Young cartoonist's lines tickle funny bones
HUBLI: Abhijit Tikare has a penchant for turning any theme into a cartoon. Be it political or social scenarios, the mannerisms of his lecturers which make the students remember them for long, or the common man's struggle to create space for himself - they all become subjects for his witty lines.
The 19-year-old cartoonist has been into cartooning since his school days. From treating teachers as his subjects then, Abhijit has grown capturing his friends, interesting people, and issues related to political and social developments.
Sample this: his cartoons depict the hike in fuel prices which has hit the common man, programme to mark 500th anniversary of Krishnadevaraya's coronation, and the like. The issue of Justice Santosh Hegde's resignation, which he has posted on a social networking site, has earned him appreciation. His banner-size cartoon of an employer search for right candidates using a binocular was well received during a recruitment camp held at his college recently.
The latest one is about Congress' Bellary-bound padayatra. He has drawn the padayatra parallel to Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March, with a masthead saying "Generation Gap In Congress Family". The Gandhi's march, which is painted in white, speaks about "its genuine cause", the modern walkathon is full of colours, portraying the "comfort involved in it like the expensive shoes worn by (opposition leader) Siddaramaiah".
Abhijit, a III semester BCA student, is happy that his lecturers are a big sport, who smile at his work. "Thankfully, my cartoons or caricatures have not left anyone offended," he adds.
Abhijit settles down wherever he finds something interesting to draw - be it in buses or at his father Sadanand Tikare's automobile shop, where he captures the emotions of customers.
Abhijit, who is inspired by celebrated cartoonist R K Laxman, gifts his friends with their caricature on their birthdays. He has also won several prizes for skits and mimicry.
