fachcha.com: But the mindset of a mature adult reader of a newspaper and a student, who reads text books, are different? While a cartoon in a newspaper is read and discussed among family members and society. It is different in case of text book is different. It is not discussed such a wider level except among teaching community and students?
RE: Students of class X, XI are mature enough to understand such things. They discuss their books and toons with their peer groups too.
fachcha.com: Newspapers were circulated among very small number of highly educated people in 1950s and their level of understanding was different that of the today’s subscribers, whose number is huge. Is it right to compare mindset of today’s students with readers of that era?
RE: Today’s students are intelligent enough to send MMS but why not the cartoons? And, people and leaders of that era were more educated and decent. Today’s level of education may have increased but decency is missing. You can see it in the political debate and other areas too.

fachcha.com: How do you see the progress of cartoons in India?
RE: Till 80s the cartoons were highly influenced by the British. So, the cartoons in that era were gentle at that time. But in late 80s it became aggressive. Space for cartoons had started shrinking by the end of the century. Shankar, Kutti, Abu Abraham, O P Vijayan and some others have been some of the great cartoonists of those era but scene have changed after 90ies.
fachcha.com: From cartoonist to editorial head, how do you see the change?
RE: Earlier it was a kind of editorial statement of the newspaper but time has changed now. This is an era of news packaging. Content is market driven. Newspapers have no editorial standing now. Though exceptions are there but editorial standing is missing in general. That is the reason cartoon is missing from the newspapers.
fachcha.com: Cartoon is missing or cartoonist…?
RE: Answer is complex. I did not want to go deep into it. But it is true. Newspapers have abolished the post of cartoonist. One premier organization started it and others followed it.
fachcha.com: Apart from political cartoons what is the scene in India for other types of toons?
RE: It is not very conducive. Some sections of the society are not very keen to accept controversial cartoons on many subjects. Suppose if somebody makes cartoon on Draupadi’s ‘Cheerharan’ some section of the society may get angry. Several controversies have come over the time on the toons on various subjects. People yet to accept such cartoons easily in India.
fachcha.com: So, do you think that whole issue is related to the freedom of expression?
>RE: Yes. of course. It is freedom of expression or what else.

India is known for the two major festivals, Diwali and Holi. Both the festivals are celebrated by Indians with full zeal in India and abroad without exception. What is more important about these festivals is that mood of the people and environment of surroundings too influenced by the mood of the festival or better to say that provide support to the mood of the festivals.

While economic and monetary activities get prime importance during the season of Diwali, mood is completely changed during the Holi. People start meeting with each other, greets each other, make laughter, throw some colours (and also mud) on each other to establish better relationships and show love and affection and to bring rivals closer. Authors, poets from Indian languages especially Hindi, Sanskrit and other modern Indian languages or vernacular languages, as Victorian people or Victorian Indian used to describe Indian language, have artistically explained the mood of Holi through their classical writings. Probably, Holi attracts them more than Diwali, festival of light. What could be the reason? May be writers are devotees of Goddess Saraswati or Godees of wisdom & knowledge, and Holi comes just after the Saraswati Puja or Basant Panchami’, or it is the festival of harvesting season in the agricultural country like …? Reasons may be numerous and different but the concept of mood has not been changed in this regard.

Earlier, the mood was used to be created by the poets and artists. With the changing time this job has been done by the films and now by the media to a great extent. Delhi being a capital of the country leads the mood building exercise. But this time all the elements are there to celebrate the mood of Holi. Political parties had been building the mood for last few months by trying hard to establish relationship with voters through creating the mood of Holi. Now focus of the mood has been shifted to political parties, leaders and their interlocutors as the days of counting of votes and festival are coming closer.

But media’s exit polls have given enough mood to the common people and voters for the coming festival. Sunday ‘tweet’ of Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quereshi was a superhit message, which hit the front page that the exit polls suitable for entertainment channels, and created enough environment and mood of Holi.

It is ironical that there is growing tendency among Indian, especially among Delhites, that they now have started to not take even serious businesses seriously. Media too reflects the mood. Serious editorials, features are vanishing from the newspapers, originated from Delhi. People avoid to talk about serious things like unemployment, price rise, social conflicts. Everything has now either become light or going to be light. Probably, it is the way of en-light-ment and de-light and to avoid the diseases like blood pressure, heart attack, tension and so on. Even, the corporation election in Delhi, which is being notified today, too is being taken lightly by people as well as political parties and it supports the mood of coming Holi.

Tomorrow, when results of five states will be out the same mood will pave the way for political parties to form the government in the state like UP, if nobody gets majority in the state, (as the exit polls claim!). So, let celebrate the mood of Holi and celebrate the festival in an environment friendly way (As the environment department of the city government says in its advertisements). After all ‘Latthmaar Holi’ of Barsana is limited to the very limited geographical areas only. So it is better to say Happy Holi with flowers or natural colours and show your love and affection with deprived community of the society. This is also because the ‘festival of colours’ helps to hide true colour of man and society and paints everybody’s face with same design and colours.

So, let’s celebrate festival of colours and say ‘Happy Holi’.