Fondly called the ‘sweetest rival’ by veteran cartoonist Rebotibhushan, Amal Chakraborti always wanted to be a cartoonist. In 1950, when young Amal won an award at the ‘The Children’s Art Competition’ organized by Shankar’s Weekly, the venerable Shankar encouraged the young artist to keep up the good work. His first political cartoon appeared in Sochitra Bharat and then at The Statesman, Achalpatra, Darpan, Joshtimadhu, Anandabazar Patrika, etc. It is at Achalpatra that Amal met and was mentored by Saila Chakraborty. An avid fan of Osbert Lancaster – the ‘Father of Pocket Cartoons’, Amal perfected the art of conveying a substantive idea through the minuscule frame allotted to him at a corner of a daily. In 1961, Ananda Bazar Patrika asked him so to contribute to their regular box cartoon ‘Tirjok’ (The Oblique) but failed to keep its word. Amrita Bazar Patrika employed Amal instead and in 1963, ‘Smile Day’ appeared in the paper. The sister publication Jugantor published his box cartoons in ‘Abyartho’ (The Infallible). Together, Amal’s work reached a significant population across languages. Later, he drew for a column called ‘Rojnamta’ (Daily Notings), illustrating funny couplets on contemporary social and political situations that were penned by various poets. On Satyajit Ray’s request, Amal drew for Ray’s family magazine Sandesh and also for Shanibarer Chithi and Chitrak. In 1992, he joined the new daily broadsheet Sangbad Pratidin and has remained there since, doling out his daily dose of laughter in his pocket cartoon, ‘Amal Aloy’ (In the Light of Amal). Amal Chakraborty is now an institution in his own right and the last of the practitioners of sharp-witted pocket cartoons.
