[PhotoSparks] Art for a cause — meet the winners of the Indian Cartoon Gallery's international competition

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. On the occasion of World Photo Day, we salute the creative spirit of painters, photographers, cartoonists, artists and activists working for social change. In this photo essay, we feature some of the award-winning political cartoons from around the world on display at the Indian Cartoon Gallery.

In the earlier 145 posts, we brought you a wide range of creative photographs from an art fair, world music festival, painting fair, telecom expo, art museum, mobile showcase, math museum, social hackathon, bookstore, co-working space, sensorium, international design week, flower show, outdoor ads, startup roadshow, computer museum, startup T-shirts, business cards, art therapy, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, Vesak, jazz festival, modern art gallery, ecopreneurs, painter-poets, health activists, eNGOs and digital innovators.

Tucked away in a Trinity Circle bylane off MG Road is one of Bengaluru’s gems: the Indian Cartoon Gallery (ICG), which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. See my photo essays on the gallery’s earlier exhibitions on International Women’s Day, R.K. Laxman, and Cartoons for Social Change.

The gallery’s current exhibit features the winning cartoons of its annual MKMA Competition, with 56 Indian and 56 international cartoons. There were 400 entries submitted from around the world, according to V.G. Narendra, Managing Trustee of the gallery. The gallery has hosted over 140 thematic exhibitions over the last ten years.

“The art of cartooning is alive and kicking,” said Narendra in a chat with YourStory. He is a cartoonist himself, and trained under Shankar Pillai, who was the founder of ‘Shankar’s Weekly’ and is often regarded as the father of political cartooning in India.

Political and social cartoonists have often been pressurised and threatened by entrenched political leaders or religious groups -- and some have even been assassinated. The ICG exhibit salutes the spirit of cartoonists across India and around the world, who blend wit, humour, satire and political commentary.

The gallery also conducts workshops on cartooning, and wants to promote appreciation and creation of cartoons among youth. In this photo essay, we showcase some of the winning social and political cartoons on display at ICG. Now what have you done this week to stand up for a better world and speak up about it?

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