Satish Acharya Honoured with the Media Academy Award

Bengaluru, 18 January(HS): Satish Acharya, a renowned cartoonist, has been honoured by the state Media Academy for his contribution to the field of cartoons. A BCom graduate and post-graduate in Business Administration from Mangalore University, turned cartoonist, is a household name among cartoon lovers of the country and worldwide.

Fun, pun, punch and satire: A self-taught, accomplished cartoonist, Satish Acharya's cartoons are full of life and are well-known for their elements like fun, pun, punch and satire. His lines are striking and appealing, compelling the viewer to also indulge in thinking. Presently, he is settled in Kundapura and works as an Freelance Editorial Cartoonist.

Familiar to ‘Midday’, Udayavani’ readers: He is quite familiar to 'Midday' and 'Udayavani' readers and, of course, to FB friends! He has no regrets about quitting his MBA finance job and is passionate about things related to journalism.

An introduction in his own classic expression: Satish Acharya informs-‘My earliest destinations were Kannada magazines like Taranga, Sudha, etc. I received guidance from the well-known cartoonist V. Manju. The thrill of seeing your name in a newspaper/magazine is beyond words. It was around 1989-90. Most of the time, all those cartoons sent would return with a regret letter from the editor! The day a cartoon gets published in the magazine is like Diwali! No joy can match it!...

...Nobody can stop you: Basically, you need to have two traits, Patience and being less ambitious as a cartoonist. The greatest of Indian cartoonists started with small language publications. It’s a small step to your destination. If you have talent and determination, nobody can stop you from reaching the national audience, wherever you live!’

Featured on United Sketches as a professional cartoonist from India: Satish Acharya was featured on United Sketches as a professional cartoonist from India. He was also included in the list of 24 Intellectuals by Forbes India in 2015.

Earned pocket money by contributing cartoons: Acharya is a self-taught cartoonist without any formal art training. As a student, he earned pocket money by contributing cartoons to Kannada publications like Taranga, Sudha and Tushara. He studied an MBA in finance from Mangalore University after doing a BCom from Bhandarkar’s College, Kundapura.

Career as an Account Executive: After completing an MBA, Satish Acharya shifted to Mumbai and began his career as an Account Executive in an advertising agency. However, he bid adieu to the job to pursue his passion for cartooning. The big break he accomplished was joining the Mumbai-based Midday as a staff cartoonist in 2003. He contributed to the daily cartoon column for nine years. Satish Acharya also draws cartoons for the Gulf News.

Cartoon on PM Modi under China's grip dropped: During his stint with the Mail Today, Satish Acharya's cartoon depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the grip of China was rejected for publication. He was upset with the editorial attitude and accused Mail Today of censorship. However, as usual during such junctures, Dwaipayan Bose, Editor of Mail Today, claimed that Satish Acharya's allegations were baseless.

Global recognition cartoon: His cartoon on the tragic massacre of 12 people in the Paris offices of the French satirical magazine 'Charlie Hebdo', in 2015, has been considered as one of the most powerful cartoons by the international media. The same was also made use of by The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Guardian, among many a other. The ghastly incidents took place in retaliation for publishing cartoons, allegedly derogatory of the Prophet Muhammad.

Publications: Satish Acharya has so far published several books on cartoons in English, Kannada and Kundapra Kannada.

The English books are:

*Mein.

*Hum.

*AAP.

The Kannada book is:

*Cartoonishta.

The book in the Kundapra dialect is:

*Negipuggi.

His cricket-cartoon book, 'Non-Striker', was released in 2015.

‘Go Corona Go’, the latest one, was released in 2021 and became one of the first cartoon books with the pandemic as a theme.

A big morale booster! Satish Acharya was taken aback at being included in the awardees of the Media Academy. He admits, Pleasantly surprised to find my name in the Karnataka Media Academy Award winners list.

Every time someone requested my profile, they would ask about the awards I have won, which were none! Now I can add this to my CV.

Not a big fan of awards, but I must admit that this one is a big morale booster!

Thanks, everyone, for your wishes.

Thanks to the Karnataka Media Academy for this recognition.

A sensitive soul: Jeevan Shetty, another veteran cartoonist, exclaims, Satish Acharya is a sensitive soul who has made satirical illustration his very breath. In his drawings, one can observe the distinctive way he captures people’s faces, personalities, attitudes, conduct, clothing, and various gestures, along with direct and sharp responses. Perhaps this is why the BBC was drawn to him.

An inspirer for future generations: Perhaps, had Satish Acharya restricted himself to drawing cartoons and ensuring publication of the same in some newspapers and periodicals, he would have been just one more talented cartoonist. But the most inspiring part of his personality is his commitment towards taking the art of drawing cartoons among the masses. He is the backbone of the annual Kundapur Cartoonists' Festival, being organised for more than one and a half decades, a feat which has not been possible even in the district towns and metropolitan cities. Many professional cartoonists still believe that cartooning cannot be taught and learnt. Only recently, he did a five-day cartoon festival with the theme of saluting the cops. Maybe Satish Acharya and Jeevan Shetty are classic exceptions to such notions and mindsets. May their tribe continue to increase.

Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti