India Gets Serious About Cartoons

Political cartoons are an established tradition in India.

They have been a staple of Indian newspapers since before independence in 1947, and over the years, most cartoonists there have been left alone, and allowed to satirize or lampoon Indian politicians as they see fit.

But in recent weeks, two Indian political cartoonists have experienced pressure to censor their own work.

One of them is Satish Acharya whose cartoon depicting Indian politician Sharad Pawar pole dancing appeared in the Indian newspaper Mid day in early September.

A cartoon lampooning Indian politician Narendra Modi by Mussveer, the cartoonist for the Indian newspaper Prabhatkiran, published on September 20, 2011.

A cartoon lampooning Indian politician Narendra Modi by Mussveer, the cartoonist for the Indian newspaper Prabhat Kiran, published on September 20, 2011.
The other is Harish Yadav, who goes by his pen name Mussveer. He is a cartoonist with Prabhatkiran, a newspaper in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, that published a cartoon lampooning the Indian politician Narenda Modi.