Very often, reading heavy documents on environmental policies, or reports on political instruments can make your eyes glaze over and/ or move on to sillier, but seemingly better things. It’s the natural effect that years of internet information and social media posts clamouring for our attention, has created. Commentary on the socio-political atmosphere in our country is full of heavy, complex jargon and tends to miss the minds that need their impact the most, but there is good news. Out of scarcity or overkill, innovation is often born and it turns out this ‘problem’ has fuelled the growth of a wonderful new device of humorous commentary and satire.
Efforts to make social and political issues more accessible and understandable have been around for a while. From R. K. Laxman’s well known Common Man satire, to Kesava Shankar Pillai’s Shankar’s Weekly, cartoons have been a largely successful story-telling tool. Groups such as Aisi Taisi Democracy use comedy and satire to inform through performances and live shows, and even All India Bakchod dabbles in political commentary through humour. While mainstream media, print journalism, live performances and so on have been the face of this, there’s a new kid on the block.
With the digital space expanding, various web-based comics have sprung up that use cartoons to make a larger politically or socially conscious point. And they have truly been hitting the nail on the head, striving to inform through hilarious comparisons and irony, in a manner few other mediums have been able to mimic. Going one step further, these comics don’t just inform, they act as an independent voice of dissent questioning daily functioning of India’s society and being critical of injustices. From environmental awareness to the widening gender gap, these online comics have something to say about it all--and we’re all listening. Scroll on to meet 6 of India’s web-based comic series that are redefining political and social satire.
A brutally honest and equally hilarious spotlight shined on the various discrepancies in the Indian society.
While the title of this web-comic might invoke curiousity, and perhaps take you to a story-telling space of children’s books, it is far from a tale about animals, though in some sense, it is certainly questioning the laws of the jungle we live in. It derives its name from a popular Bengali saying that represents the feeling of being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea--a feeling that a politically-conscious citizen of India might relate to.
The creators of this weekly online politically-charged series remain anonymous, and use humour to shine a light on the hypocrisies of India’s contemporary society, with satirical undertones being complemented with extremely serious commentary. Beautifully crafted, insightful cheap-shots against various instruments of the Indian society are launched by CWTL, pointing out injustice, corruption, fraud and other rackets, usually in a very timely manner.
II. Green Humour
Where environmentally conscious messaging won’t make you want to snooze, because it’s just so clever.
While concern for the demise of the environment is a very, very (let’s add another very just for good measure) important issue, it stays out of the lime light for one reason alone: apathy. A majority of people simply do not care about this issue, and their apathy comes from a place of boredom. Let’s face it, it would be hard to sit through an hour long incisive documentary explaining climate change, and that’s where the larger problem stems from.
Identifying the need of the hour, Rohan Chakravarty’s amusing and insightful web-comic series Green Humour is a beautifully crafted satirical commentary of the state of the Earth, and the general apathy surrounding its fate. As we asked him about international wildlife policies that India could benefit from implementing, he responded, “Let me turn this one around and tell you three things that the West immediately needs to learn from India—a ban on trophies, a ban on dolphin shows and greater compassion and consideration in cases of conflict. As for India, what it urgently needs to do is drop the ‘un’ from ‘unplanned development’, and put the environment minister in the right job: stand-up comedy.”
As an enthusiastic nature lover, his resolve to use satire and humour to draw attention to a much ignored issue comes from a place of passion. Lax implementation of environmental protection laws, greedy land acquisition in the name of economic development, fading away of natural habitats--these are all pressing matters that are, well, mundane. But, Chakravarty has found a way to make even these hilarious, engaging an otherwise unconcerned audience. And with his protagonists always being animals, he lightens these issues and makes them more accessible.
III. Royal Existentials
Where the crown has been replaced by democracy, but, apparently, not much else has changed.
While commentary on the generations of Indian royalty such as the Mughals and Rajputs has been abundant through various story-tellers, this web-based comic series is a whole new take on the these supremes. Satire bathed in a cocktail of social commentary and humour takes form through these weekly online illustrations, created by Falana Dimka Films.
“There’s a lot of thought in the choice of imagery, and the dialogue is meant to be reflective, not aggressive.” - Aarthi Parthasarathy.
Writer and filmmaker Aarthi Parthasarathy uses a plethora of characters existing in Indian paintings to articulate opulence, and hypocrisy. “I have been engaging with a lot of these issues--gender, caste and so on. The tipping point for a lot of people was the Delhi gang rape, and after that the conversation between the Delhi community grew. That’s when the Fearless Collective was started. I wanted to take the discussion forward, bring it to another medium, and come at it with the different perspective of humour,” Aarthi shares.
