did not have clue about his cartooning skills.After finishing his M.A.in English in English,he joined The Times of India group in 1982 and worked with ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY OF INDIA IN BOMBAY(now mumbai).Then he shifted to Delhi and joined THE HINDUSTAN TIMES IN 1989.In between he was with NAVBHARAT TIMES for 5years since 1983 till october 1989.
So from 1990 to 2004,it was a long journey of a cartoonist who pursued his interest with relentlessss effort and determination.He has sketched almost nine (9) Primeministers of India from Mrs Indira Gandhi to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.According to him Rajiv Gandhi was the greatest delight to draw and initially Mr Vajpayee was very difficult to draw.But his Hero No.1 is Mr P.V.Narsimha Rao who while being a Prime Minister was favourite to all the cartoonists.Mr Rao used to hide his fingures and no one could decipher what was under the wrap.His hero No.2 is Mr L.K.Advani who remains at the center stage despite being not the PM because whether he is in rule or opposition,he remains in the news.Apart from his heroes he saw Mr.Chandrashekhar as an angry man.But for the first time,he smiled during his tenure as a PM,Deve Gowda was a sleeping beauty of Indian Politics for him.The tenure of Mr.V.P.Singh was a great time for cartoonist with the special kind of "VP Topi".And his character evolved with the time.About cartooning he said,"Cartoon is unlike other kind of drawing;it involves capturing the essence of the personality.External features are not important in the cartoon-inner persona is more important means what you ought to look like? Cartoon is a graphic shorthand." He is great political cartoonist but he has not any politicians.All the politicians are characters for him.He has drawn almost thousand of cartoons but one cartoon he remembers the most is "Lord Ganesha drinking milk directly from mother dairy tank."He got all sorts of calls from different sections of the people.He recalls one such call,:One lady at 2a.m.called me and said that I shall die in three days and she repeated her call for continious three days".Sudhir's greatest reward is the admiration of readers.
Sudhir Tailang --a man of few words has a special interest for cricket.Since early schools days he used to visit cinema hall to see the 15 minutes of cricket clipping in the news reel because at that time there was no TV.While recalling about the interest in cricket. He said,"Among places he used to visit Jaisalmer which reminds him of Arabian nights.He wants to visit Paris,Berlin,Switzerland again and again.Sudhir is not a food freak.Just he eats to survive.Baristha is his favourite restaurant and in Delhi he loves India Habitat centre and Pandara park.Maurya and Taj is his favourite hang out places.His all time favourite actors are Amitabh Bachchan and Guru Dutt but he loves to watch Shahrukh khan and Amir khan.Among actress he admires the personality of Sushmita Sen.He adores the beauty of Aishwariya Rai and among old-timers:he loves to watch Madhubala and Wahida Rahman.Charlie Chaplin and walt disney are his favourite characters.
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Sudhir got happily married with ViThis couple is blessed with a daughter who studies in XIth standard,in Sardar Patel School.Among four siblings(two brothers and two sisters) Rajesh Tailang is an NSD gradute and Presently working with Govind Nihlani in a film "DEV",playing a police officer's role.His grandfather,Pandit Koti maharaja, was a great classical music exponent of his time and his two uncles: Pandit Jaskaran Goswami and Pandit Girdhar Goswami are exponents of Sitar....His cousins are classical musicians.
Sudhir Tailang
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COMIC RETALIATION.....BY LOKESH SHARMA
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Every day there are a lot of small things an average person does not think about.Most overlook them with a shrug of helplessness.The others who pursue them sooner or later give up in frustation.What happens when a DTC bus driver in his hurry drags along an entangled computer? or when an autorickshawwwww driver refuses to take you tour destination at normal fare? Or when the telephone exchange sends you a whopping bill for your snoozing telephone instrument? Nothing really happens as all of them have become an accepted part of daily life--for the offenders as well as the offended.
But when an auto-rickshaw driver kicked out the Nav-Bharat Times cartoonist Sudhir Tailang,He did not realise he was banging open the floodgates of retaliaton.The 26 year old Tailang decided to take up the issue through his daily pocket cartoon FILHAAL.The 10 part series started on February 1st with a catchline drawing the Delhi Traffic Police's attention to the strip.What followed were actual seqences with actual registration numbers of the vehices!
Till then Tailang had been quite content being a run-of-the-mill cartoonist,making a few sketches to redicule a situation or person.Even the noted Cartoonist R.K.Laxman had once told him."Make a cartoon and forget it.A cartoonist cannot change society."
