Chackalethu John Yesudasan (12 June 1938 – 6 October 2021), also known as Yesudasan, was an Indian political cartoonist from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. He was the founding chairman of the Kerala Cartoon Academy and chairman of the

Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Kerala Lalithakala Academy for Fine Arts is an autonomous body which was established in 1962 to promote art and artistic heritage, based at Thrissur in Kerala. Murali Cheeroth is the newly appointed chairman of Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi on 202 ...

Early life

Yesudasan was born on 12 June 1938 in

Bharanikkavu Bharanikkavu is a Panchayat in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala.Mavelikkara Mavelikkara is a taluk and municipality in the '' Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. Located in the southern part of the district on the banks of the Achankovil River. Etymology The name Mavelikar ...

in the Alappuzha district of modern day

to Chakalethu John Mathai and Mariamma John. He completed his education in

Bharanikkavu Bharanikkavu is a Panchayat in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala.Edappally Edappally or Idappalli is a region in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is a major commercial centre as well as a prominent residential region. Edappally junction is one of the busiest junctions in the city. History Edappally in Englis ...

, and

Mavelikkara Mavelikkara is a taluk and municipality in the '' Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala. Located in the southern part of the district on the banks of the Achankovil River. Etymology The name Mavelikar ...

. He obtained his bachelor's degree from the Catholicate Faculty in Pathanamthitta.

Career

Yesudasan published his first cartoon in 1955 in a magazine called ''Asoka'' published from Kottayam. He entered the world of political cartoons in 1960, drawing for ''

Janayugom ''Janayugom'' is a Malayalam daily newspaper published in Kerala, India. It is the official organ of the Kerala State Council of the Communist Party of India. It is the first newspaper in India using free software. Originally started in 1947 as ...

'', the Malayalam daily of the Communist Party of India. He worked there for three years, drawing a pocket cartoon with the character ''Kittumman'', after which he joined ''

Shankar's Weekly ''Shankar's Weekly'' was an Indian satirical magazine published between 1948 and 1975. It was founded and run by Keshav Shankar Pillai, a pioneering political cartoonist. The magazine has been compared to the UK's ''Punch''. The weekly printed i ...

'' in Delhi. From 1969, he was the editor of ''Balayugam'', a children's magazine in Malayalam and edited ''Asadha'', ''Cut-Cut'' and ''Tuk-Tuk'', popular satirical magazines on politics and cinema. He joined the

Malayala Manorama ''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...

group in 1985 as staff cartoonist, running cartoon columns in the paper and ''

The Week ''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's ed ...

'' magazine. He worked with the group until his retirement in 2010. Some of the recurring characters that he created included Mrs ''Nair'', ''Vanitha'', and ''Ponnamma Superintendent''. His cartoons served as a commentary on contemporary political events and were noted to be bold and added a fearless criticism of the political developments of the day. He was the founding chairman of Kerala Cartoon Academy and had also served as the president and chairman of the

. Yesudasan authored four books—''Aniyara'', ''Pradhama Dhrusti'', ''Post Mortem'', and ''Varayile Nayanar''. He also wrote the dialogues for the Malayalam political satire film '' Panchavadi Palam'' by director K. G. George.

Awards

Yesudasan received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Institute of Cartoonists in 2001. In 2021, he won the ''Swadeshabimani-Kesari'' award, the highest honour given by the

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior mini ...

for media persons, for his contributions to the cartoon and media sector. He was also the cartoonist of the year award winner of the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club in 1990 and 1992.

Personal life

Yesudasan was married to Mercy. The couple had three sons and lived in

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

. Yesudasan died in Kochi on 6 October 2021 at the age of 83 from a heart attack. He was under treatment for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

and was discharged after testing negative approximately a week prior to his death.

References

External links

Official websiteYesudasan's Blog
{{Authority control Indian cartoonists Malayali people 1938 births 2021 deaths People from Alappuzha district Writers from Kerala Indian editorial cartoonists 20th-century Indian writers