Simon Alexander
Kesava Shankar Pillai (31 July 1902 – 26 December 1989), better known as Shankar, was a trailblazing Indian cartoonist who is widely regarded as the father of political cartooning in India. His cartoons spanned both colonial and independent India and helped shape the Indian political discourse through satire. Shankar brought the art of cartooning into the national mainstream, turning it into a powerful medium of commentary and critique that influenced generations of artists and journalists.
He founded Shankar’s Weekly in 1948, which soon became a prominent publication known for its sharp political commentary and humorous depictions of the socio-political landscape of India. Often referred to as India’s answer to the British magazine Punch, Shankar’s Weekly nurtured a generation of influential cartoonists, including Abu Abraham, Ranga, and Kutty. However, during the Emergency declared on 25 June 1975, Shankar voluntarily closed the magazine, seeing it as a time when the freedom of expression was under grave threat. From that point forward, Shankar shifted his energies to enriching children’s education and cultural development.
In recognition of his immense contributions, Shankar received the Padma Vibhushan in 1976, India’s second highest civilian award. He had earlier been awarded the Padma Shri in 1956 and the Padma Bhushan in 1966. Today, his enduring legacy is most visible in the cultural institutions he founded: the Children’s Book Trust (1957), which fostered children’s literature in multiple Indian languages, and Shankar’s International Dolls Museum (1965), which became one of the world’s largest museums of its kind, both housed in Nehru House, New Delhi.
K. Shankar Pillai
Born: 31 July 1902, Kayamkulam, British India
Died: 26 December 1989 (aged 87)
Alma Mater: University Science College, Trivandrum
Occupation(s): Cartoonist, Writer
Years Active: 1932–1986
Known For: Shankar’s Weekly, Children’s Book Trust, Shankar’s International Dolls Museum
Awards: Padma Shri (1956), Padma Bhushan (1966), Padma Vibhushan (1976), Order of the Smile (1977), D.Litt. (honoris causa), University of Delhi
Early Life and Education
Shankar was born in Kayamkulam, Kerala, on 31 July 1902, into a culturally rooted family. He received his early schooling in Kayamkulam and Mavelikkara. From a young age, he showed a sharp observational ability and an interest in satire. One of his earliest cartoons, drawn during his school years, featured a teacher asleep in class. Although it earned him reprimands, it also foreshadowed his future as a fearless commentator. Encouraged by his uncle who recognized his potential, Shankar pursued formal training in art at the prestigious Ravi Varma School of Painting, founded by the renowned painter Raja Ravi Varma.
Shankar’s academic journey took him to Maharaja’s College of Science (now University College), Trivandrum, where he graduated in 1927. Though initially enrolled at the Government Law College in Bombay with the aim of becoming a lawyer, he was soon drawn to cartooning. His legal education was eventually abandoned in favor of a creative career that would change Indian journalism forever.
During his student years, Shankar actively participated in drama, literary debates, and social service campaigns, including fundraising for flood relief. This lifelong concern for the common people and their struggles deeply informed the empathetic lens through which he depicted society in his cartoons.
Career
Shankar’s professional cartooning began with contributions to The Free Press Journal and The Bombay Chronicle. In 1932, he was appointed staff cartoonist for The Hindustan Times by editor Pothan Joseph. His cartoons soon gained national prominence for their incisive critique and bold artistry, attracting the attention of colonial administrators like Lord Willingdon and Lord Linlithgow.
Mahatma Gandhi once personally wrote to Shankar questioning a cartoon on Jinnah, while leaders of the Indian National Congress often debated his depictions. In the mid-1930s, Shankar received a fellowship to train in Europe, where he studied advanced techniques in political caricature in London and visited major cultural centers like Berlin, Rome, Vienna, Geneva, and Paris.
After returning to a post-independence India in the late 1940s, Shankar launched Shankar’s Weekly in 1948. The magazine, released by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, soon became a key forum for political satire. Nehru famously said, “Don’t spare me, Shankar,” after being caricatured in a cartoon showing him carrying a torch with an exhausted expression, closely followed by political successors like Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri. This openness allowed Shankar’s cartoons to flourish in a democratic context while maintaining editorial independence.
In addition to his political work, Shankar nurtured creativity among children. He initiated the Shankar’s International Children’s Competition in 1949 and the Shankar’s On-the-Spot Painting Competition in 1952. In 1957, he established the Children’s Book Trust to promote literature and illustration for young readers. The Trust soon became a cornerstone of Indian publishing for children. His next major initiative, Shankar’s International Dolls Museum, was launched in 1965, and grew to house over 6,500 dolls from 85 countries, offering a cultural mosaic for young visitors.
Nehru House, the home to these institutions, expanded over the years to include the Dr. B.C. Roy Memorial Children’s Library, a reading room, and a production center for doll-making. These spaces served as vital cultural hubs that enriched generations of children and visitors.
Personal Life
Shankar was married to Thankam, and the couple had two sons and three daughters. He was a member of the Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi and remained active in artistic and literary circles. In 1965, he published his autobiographical work Life with my Grandfather through the Children’s Book Trust, a semi-fictional narrative for young readers that reflected his gift for storytelling.
Legacy
Shankar’s legacy was celebrated during his birth centenary in 2002 through the exhibition A Symphony of Dreams at the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. His role as a fearless and humorous commentator on Indian politics remains unmatched. In 2012, a cartoon of B. R. Ambedkar drawn by Shankar in 1949 sparked national controversy when it was reproduced in NCERT educational materials, igniting debate on artistic freedom and historical sensitivity.
To honor his life’s work, the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi established the Shankar Memorial National Cartoon Museum and Art Gallery in 2014 in Kayamkulam, his birthplace. It continues to serve as a beacon for aspiring cartoonists and historians of Indian visual culture.
Honors and Awards
- Padma Shri (1956)
- Padma Bhushan (1966)
- Padma Vibhushan (1976)
- Order of the Smile (1977), awarded by a committee of Polish children
- Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.), honoris causa, University of Delhi
Bibliography
- 101 Cartoons from the Hindustan Times (1937) – A landmark collection with a foreword by Jawaharlal Nehru
- Life with Grandfather (1965) – A beloved children’s book blending memoir and imagination
- Don’t Spare Me Shankar: Jawaharlal Nehru (1983) – A compilation of 400 cartoons from Shankar’s Weekly (1948–1964)
- Referenced in: Khanduri, Ritu Gairola. Caricaturing Culture in India: Cartoons and History of the Modern World (2014, Cambridge University Press)
