‘Abu Abraham a humanist adept at giving a perspective on the world’
Political cartoonist E.P. Unny on Wednesday recalled legendary cartoonist Abu Abraham as a humanist who was adept at giving a perspective on the world that he watched closely.
Speaking at the Kerala Media Academy in connection with the birth centenary of Abu, Mr. Unny said Abu’s cartoons were rich in detail, and although they looked simple, they were pithy with contextual references.
Mr. Unny kicked off his talk by commenting on the origins of cartoons as a street art form which became an art of dissent as they migrated to the daily newspaper. “It has got a raw edge, but Abu’s lines are not that fierce,” he said, adding, “Cartoons have an extremely short shelf life. But Abu was able to give us an evolutionary picture of democratic Indian society through his cartoons.”
Having worked for over a decade in the west, Abu was quick to adapt to the Indian scene and its social, political and cultural diversity. He was able to offer a wide canvass, commenting on all the major political characters and policies that shaped India, he said.
Writer and columnist N.E. Sudheer spoke about Abu’s secularism. His cartoons attained perennial relevance as they commented on the critical happenings in Indian society, he said.
Academy chairman R.S. Babu presided over the event.
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