Emergency, seen in the cartoons of Sudhir Dar

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Many see the Emergency as the harshest test the Press has faced since Independence. In the early hours of June 26, 1975, when the Emergency was declared, citing 'internal disturbances', the Press was the first casualty. Challenged and threatened, the Press persevered through various means and techniques. The common folks who read between the lines in the cartoons had the last laugh. (Sudhir Dhar)
The Hindustan Times attempted reporting the events as they were, trusting their readers to read between the lines. When it became hard to get past the chief censor appointed for the purpose, Sudhir Dar's cartoons became the vehicle of the occasional satire couched in various disguises.
Electricity to most media houses had been cut off to paralyse them but the June 28 edition reported to its readers thus: 'The city edition on Friday and the dak editions of Friday and Saturday could not be brought out as no power was available from 12:45pm on Thursday till 7:15pm on Friday'. It was hard to miss the irony implied in simply placing this announcement between two articles headlined 'Mrs Gandhi believes in Press freedom' and 'Press censorship for first time,' respectively. The same edition of the paper also carried a blank white space where perhaps the editorial ought to have been, marking the impact of censorship. Although it caught attention, this technique of blank spaces was not a sustainable one given that the Emergency was indefinite.
Sudhir Dar's 'This Is It!' cartoons carried the satirical baton forward. A man in a cartoon published on March 11, 1976, complains about the increase in rail fare: 'My wife went home to Kerala three months ago… Now I can't afford to bring her back'. And then, lest the cartoonist be hauled up for attacking the authorities such, he transforms the cartoon into a misogynist joke by having the male listener think to himself, 'And he's complaining!!'.
When he really struck, Dar's political comments were marked by a scathing sense of humour. In a cartoon published on July 15, 1976, Dar makes a direct comment on the state of democracy. The domestic help of a couple in their house carries a tray in his hand but the tea-cup and saucer are precariously balanced on his head. While the man looks aghast the woman consoles him: 'His mind is like the De ______ these days… frequently cloudy!'. The readers' prior knowledge from reading the newspapers in those days helps them fill in the blank with the oft-used word: Democracy.
In another cartoon on September 16, 1975, Dar uses a carefully chosen newspaper headline to set the context: 'Man slashes Dutch masterpiece'. Dar unexpectedly transforms this into a direct comment on censorship of the time as a reporter in the cartoon entering what looks like the office of a media house thinks to himself: 'Somebody slashes Indian masterpieces every day!'. The comment is evidently upon the censor who rejects publication of the work of hard-working reporters.
So, what did these cartoons achieve? Before announcing the general elections in 1977, the Prime Minister consulted her Cabinet and the newspapers to know if national sentiments were conducive for the same. But both had been effectively censored. Contrary to their predictions, the ruling party lost by a significant margin. The common folks who read between the lines in the cartoons had the last laugh.
Neha Khurana teaches Liberal Arts at Vidyashilp University (Bengaluru). The views expressed are personal.