Cartoons targeting cartoonists !

This post is in response to the arrest and police / judicial custody of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi for having depicted politicians and political institutions (Parliament) and national emblems in poor light, attracting charges of sedition. At the outset, I would like to state that I am all for freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right accorded to every citizen of this country by our Constitution. However, though artists and other creative professionals often stretch this right to an extent that it ends up becoming controversial, either by chance of by design. No right can be absolute, and there have to be boundaries within which all rights have to be exercised. Hence, while some of the cartoons drawn by Aseem Trivedi may be perceived as being in "bad taste", they were drawn without malice in a satirical manner - as are most cartoons, which exaggerate facts or situation merely to drive home a point the cartoonist is trying to make. The way poets and writers enjoy a 'poetic license' to use certain words or phrases in certain unconventional ways, cartoonists too enjoy this creative license to convey their message across more effectively.

However, for quite some time, particularly during the unnecessary ruckus in Parliament earlier this year over a cartoon involving Dr. Ambedkar and Pandit Nehru, many eminent citizens have opined that when the very politicians involved in the cartoon took it sportingly or in a lighter vein, the modern day politicians shouldn't create so much hue and cry over a 60 year old cartoon, with the ulterior motive of appeasing their vote-banks. Similarly, while some of the cartoons of Aseem Trivedi may be perceived to be in poor taste, many proponents of freedom of expression believe it doesn't merit the legal action it has landed the cartoonist it. Besides, judging an act like this on the basis of a century-old legislation is preposterous, to say the least. Legislation should keep pace with the norms and changing dynamics of society. Hence, instead of targeting artists and satirists who depict politicians or political institutions like the legislatures in a certain way, the politicians must do what they have been elected to do - legislate in the larger interests of the people of the country, instead of shirking work on the most frivolous of grounds. In this regard, I believe that for over 60 years our elected leaders have done a disservice to the country by persisting with most of the statutes enacted during the British era - the very establishment they fought against for 'freedom' and 'independence'. Even today, the two bibles of our legal system - the Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code - were enacted over a century ago, and though some clauses have been amended since 1947, their basic structure remains the same, and does not reflect the new realities and dynamics of our social structure and norms (particularly due to rampant urbanization and Westernization having changed our social ethos quite radically in many areas). But then, gone are the days when we had politicians who rose above petty politics and became statesmen who are respected by not just their followers but also their opponents. It is this pettiness of our present-day politicians, who always have a short-term objective of appeasement of their traditional vote-banks, which has encouraged and inspired creative professionals like cartoonists to depict them, and dysfunctional political institutions like the Parliament in controversial ways. Our politicians must learn to tolerate, if not accept such satire and criticism, and ignore them if they can't develop a sense of humour to laugh it off - while they expect the people of India to develop a sense of humor to laugh off the spate of mega-scams which have come to light in recent times.

It is not the cartoonists or other common citizens but our 'supreme' parliamentarians and politicians in general who have demeaned our pillars of democracy like Parliament, which they have reduced to a fish-market (and more recently a wrestling ring), abused their powerful office for personal gains, and hence been far from sincere or committed to their primary role of legislating. Hence, it is the 'cartoons' in the parliament who must be charged with sedition for working against national interests for over 60 years, which is the biggest disservice one can do to a country which reposed so much faith in them. Jai Hind !