Ker Govt to build memorial for cartoonist Shankar

Replying to a submission by C K Sadasivan (CPI-M), Joseph said the memorial would be set up at the Culture-cum-Tourism complex being developed at Krishnapuram Palace near Kayamkulam.

Kerala was proud of Shankar (Shankar Pillai), considered the doyen of Indian cartooning and whose wit and humour had been rejoiced by even the subjects of his toons and caricatures, Joseph said.

The state Government considered it as its duty to create a suitable memorial for Shankar, who occupied a pride of place in the culturescape of the nation not just as a cartoonist but as the creator of a children's museum and 'Shankar's Weekly', the Minister said.

Sadasivan, who represents Kayamkulam in the assembly, said it was a lapse on the part of the successive governments that they had so far ignored creating a memorial for a great son of India in his home town.

Shankar displayed his talent as a child by doing a caricature of his pot-bellied teacher snorting in his chair in the primary class room.

The boy was punished for what he had done when the teacher woke up from his nap and this inspired him to take up cartooning and journalism as his profession, Sivadasan noted.