Narendra Modi Makes for the Best Political Cartoon Figure

In 1979, when Amar Chitra Katha entered everyone’s lives and created a buzz, it forced Vishwajyoti Ghosh to break school rules and read them under his desk. So what if schools had banned comics, his sheer love for them made him take them seriously and make it his profession. Today, after decades, he’s a celebrated comic artist who is known for his satirical cartoons. “My first artwork that got published was a political cartoon on the state of Doordarshan way back in 1987. Since then, there has been no looking back,” recalls Ghosh.

From dabbling in both political cartooning and graphic novels, his work is highly regarded in his fraternity. His weekly political cartoon Full Toss leaves everyone entertained, while his tribute to Anant Pai tapped the emotional side of readers. "My first full-length graphic novel Calm – a political narrative set during ’s emergency in the 70’s was published in 2010," he adds. But it's his latest narrative with a hint of sepia that has caught everyone's attention. "RSVP was an observation of the culturatti that I too am a part of. I’ve seen so many characters come and go that I thought it would be interesting to document it," he tells us.

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Ghosh puts in more punch to his stories by directly highlighting a city and it’s surrounding. Being a resident of , you’ll find the capital mentioned in mostly all his works. "The city or the background is pivotal to set the context of my work. That's why my earlier novel was titled Delhi Calm and in RSVP too, is highlighted," he says. Does that mean your comics enter the realm of truth? “My stories usually take place within 20 metres of my universe," informs Ghosh.

As part of PAO Collective, he’s always under pressure to make his work stand out, thus he draws inspiration from the works of known artists like Pulak Biswas, Mickey Patel and Suddhasatwa Basu. Also, travel impacts his art to a large extent, so you'll always find a doodle notebook and black pen in his jhola. At his various stops, he not only sketches the setting, but draws people too. "Yes I do that frequently, without letting them know," he smirks.

Quiz him about other interests and he mentions he’s a movie-buff and the world's best-failed musician. "Also I'm terribly unfit to talk about fitness, so am thinking my next story could be my experience with protein powders,” he adds laughing.

At the end of our chat, he advices youngsters to work on their drawing – “I mean real drawing, not ornamental doodling." He names Narendra Modi, Nitin Gadkari and Manmohan Singh as the best political figures that you can make a cartoon of and mentions that he hates deadlines. While he totally believes that people think comics are for kids, he still can't afford to be sick of them. “They're too many around, so you can’t hate them. I’m one of the missionaries trying to convert them,” he ends.

From the November 2012 issue of FHM India.