Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jan 18: Famed cartoonist Satish Acharya from Kundapur has just added another feather to his brimming cap. His cartoon on the recent Charlie Hebdo attack in France has been recognized by international media as one of the most powerful depictions of the event.
A terror attack on the Paris offices of French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo earlier this month left 12 dead, including its editor and four of its cartoonists. In the days that followed, while millions marched the streets of Paris and other places condemning the attack, cartoonists around the world used their talents to express their take on the attacks.
Satish Acharya, well-known for his sharp wit and ability to deliver powerful messages through his creativity, came up with a poignant cartoon depicting the proverbial might of the pen against the sword. The cartoon shows two armed terrorists at the Charlie Hebdo spot holding up a paint brush and wondering, "What's this little weapon, which hurt us so much?" There is even a smiley in the background. Satish Acharya aptly titled it 'The little weapon!'.
The cartoon whch went viral on social media soon captured the attention of international media, and top publications like Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, The Times (Europe) and others featured his cartoon among the most powerfuls ones on the Charlie Hebdo attack.
The same cartoon has also been chosen among the top 20 from around the world by leading Spanish newspaper El Pais. According to Wikipedia, El Pais has the highest circulation among the dailies in Spain and is considered its national newspaper of record. The list of 20 are not exclusively Charlie Hebdo-related cartoons, they include cartoons on various events in human history, such as Palestine trouble, spread of the deadly Ebola in Africa, Syrian unrest, emergence of ISIS and so on. The cartoonists as well as cartoons featured include those from top media such as The Guardian, Time, Newsweek and so on, spanning different continents and languages.
Though the article is in Spanish, roughly translated, it describes Satish Acharya as, "Indian cartoonist whose focus almost exclusively reflects the political situation in his country. Responsible for one of the most popular cartoons paying tribute on the massacre in Charlie Hebdo, in which two masked men hold a pen and wonder: 'What's this little weapon, which hurt us so much?'"
Satish Acharya created the cartoon for Facebook and Twitter on January 7. A day later, it was published by City Today. The cartoon was retweeted 3,884 times.
Speaking to daijiworld, Satish Acharya said, "Two days back I started getting lots of followers on Twitter. I then realised that somebody must have posted (the cartoon) somewhere."
"I just feel happy that the message has reached more people all around the world."
The fact that Satish Acharya's cartoon has been recognized by the world media does not imply that he endorses the kind of satire that the French magazine is notorious for. In a Facebook post, he said how, a BBC anchor was suprised "When I told him that in India we cartoonists draw our own laxman rekha and we enjoy responsible freedom!"
"Of course, I do not endorse (the French magazine's style of satire). My cartoon was to protest the violence and in support of cartoonists (in general)," he said. In fact, his cartoons, mostly on politics and sports, are delightfully witty, full of humour and never blasphemous.
Satish Acharya, who enjoys a large fan base across India, was recently named by the prestigious Forbes Magazine in the list of leading personalities who have spread India's excellence through their imagination and thought processes. The magazine introduced Satish as a Mangaluru-based cartoonist par excellence. His cartoons regularly appear in several leading media like Mid-Day, Sify, ESPN, City Today and many more.
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