Bengaluru: Glowing tributes were paid to yesteryear veteran cartoonist late Ashwathnarayan popularly known as Ashwath by his family members and close relatives at an austere function here. The family also used the opportunity to display his cartoons apart from releasing a booklet containing a collection of his published pocket cartoons.
Ashwath chose his style: BG Gujjarappa, a sexagenerian cartoonist ranking one among the top 100 cartoonists of the world, speaking on the occasion showered praises on the contribution of Ashwath. He opined-"When other senior cartoonists like R Murthy of Deccan Herald and Prajavani among others were impressed and influenced by legendary Sir David Alexander Cecil Low, Ashwath chose his inimitable style to draw cartoons".
It may be recalled here that David Low remained an ideal model for cartoonists worldwide for decades. A New Zealand political cartoonist and caricaturist, David Low lived and worked in the United Kingdom and was a self-taught cartoonist.
Simple, rustic and humorous: BG Gujjarappa was appreciative of late Ashwath's choice of subjects for his pocket cartoons, which were also his forte. He felt-"The content material for his pocket cartoons remained simple, rustic and humorous at the same time. He remained a simple, friendly and courteous person despite being an acclaimed artist".
The good old days: He was reminded of the good old days in the early seventies of the previous century when he made a beginning to draw-"Then print was the only medium to express our feelings. When my first cartoon was published in Prajavani my joy knew no bounds. It was in 1969 and I took the paper all around our town to show it to all my friends while those moments are still memorable and worth cherishing to date".
Caricatures of teachers: "I had a strange habit of caricaturing my teachers in college. So I preferred to sit on the back benches to fulfil my piquant desire. My batchmates and friends sitting close by tried to embarrass me by telling the teacher about the caricature. But after looking at the same the teachers felt happy, appreciated and encouraged me. Not even once did any of the teachers take exception to my peculiar habit", disclosed a beaming BG Gujjarappa.
Cartoons themselves a subject to learn: Prakash Shetty, veteran cartoonist and caricaturist released a booklet containing a collection of late Ashwath's published pocket cartoons. He was reminded of his early days in cartooning-"Then there were no affordable tools to learn cartooning and the cartoons published in newspapers and periodicals themselves became a subject to learning. All the brothers in our house used to eagerly wait for the morning newspapers to have a glance and make a study of the cartoons. In the absence of location maps like now, Ashwath had made fun of the same by showing directions like the house is next to a garbage dumping place...".
An unassuming gentleman: He praised the personality of Ashwath by describing him as a humble gentleman-"For many years I had only seen his cartoons and was terrifically impressed by the same and was wondering to meet him personally. Once I started meeting him at Cartoonist conferences and functions, it was a pleasant experience and memorable moments".
Once published, no looking back: K R Krishnaswamy, younger brother of Ashwath has brought out the compilation of selected pocket cartoons reminisced-"My elder brother Ashwath used to send his cartoons to many newspapers and periodicals but unfortunately they never saw the light of the day in terms of being accepted and printed. However, once I forwarded some of his cartoons to the newly started Praja Mata weekly owned by B N Gupta. Luckily they got printed and from then onwards there was no looking back. His cartoons started getting printed in Korawanji, Sudha, Karmaveer, Taranga periodicals and Prajavani. Thanks to T S Ramachandra Rao, well-known as TSR, Ashwath's pocket cartoons got published continuously for two years in the Chinakurali column".
A celebrated career for five decades: Ms Sowmya and Ms Anitha, both daughters of late Ashwath describe their father late Ashwath a humorous storyteller and artist. On the blurb of the collection of pocket cartoons book, they opine-"Aswathnarayan was raised by his maternal grandmother and six siblings. His artistic talent was evident early on and nurtured by his family. He enjoyed a celebrated career spanning over five decades and is acclaimed for his exceptional talent and wit in cartooning. Ashwath was more than a cartoonist; he was a storyteller and an artist who has made a lasting impact. His cartoons captured society, politics, and human nature with humour, insight, and a sharp eye for detail".
Family pays tribute: The well-organised private function ended within an hour. There is a cartoonists' state-level association headquartered in the city. Likewise, the Indian Institute of Cartoonists, the only such institution in the whole country, is based out of here. But sadly, Ashwath's family had to come forward to pay tribute to his accomplishments while society and professional bodies preferred to remain at a safe distance!
-Manohar Yadavatti
Comments
Post a Comment