In the 1960s and 1970s, political cartooning held the sway in the media. R. K. Laxman’s You Said It for the Times of India lampooned the events of the day. Political cartoons no longer remain prominent in the content of a newspaper or a magazine. Modern editors are reluctant to spare space for the cartoons. Even political leaders are averse to cartoons. There are fewer artists who make impactful cartoons. Internet has enabled the creation of memes and its dissemination. Even a person with no ability to draw can make a cartoon. Malayalam press of Kerala is an exception which has patronised many promising young cartoonists. Cho Ramaswamy’s Tughlak was famous for its political cartoons.Cartoons supplemented the editorial coverage visually from 1960s to 1980s. As we get newsfeeds from TV and the Internet, cartoons have lost their primacy. Cartoons now compete with other visual media for attention.

Cartoons may find new formats, e.g. web space. Cartoons can be used by newspapers for graphic reportage. As political aversion grows, the anonymity in the web space is welcome for the cartoonists.

Some prominent political cartoonists are K. Shankar Pillai known as Shankar of Shankar’s Weekly fame (which shut down during Emergency ), Abu Abraham, Mario Miranda, Vijay Narain Seth khown as Vins who worked for Reader’s Digest, Paresh Nath of National Herald.