Thrissur: There is no scarcity of ideas the cartoonist nowadays get from those in power, CPM leader M.A. Baby has said. "But they face challenges in bringing out their creations," he said at the two-day camp for cartoonists of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi here. “Cartoons became a major tool of criticising those in power during Emergency, and it is still a major medium for social and political criticism.” Former MP and lawyer Sebastian Paul said society had been passing through a phase of intolerance in which authorities were seeking ways to suppress cartoonists.
He said the camp came at a time when cartoon and other modes of expression and media are under threat. “Cartoon turns into a revolution as a way of protecting and supporting freedom. In the last 100 years, Malayalam and Malayalees have dominated in cartoons,” he noted. K. Radhakrishnan, a former speaker, inaugurated the camp on Saturday, marking the 100th year of Malayalam cartooning.
