Sanjay Raut shares cartoon on Twitter: This is called a 'phatka'

Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut tweets cartoon heavy with symbolism, dismisses all that chatter about it being an indicator of things to come

Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut started the fireworks on Dhanteras yesterday. Raut tweeted a real teaser, a cartoon of a tiger (Shiv Sena symbol) smelling a lotus (the BJP symbol). The feline is wearing a neckpiece of a clock (the NCP symbol) around his neck.

The tweet is on Raut's verified Twitter account, and the cartoon has been signed as Ravi (name of the cartoonist). It has also been captioned as 'Burra naa maano Diwali hai (do not take this to heart, it's Diwali). The toon has triggered a firestorm with a not-so-subtle message about the Sena, NCP and Congress coming together to stop the BJP from retaining power in Maharashtra.

Oh, really?

Raut laughed uproariously when asked if there was a message behind the cartoon. "What symbolism?" said the Sena leader. "Why are you talking about a message? I don't want to send across any message. This is about pure and simple cartooning, do not bring politics into it," he added.

Sanjay Raut and Ravi Rane

The cartoon has been done by Ravi Rane, an independent cartoonist. Sticking to the 'it's aesthetics only' theme, Raut said, "Think about Bal Thackerayji and what a good cartoonist he was. He used to have strokes. In the same way, I see the power of the brush in this cartoon. There is great strength in it. I shared it and it went viral. This is called a phatka (stroke)."

Asked once again whether he was trying to say that the Sena would ally with the NCP, he laughed and said enigmatically in a Marathi-English mix, "Look carefully. In the cartoon the tiger kamal cha waas gheto, tyala gheun dya (let the tiger keep smelling the lotus)."

The creator

Ravi Rane, the creator, who does cartooning as a hobby chuckled as he said, "My work is getting too much attention. I have been doing political cartooning since three years, but not that much. Most of my cartoons are apolitical. Yet, the Vidhan Sabha results absolutely lent itself to cartooning. The unexpected twists and turns mean that someone might do something totally unexpected. It is going to be exciting to follow the mind games of the different parties and see how this plays out."

As an artiste, Rane is pleased as punch that his work is eliciting so much interpretation. "I have been following reactions on social media, some say: 'see the tiger's paw is open. He is showing his nails, it is a moment of pride for him...'. I never intended that in my work, it is not deliberate, but it is interesting the way people react.

There is power in cartoons. It is a genre that speaks by being concise. An entire editorial can be expressed through one cartoon. It is a medium which exemplifies the strength of the succinct," explained the Thane-based cartoonist. "It is great to see my creation going viral, without hurting anybody." Like the catch line of the cartoon says, "Burra na maano, Diwali hai."

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!