Gireesh Vengara tells you why even heads of government, monarchs and ministers fear political cartoonists

If you think cartoons are stock illustrations published in a corner of your newspaper, think again. A cartoon isu00a0 perhaps the most viewed and loved section of the paper.

What strikes you about Gireesh Vengara, whose political cartoons are currently on display at Midford House, off MG Road, is the air of seriousness he wears. Heu00a0 believes that his cartoons "must carry forth a message".u00a0

You are a painter, a designer and a cartoonist. Which of these rolesu00a0 do you enjoy the most?
Cartoonist, without a doubt! When I was young, I used to doodle in class andu00a0 my Malayalam teacher would encourage me. When my neighbour's cartoons wereu00a0 published in a weekly magazine, I was inspired to mail some of my stuff to a popular weekly. My first cartoon was published in Malayala Manorama when I was 18 years old, and that gave me the confidence to send my cartoons to other publications as well. For a short while, I worked in a newspaper. Winning the Best Cartoonist Award in 1988 from the Kerala Cartoon Academy and Brushman School of Fine Arts, will remain my most memorable moment.