Cartoon Capers

Children cheered and even adults joined in as legendary cartoon characters Tom and Jerry held their 70th birthday bash at Le Meridien on Wednesday. Organised by Cartoon Network India,the party had artistes in the cartoon costumes dancing to Hindi tunes and attempting bhangra moves for the audience.

Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbara,the cat and mouse duo has been entertaining children and adults alike since 1940. One of the adult fans present was cartoonist Sudhir Tailang. “I’ve drawn political cartoons all my life but I’ve always wanted to create characters such as Tom and Jerry. I am drawn to them especially because it is a story of the underdog and how he triumphs each time,” he said. To the toons in the party,he asked,“What keeps you so young?” They mimed an answer — A lot of exercise and running around.

The highlight of the day was the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Cartoon Network to Tom and Jerry for their contribution to children’s happiness. There was also a big yellow cheesy birthday cake that everybody got a piece of. Seen at the event were socialite mothers such as Tanisha Mohan and her children,Kalyani Chawla with her daughter,designers Nandita and Hemant and entrepreneur Monisha Bajaj.