2018-12-26 Wed

One of the most celebrated cartoonists of India K. Shankar Pillai breathed his last on 26th December 1989. He was considered the father of political cartooning in India.

Shankar was born in the year 1902 at Kayamkulam, Kerala. After graduating he enrolled himself for higher studies in Law College, but quit his law studies midway and started working.

He founded Shankar’s Weekly which produced cartoonists like Abu Abraham, Ranga, and Kutty. He also founded the Children’s Book Trust in Nehru House and International Dolls Museum.

Shankar's cartoons were published in The Free Press Journal and The Bombay Chronicle. He joined ‘The Hindustan Times’ as a staff cartoonist in 1932 and continued till 1946.

The government of India honored him with all three Padma awards Padma Shri in 1956, Padma Bhushan in 1966, and Padma Vibhushan in 1976. Besides these, he received an order of the smile, an honor from a committee of Polish children and the D.Litt (honoris causa) by the University of Delhi.

India Postal Department has issued two postal stamps in 1991, depicting two of his famous cartoons. Visit philamart to view and purchase variety of stamps from all over the world.

Image Source: Mintage World