If there’s any place where politics can show its real colours, it’s in the cartoon section of news outlets.
This year was no different, as artists like R. Prasad, Sandeep Adhwaryu, Kirtish Bhatt, and Satish Acharya, to name a few, reminded us that there was more to news than what meets the eye.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah, to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the cartoonist’s pen spared none.
From cows to cash crunch, and Akbar’s age to Hanuman’s caste, cartoons in 2018 covered it all.
Editors at ThePrint bring you their picks of the Top Ten Cartoons of 2018.
18 April
Cartoonists were quick to take note as reports suggested that at least six states were facing a shortage of cash at ATMs over a year after demonetisation. Here, Sajith Kumar weighs in.
Sajith Kumar | Twitter
19 June
As the Congress celebrated party president Rahul Gandhi’s birthday, Kirtish Bhatt of BBC News Hindi illustrated a cornered Arvind Kejriwal, chief of the Aam Aadmi Party, missing out on the ‘Gatbandhan (coalition)’ cake.
Kirtish Bhatt | BBC News Hindi
15 July
Cow vigilantism, the stated trigger of many a fatal assault, was among the reigning news stories of the year. Here, Appupen draws a parallel between India’s self-proclaimed gau rakshaks and the notorious American white supremacist organisation, the Ku Klux Klan.
AppuPen Brainded | India
20 June
In Firstpost, Manjul offered comment on the BJP’s decision to snap ties with the Peoples Democratic Party, which caused the J&K government to collapse. Six months later, the state remains under governor’s rule.
Manjul | Firstpost
1 August
In News18, Mir Suhail took a swipe at the Supreme Court’s role in the controversy over the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The apex court had set the roadmap for the entire process. When the draft NRC was released in July and it emerged that 40 lakh people had been left out, the court said the process would not stop but added that no coercive step should be taken against those not on the list.
Mir Suhail | News18
12 August
When the Maldives asked India to withdraw its military personnel and two helicopters from the country after the agreements regarding their deployment expired, Satish Acharya, on Sify, suggested the role of a certain neighbour’s strengthening influence in south Asia.
Satish Acharya | Sify
9 October
Several migrants from other states were reported to have left Gujarat after a minor’s alleged rape by a labourer from Bihar triggered protests as well as violence against “outsiders”. In The Times of India, Sandeep Adhwaryu compared the exodus of migrant workers from Gujarat to the situation in Assam, where 40 lakh people were left out of the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Sandeep Adhwaryu | The Times of India
28 November
In Ei Samay, Uday Deb suggested that in trying to brand himself a Brahmin, Rahul Gandhi was actually falling prey to Hindutva politics.
Uday Deb | Ei Samay
12 December
In The Economic Times, R. Prasad weighed in on the Congress’ victory in three states of the Hindi heartland – a win labelled by many as Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s arrival as a politician.
R. Prasad | The Economic Times
20 December
When the Supreme Court judgment on Rafale came under scrutiny over an alleged “typo” in the government affidavit quoted in the verdict, Nala Ponnappa had this to say:
India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.
Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.
Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.
