Opinion Mindless cartoon controversy

Prof Mushirul Hasan’s fascinating book,Wit and Wisdom: Pickings from the Parsee Punch,mentions that Parsee Punch was published in July 1854 and was the only illustrated comic weekly paper in the Bombay Presidency. It contained 12 pages of cartoons which poked fun at the British ruling class and political leaders of the times both in India and in the UK. The cartoons were taken in the right spirit. No cartoonist or editor or journalist was jailed. The US Library of Congress has one of the world’s largest collections of cartoons. There is a famous book containing cartoons of lawyers who are not always portrayed in a flattering manner but mercifully no lawyer so far has gone on strike.

I have critically seen the cartoon made in 1969. Significantly neither Nehru nor Amedkar objected. There is nothing objectionable at all if you see the cartoon along with the text which indeed is appreciative of the arduous task entrusted to Dr Ambedkar of framing Free India’s constitution. At the worst,it conveys that Nehru was impatient with the slow process of constitution making and urged Ambedkar to speed up the process. The most disappointing aspect of the cartoon episode is that Minister Kapil Sibal,a cultured broad-minded person,tendered an apology which was not required and thereby indirectly put an imprimatur on the intolerant demands of certain groups for deletion of cartoons.

What has come over us? Have we completely lost the faculty of humour? And remember that a person without humour is one without a sense of proportion. What is most worrying is the underlying intolerant mindset. Anything critical or unpalatable has to be banned. The entire episode about deletion of the cartoon and setting up a so-called expert committee to decide about further deletions of cartoons is a crude onslaught on the freedom of expression by yielding to the sentiments of hypersensitive people who perceive hurt and insult where none exists nor is intended. Dr Ambedkar,a true liberal,in whose memory these actions are taken would have strongly disapproved of them. Baba sahib,thou shouldst have been living at this hour,India has need of thee.

Jazz on the world scene

The Italian National Commission for UNESCO decided to dedicate a day to jazz,World Jazz Day. It was originally to be on April 13. However,it was extended to May 14 to mark the performance in Delhi of the Italian Paolo Fresu Quintet. It was a commendable gesture which was amply vindicated by the brilliant performance of the Italian Jazz Quintet to a packed audience in Delhi. It was the Quintet’s first performance in India which has performed extensively worldwide. The leader Paolo Fresu thrilled jazz lovers by his smooth feckless trumpet which was reminiscent of Miles Davis. His solos on flugelhorn added to the excitement. Tino Tracanna was superb on the tenor sax combining a deep tone with amazing technique. The rhythm section,Roberto Cipelli (piano),Attilio Zanchi (double bass),Ettore Fioravanti provided excellent backing and also showed their prowess as soloists. Kudos to the Italian Cultural Centre for organising the concert and giving Delhi jazz aficionados a real musical treat. It is a pity that the Quintet could not perform in other jazz loving cities in India because of their tight musical schedules. We look forward to their early return.