The selected cartoons appeared first in other publications, either in print or online, or on social media, and are credited appropriately.
In today’s featured cartoon, Sajith Kumar comments on the impact the upcoming rise in prices of essential medicines will have on the common man, who is already bearing the brunt of repeated fuel price hikes. The common man’s exclamation of ‘get well soon’ while on the pavement seems to be a reference to the film Lagey Raho Munnabhai, in which the protagonist does Gandhian Satyagraha by telling the antagonist the same thing.
Alok Nirantar also comments on the upcoming increase in prices of essential medicines — including painkillers and antibiotics — which will hit the public hard when combined with petrol, diesel, LPG price hikes and inflation. The cost of petrol rose by 30 paise a litre and diesel by 35 paise Monday, taking the total increase in rates in the last week to Rs 4-4.10 per litre. This is the sixth fuel price hike in a week.
Manjul takes a dig at leaders of political parties, particularly the BJP, using Vivek Agnihotri’s recent film The Kashmir Files — which is based on the exodus of Pandits from the Valley in 1990 — to promote their own agendas.
Nala Ponappa takes a dig at US President Joe Biden, who has declared that America would protect “every inch” of NATO territory, even if it meant World War III, but has at the same time rejected calls to establish a no-fly zone over war-torn nation Ukraine, which could lead to a direct confrontation with Russia. Ukraine is not a member of NATO.
Satish Acharya comments on the Delhi High Court’s observation that “there is no criminality” if something is “said with a smile”, and that there may be criminality “if something is said offensively”, while it was hearing a case related to alleged hate speeches connected to the Northeast Delhi riots.