For years, various art forms have spoken about issues in India in their own way – where sarcasm and humour have played a significant role. But Amul’s cartoons have always stood out for me. In 49 years, Amul has established a benchmark with its bold, unapologetic and witty take on events. Let’s take a look at 15 such cartoons that appeared between 1992 and 2016; some that were informative, some that made us laugh, and some that forced us to think.
1. A 1992 cartoon of when a special train was launched for women in Mumbai.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
2. In 1995, when Mumbai’s famous Victoria Terminus became Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
3. In 1997, when BJP-led NDA formed a coalition government and Atal Bihari Vajpayee became India’s Prime Minister.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
4. In 2000, when the population of India touched the 1 billion figure!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
5. In 2003, when Mayawati faced corruption charges.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
6. In 2005, when Value Added Tax (VAT) first came into existence.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
7. In 2005 when dance bars were banned in Mumbai.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
8. In 2007, when UPA-led government and Left announced Pratibha Patil as the Presidential candidate.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
9. In 2009, when the Coal Scam came into light, and Madhu Koda was accused.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
10. In 2011 when U.P., the most populated state of the country was proposed to be divided in 4 separate states.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
11. The December 2012 gangrape, that raised a big question on women’s safety in the country.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
12. In 2013, when Aam Admi Party and Congress came together to form a government in the state of Delhi.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
13. In 2015, when Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalitha’s picture appeared on flood relief packets.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
14. When wrestler Sakshi Malik won India’s first medal at the Rio Olympics.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
15. In March 2016, when Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) decided to replace knickers with pants, for their official uniform.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Which cartoons did we miss out on? Just leave a comment or tweet to us @YouthKiAwaaz with a link to your favourite Amul cartoon!
—
This article was originally published in Hindi, and can be seen here.