The plea of India’s contemporary society and issues such as a widening wealth gap, class warfare, feminism and so forth take centre stage through humourous satirical portrayals every Friday. This narrative draws a parallel between historical ideologies of a monarchic, class-based system, and the glaring similarities visible in the Indian society as we see it today. Still, no specific incident is directly mentioned, and the satire draws inspiration from reality to shed light on insights that are universal. The imagery of these comics comes from Indian miniature paintings of India’s royalty. “I found the contrast between opulence in these paintings and social aspects of this dialogue very engaging and effective,” she tells us. With layout and additional art by Chaitanya Krishnan, Royal Existentials draws inspiration from David Malki’s Wondermark.
IV. Sanitary Panels
Where doodles and stick figures are more informative than most news publications.
For anyone who ever had a notebook, pen, and relatively uninteresting lectures to attend in school, doodling on the sides of pages is a universally relatable and natural thing to do. But few people actually use doodles as a tool to create social and political awareness. As an activist for women’s rights and environmental issues, using her voice for social change comes naturally to Rachita Taneja, and this time her voice comes in the form of humourous satirical doodles and cartoons.
“It started off as something I did for myself, and initially there was no purpose behind it. I would doodle on my note pad and share my creations with friends and family, who liked a lot of them. And, as one thing led to another, Sanitary Panels was born.” - Rachita Taneja.
“As an activist, social consciousness is something that figures in my professional life as well. There are a lot of things to work on, and sometimes you’re not in a position to work on every issue. So the issues I couldn’t work on professionally, I decided to comment on like this,” Rachita shares. Her first panel spoke of Modi, and several consequent artworks feature criticisms of the RSS, Section 377, various injustices and right-wing orthodoxy. In the Indian context we live in today, it wouldn’t be shocking to be a little wary to openly criticize the government in power, and other political instruments. But that’s not something that worries Rachita. She elaborates, “I think it’s important to not be scared or silenced because of threatening elements that exist in society.”
Her powerful visuals use humour and light imagery to comment on heavy social issues and political injustices, making these complex topics more accessible. She muses about the strength of political cartoons as a medium that is receptive, effective and very shareable--a great way to break down complex subjects for open dialogue. As her insightful comics piqued our interest, so did the unusual name of her creation. She shares, “A lot of people ask me where it came from, and I honestly don’t know. I was brainstorming name ideas with my brother and friends, and Sanitary Panels just came up. I was looking for something that was politically inclined and represented women’s issues, this just seemed to fit.”
Breaking down the context of Indian society with just another conversation on a local train.
There are a few things that connect with a large majority of this country, certain specific aspects of everyday life that are relatable to most. The bustle, and often turmoil, of local trains is such a commonly experienced phenomenon, that it’s one of those rare things that unites all kinds of Indians. The Journey series of Tatkal Ticket Comics, set with the backdrop of local trains, is a clever comment on the state of India’s affairs.
“The idea was to write a blog about these topics but that just seemed too textual and after a lot of iterations it turned into this web-comic.” - Prahal Ghai.
This series features two characters, Sachin and Aakash, two young flatmates from Gurgaon in their mid-twenties, and their conversations over train journeys. Using the relatable and accessible nature of this setting, creator Prahal Ghai satirizes the social, political and cultural state of India’s citizens. Orthodox ideologies are questioned, rigid norms are overturned and the context of India is revealed with subtle nuances. TTCs page describes the series as, “Every chapter tells the story of a train journey involving these two. During these journeys they meet a lot of new people and owing to the passion for random discussions that our country so abundantly possesses, they end up talking on various topics with them. These discussions are usually centered around some social or personal issue that is currently affecting the Indian youth today. Every story tries to relate the everyday common events in their lives to the theme being discussed.”
Where watchdog journalism meets humour.
Created by a self-taught cartoonist from the small coastal town of Kundapura, the World of an Indian Cartoonist reveals, well, just that. For a cartoonist, every social or political happening in the world takes on the hues and colours of humour with undertones of darkness, and in that humour, the truth surfaces. And as Satish Acharya believes, socially and politically aware cartoonists can play a vital role as watchdogs.
“Cartoonists are supposed to become the voice of common man. If cartoons don’t reflect the burning issues of the society, then the cartoonist becomes outdated. I don’t believe in utopia. But I do believe that cartoons can influence the opinion of people and mould their viewpoint gradually. Yes, democracy is a collective opinion of the people, so that way cartoonists can change the society slowly.” - Satish Acharya.
With a wide-scope lens, Satish scans a range of events, from international politics, to discrepancies in Indian instruments of governance, to even sports, and his cartoons aren’t afraid to be openly critical irrespective of the consequences. He strongly believes in the power of cartoons and comics as a medium, “Cartoons succeed as a mode of communication because it rides on humour. People love humour and cartoonists use humour as a bait to convey a message, either political or social message. Earlier people confined their political opinion to their own private circle. But now they share their opinion on social media, blogs etc. Cartoon is nothing but a piece of opinion by a cartoonist. Normally cartoons reflect common man’s voice. So, people don’t hesitate to share cartoons, discuss cartoons.”