VG Narendra: Brain Behind IIC

V.G. Narendra, the brain behind the Indian Institute of Cartoonists, the first National-level organization of cartoonists in India, was influenced by the cartoons of the great Shankar during his school days. Even while in school, he was contributing cartoons to several periodicals.

During his college days, he started drawing pocket and political cartoons for newspapers. Armed with a science degree from Karnataka University, Narendra then headed for Bombay to make a career for himself. He was soon contributing to the Illustrated Weekly of India, Dharmyug, and Other magazines. After a while, he joined Ranga Rekha Features, Mumbai, the first Indian Comic Feature Syndicate. His pocket cartoon, ‘Reporter Sanju, began appearing in over 15 daily newspapers in several languages. A chance visit to the office of the ‘Free Press Journal’ resulted in an invitation to contribute political cartoons to the paper. His work caught the eye of Shankar, who sent him a message asking him to meet him in Delhi. Narendra went over, and worked with Shankar on an experimental basis for a week. An impressed Shankar invited him to join ‘Shankar N’s Weekly’. That was a turning point in Narendra’s life. Two years later, when Shankar’s Weekly was forced to close down because of the Emergency, Narendra moved to Bangalore and joined Samyukta Karnataka Daily as a Staff cartoonist in 1976. After 11 years there, he moved to another leading Kannada daily, Kannada Prabha, where he worked for 20 years. Since the establishment of the Indian Institute of Cartoonists in 2001, has been devoting his time and energy to promote the art of cartooning in India, as a managing trustee of the Institute. His talents were recognized and honored by the Karnataka Cartoonists Association, the Karnataka Media Academy, the Karnataka Working Journalists Union, the Bangalore Press Club, the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, and other organizations.