Tailang may not quite have changed society but he has made a small contribution in his own limited way.The auto-rickshaw driver,who kicked him out,and the other who collared him have been hauled up by police.The late has personally come and beggged his pardon while others have sent feelers. That failing,the president of the autorickshaw driver association barged into the TIMES OF INDIA office and after shouting and thumping walked out threatening to file a suit against the paper and the cartoonist.
Nothing has dettered the cartoonist,whose first sketch was published in HINDI DAINIK HINDUSTAN when he was just 10years old.He next took up cudgels against the errant DTC Bus drivers.Of course, not all presentations are first hand experiences and Tailang says that he gives thought to every case which is brought to his notice and he think is genuine.He has done a similar thought provoking series on the housing and telephone problems.
Keeping with his unique approach to pocket cartoons,Tailang's central character is not an onlooker but a part of the presented situation." I have done this to depict a greater involvement of the character is not an onlooker but a part of the presented situation,"I have done this to depict a greater involvement of the character.The majority of readers see the cartoon.Hence my theory is that if a report can create mass awareness,why not a cartoon? asks Tailang.
Yet,this man from Bikaner,who of all things holds a Bachelor's degree in biology,has not lost the wry humour of a cartoonist.One of the more appealing one's shows a television set with Rajiv Gandhi's picture.The blurb has the owner complaining to the mechanic that even after unplugging the set,this picture does not go away.
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Profiles Drawing a Response...SUJATA BROWNE HT MARCH 1986(2-8)
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Profiles Drawing a Response...SUJATA BROWNE HT MARCH 1986(2-8)
In a blase and mundate world that takes itself too seriously,his cartoons come as a breath of fresh air,sweeping the cobwebs of stuffiness and solemnity away.Very few artists in the circumscribed world of art have managed to pepper seriousness with wit and humour: SUDHIR TAILANG is one such artist.His cartoons and caricatures,recently exhibited at the Shridharani Gallery in Delhi,display a keen perception and deep insight into human nature.By depicting human errors and foibles with humour he gets his messages across,and people who see his cartoons can easily identify themselves with the harrased commuter in the DTC Bus,or the newcomer to the Capital.who is literally "taken for a ride" by its unscrupulous "autowalas".
Interestingly enough.Sudhir himself had been a victim of the autowalas." Treated to a forced "Dillidarshan",and roughed up once too often,his own harrowing experiences and those of many others found expression in FILHAAL,THE CARTOON COLUMN OF THE NAVBHARAT TIMES.In a series he did on the Delhi Autorickshaw-walas he mentioned the actual registration numbers of three -wheelers.It is to the credit of the Delhi Traffic Police that it took prompt action against the erring autorickshaw-walas.
Thereafter followed a series on the "dare -devil antics" of the DTC bus drivers,and on various civic and social problems bestting the Capital.
Hailing from Bikaner,26year old Sudhir's first cartoon appeared in 1970 when he was only 10 years old.Since then there has been no looking back.He has been drawing for every major newspaper and magazine in the country.
He formed a voluntary group,"CHITRASHA",to raise funds for the victims of natural and industrial disasters.In his very first venture he collected about Rs3000 by drawing on-the-spot caricatures of people in different Delhi localities.
A graduate in Science,he took his Master's degree in English Literature from University of Rajasthan.In 1976 he held his first exhibition at Jaipur.The second followed at Bikaner in 1980.
His cartoon were exhibited along with those of the leading cartoonists of the world(mind you in 1986 world was not connected via internet or social media,the way it is today in 2022),in the first World Humour Conference organized at Hydrabad in 1985.For his outstanding work in the field of cartooning,on Rajasthan Day in March this year,he was honoured by the Governor of the State.
Ever since then,Sudhir has become a household name,not just in Delhi,but in the rest of the country,also.While the "fair sex" find only a passing reference in his cartoons,one hopes that his forthcoming marriage in November will remedy this lapse.
In 1982,Tailang joined the Times of India group of publications and drew for the Illustrated Weekly of India for a year.Currently on the staff of the Nav Bharat Times,he produces his pocket cartoons in Filhaal and the front page political cartoons every alternate day.
Putting down nonsense with sense an art,a serious bussiness,with a purpose to fulfill.After all,a picture or a cartoon has a cartoon has to say more than the conventional "thousand words".And only those like Sudhir Tailang,who are equipped to understand the meaning of fun in a serious context,can achieve this purpose.
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