Veteran political satirist Ajit Ninan passes away at 68

Ninan was born on May 15,1955, in Andhra Pradesh, to AM Mathew and Annie Mathew. He studied at Madras Christian College, Chennai, from 1972 to 1977. Upon the insistence of his uncle, legendary cartoonist Abu Abraham, who encouraged his nephew’s passion for cartoons, Ninan pursued a BA and MA in Political Science to better understand the political system of the country and avoid any faux pau in his work.

Thus began a career that spanned over four decades, in which his cartoon appeared in all editions of the Times Of India under several columns — Just Like That!, Like That Only!, CEOtoons, Wit’s End and Ninan’s World — and under Centerstage in India Today Magazine.

“Ninan was the first cartoonist I interviewed for my research on India’s cartooning culture and I will always cherish the generosity of his time and his deep knowledge of the art of satire and cartooning. This is a sad day indeed,” says Ritu Gairola Khanduri, author of Caricaturing Culture in India: Cartoons and History in the Modern World.

“Ajit worked hard. He used to come in early at 7 am and would work late into the day. He was really good with faces. He had seen almost 10 prime ministers during his lifetime but PV Narasimha Rao was his favourite — he loved drawing his pout. He left an indelible mark on the world of political satire and we are proud of his career. His demise is a tragic loss to the world of political satire,” shares Banerjee.

In 1986, he received the Sanskriti Award for Journalism and was selected by the United Nations International Procurement Seminars to be the official cartoonist for all its conference newspapers in Rio, Copenhagen, Austria, Cairo and China. The Indian Institute of Cartoonists presented Ninan with the Barton Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.

Being born into a Christian family, Ninan did not believe in any organised religion but spoke a force that binds the entire universe. In a 2016 interview with SBS, Ninan also spoke of how two of his cartoons landed him into controversy. One where he depicted Rajiv Gandhi as the Pope, wearing the Congress’ electoral symbol of the palm instead of the crucifix. Another, where he juxtaposed the map of India as Lord Ganesha with political overtones.

“Apart from cartoons, Ajit loved to cook. He would often cook his famous mutton curry at my house during the weekends. He was sort of an introvert. He never had a junior or protege whom he groomed. There were several people who tried working with him but he didn’t vibe with them. Above all, he enjoyed poking fun at everyone — from the prime minister, his boss and colleagues to the local chaiwaala. He enjoyed life,” says Banerjee.

During his time working for Target Magazine, Ninan began Detective Moochwala, a series about a fictitious detective and his dog Pooch, who would solve crimes using high-tech equipment. Writer and illustrator Priya Kurian reminisces about the early ‘80s, when she, along with her sister, would patiently wait to get their hands on the latest edition of Target Magazine. “I grew up reading Detective Moochwala at a time when there was no social media and hardly any cartoons on the TV. Ninan’s demise is tragic. I especially remember his cartoon after a cartoonist was arrested during the Congress regime. In his political satire, there was a certain kindness coupled with packing a punch, which is very rare to find nowadays.”