Writing a piece on the life and times of Cartoonist Shankar seems to have sparked an old interest in doodling from my younger days. This cartoon is my first attempt at serious cartooning in a few decades. It took me about three hours of work in the morning today, 18 June 2022.
Let me explain the background for those from outside Kerala. And also those within who are clueless. The context is the money laundering allegations against the honourable Chief Minister of the State. And his absence from a global event organized by his government on health grounds. There is also a throwback to his visit to the Guruvayur temple a few years back. Standing before the deity, he had asked whether Lord Krishna was sitting behind that statue.
The building is the government secretariat. The statue in front of the Secretariat is that of Velu Thampi Dalawa (1765-1809), legendary Dewan of the State of Travancore. Dalawa was the former designation of Dewan. He died fighting against foreign forces taking control of his State.
The idea had been brewing in my mind for some time. But, finally, when the controversy came to a critical point, and the CM gave his government’s mega-event a miss, I had to take it out. It was a case of now or never.
In the future, I will post my cartoons on a separate page as and when done. I will mail only those who opt for it.