“The purpose of art is washing the dirt of daily life off our souls. It is the transmission of feelings the artist has experienced. It is pushing the envelope. It is the truth of something without exaggeration.”
Lakshman Balaji’s cartoons have caused an outraging sensation on political and social matters. His cartoons are no ordinary, with rib-tickling puns he makes sure to expose the real world in which we live. With a whopping four million views on social media for his sarcastic yet meaningful posts, he even received appreciative tweets from biggies like Mr. Shashi Tharoor. He started off with sketching on his scribbling pads just to amuse his friends which later on he took to a next level dealing with real-life events. Drawing initial inspiration from classic comics like Tintin, Asterix and Obelix he started drawing at a very early age. He used to doodle for fun and very soon it became a habit. His witty and fun-filled one-liners always adds that sarcastic punch to his cartoons. Let us not forget, he shares his name with the legendary cartoonist R.K. Lakshman. Coincidence is it ?
The first caricature Lakshman drew was of his grandfather. “I love the short talks I have with Thatha (grandfather),” he says.
In conversation with Lakshman Balaji
1) Hey! Lakshman, it’s great having you on board with us. Tell us something about yourself.
Hi!, I am Lakshman Balaji, a 23 year old cartoonist from Chennai. I am a dentist from the Government Dental College and an occasional stand-up comedian as well. I also love to play guitar. So, you can say I am a dentist turned artist. I love to represent my ideas and what I am thinking, by doodling and sometimes in my comic gigs. I love to enjoy life and live in the present and I am always least bothered about what people think about my cartoons and my ideas.
Lakshman started his Facebook page, Lakshman’s Cartoons in August 2015.He quickly rose to fame with his hand-drawn cartoons of Tamil puns and his hilarious take on life.
2) How did you develop interest towards cartooning and doodling ?
I developed fascination towards cartoons, seeing the illustrations in the classic comic books which my parents brought for me when I was a child. The words in those comics were too tedious for me to read, therefore I would concentrate more on pictures an d developed an interest towards them. It was so appealing to me and I really liked the idea of presenting what’s in my mind through pictures.
“I walk around my city a lot and whenever I see something funny, I try to draw it. I am blessed with a father who has a great sense of humor. I think I’ve got it from him,” he chuckles.
3) How do people receive your culture-related pun ?
They seem to find it quite relatable. So, yes I think they enjoy it. I usually try to find humor in everyday quirks of an average middle-class Indian household. People don’t want to be seen making such jokes out loud because they are received with a lot of eye-rolling and groans. But people are much more forgiving of these jokes as cartoons than in real life.
“My friends complain that I look better than them in my cartoons”, he laughs.
4) How do you deal with trolls you receive ? Do you take it too seriously ?
Nope, one should never feed the trolls. I just ignore them. I like the freedom that cartooning gives me and I don’t like people telling me what to do and what not to. As far as sarcasm on my cartoons is concerned, I don’t feel vulnerable at all. Everything must be taken on a lighter vein. Drawing things that are annoying or peculiar is cathartic.
ALSO READ Wheelchair Warrior Sets An Example ! Meet Sai Kaustuv- An Unbreakable Smile Confined In An Unbreakable Spirit
5) One of your post received a whopping four million views and appreciation. What was your reaction ?
I had compiled the most commonly uttered racist comments by Indians and posted it as a one page cartoon on my Facebook page. It went viral and I was taken aback. My cartoons usually circulate among a small bunch of people, that’s why I never expected that one to end up reaching millions. I exaggerate on language and give details of background too!. I draw my inspiration from Suppandi of tinkle comics.
6) You have got 40k+ followers on your Facebook page and have become quite a star. What are your future plans ?
I hope to keep finding time to manage both my academics and drawing cartoons. What inspires the cartoonist in me the most are the casual conversations I have with my grandfather on a lazy weekend. Once you start to learn the language of cartoons, you probably start seeing funny side of life.
Discover more about him on his Facebook Page
