Cartoons take a dig at politics ( Deccan Chronicle)

Cartoons take a dig at politics

People crib and cry about the things theydon’t like, but Gireesh Vengara decided to make the world smile and take notice of the things he didn’t like about politics. The result was an acclaimed cartoonist in the making. After working for daily publications, he has decided to showcase all his collections, with the backing of The Indian Institute of Cartoonists.

His cartoons are based on political satires. In the midst of elections, they manage to make you smile and address issues at the same time. Talking about his approach, he says, “All my cartoons are based on politics and what better time to have an exhibition than now, when elections are the talk of town. All of them are against political illnesses that I feel strongly against and I want the audience to connect with that,” says Gireesh.

Gireesh started cartooning at a young age and his first cartoon was published when he was in his teens. After that, there was no turning back. Every illustration is conceived and created solely by him. Talking about the process, he says, “Drawing the cartoon is easy, forming the concept and its social and political relevance is what takes time. All my cartoons have been appreciated by people and have also been approved by the editorial board of the paper I worked with, so I’m very happy.” With over 70 old and new cartoons on display, get ready for a rib-tickling session.

His exhibition Strokes and Slashes is on at the Indian Cartoon Gallery, No.1, Midford House, Midford Garden, Off MG Road, near Big Kids Kemp

BY NIVEDITHA RAO ( DECCAN CHRONICLE Sunday 26 April 2009)

Tooning into the past ( indian express )

Tooning into the past
BANGALORE: With no offence to the politicos, there are very few people who are inspired by the often-corrupt leaders. One group among them are the caricaturists and cartoonists.

City-based cartoonist Gireesh Vengara’s works have also found their muse in the world of netas and their netagiri. Also a creative consultant and painter, he is known to be a ‘sulk-er’ who is generally annoyed with everything that’s wrong with the world. He creatively vents his disappointment with the First Estate through his illustrations. He has compiled some of his best political cartoons published in various publications since 2003 under the title ‘Strokes and Slashes’.

An exhibition of his work is currently on at the Indian Cartoon Gallery till May 9. ‘Strokes and Slashes’ revives the political scenario of the recent past. The characters and situations in his work are stale, but that they are exhibited now -- during elections — make them appealing.

The works are a satirical take on the prominent leaders, parties and issues of the said period. Debatable issues like the foreign origin of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Karnataka- Tamil Nadu row over Cauvery water, curbing of freedom of press in Tamil Nadu and more are the subjects. There are also works that mock at the ‘India Shining’ campaign, the fiasco brought on by the rising number of opposition parties and allies, saffronisation in political agenda and the never ending duel between Congress and BJP. One cartoon exemplifying the last-mentioned issue has BJP leader LK Advani saying ‘Ayodhya not a poll issue’ and Sonia Gandhi voicing out ‘foreign origin not a big issue’.

Poonam Biswakarma