By Om Tat Sat,
Every newspaper most likely has a daily cartoon as an attraction feature. Most people can probably numerate their favorite cartoons from their school life. Cartoons have been bright spot on even the most doom-filled days to succinctly express ideas that are political, social, and economical or anything tinged with humor. Satire and cartoons are probably the most unique human character. It is usually the bright spot in a humdrum daily routine. In the current time of unprecedented global home confinement of human species, cartoons are a delight like a serving of one’s favorite dessert. Covid-19 had given some variation in the Nepal’s context as many of the cartoons of noted scribe, Rajesh Manandhar have gone beyond satire and been informative and educational for the mass.
Rajesh Manandhar is an Art teacher at Budhanilkantha school. He can be reached at kipakala@gmail.com.
Along with being informative and making people practice preventive measures, cartoons also placed some funny take on the two major festival season of Nepal. Since the beginning of New Year 2077 was completely marred by the pandemic as the Mother’s Day, they were topic of some mirth as well. While the corona virus is depicted as a new kind of wisher for the new year, mother’s day illustrates the damping effect on the celebration.
The most serious effect and the turmoil was obviously created in the social life of the people that are major topic of the artist. From the satire on how the humans are caged like animals thus offering a tit-for-tat perspective, animals are having the opposite effect. In the same spirit, the total breakdown of normal daily routine is also a point of interest.
Other impact of the lockdown, very likely to last for two months, is presented as in fantasizing by people restricted to sleeping off the days and dreaming of freedom. Or at least, it can be interpreted as freedom only existing in dream state. Another aspect relevant to Covid-19 constitutes the abnormal time when a simple act of coughing, never been sinister before, terrorizing children and others in the vicinity.
Other aspect of transformation in our thoughts touched on the working from home, and the idea of social distancing and keeping sanitorial habits like using the face mask, washing hands and not touching the face are new norms of children to adults. Such new norms of the pandemic are issues of interest. On the more sinister effect of the abnormal time is the massive dislocation of urban people forced to migrate to their rural abode in massive number.
So, going through these cartoons gives us the full effect of the microscopic entity into the ruler of the Earth. No one had foreseen coronavirus being the force to subdue humanity, while many had foreseen and warned of such a scenario. Nevertheless the ultimate message remains that it is never safe to breech the basic safety measures. The virus takes no break like humans. So, folks, while we cannot go and fight the invisible threat, it is always the best option to keep it at bay by using our main asset, the intellect. Be safe!
Rajesh Manandhar is an Art teacher at Budhanilkantha school. He can be reached at kipakala@gmail.com
The writer is a graduate of Arizona State University in Political Science. He is working as a social activist and motivational speaker for students across Nepal since 2007.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necesarily reflect the official policy or position of Nepalisite.
