1. Chackalethu John Yesudasan, known as Yesudasan, was an Indian political cartoonist from Kerala.
16 Facts About Yesudasan
1. 2.
Yesudasan was the founding chairman of the Kerala Cartoon Academy and chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi.
3.
Yesudasan was born on 12 June 1938 in Bharanikkavu near Mavelikkara in the Alappuzha district of modern day Kerala to Chakalethu John Mathai and Mariamma John.
4.
Yesudasan obtained his bachelor's degree from the Catholicate Faculty in Pathanamthitta.
5.
Yesudasan published his first cartoon in 1955 in a magazine called Asoka published from Kottayam.
6.
Yesudasan entered the world of political cartoons in 1960, drawing for Janayugom, the Malayalam daily of the Communist Party of India.
7.
Yesudasan worked there for three years, drawing a pocket cartoon with the character Kittumman, after which he joined Shankar's Weekly in Delhi.
8.
Yesudasan joined the Malayala Manorama group in 1985 as staff cartoonist, running cartoon columns in the paper and The Week magazine.
9.
Yesudasan worked with the group until his retirement in 2010.
10.
Yesudasan's cartoons served as a commentary on contemporary political events and were noted to be bold and added a fearless criticism of the political developments of the day.
11.
Yesudasan was the founding chairman of Kerala Cartoon Academy and had served as the president and chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi.
12.
Yesudasan wrote the dialogues for the Malayalam political satire film Panchavadi Palam by director K G George.
13.
Yesudasan received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Institute of Cartoonists in 2001.
14.
Yesudasan was the cartoonist of the year award winner of the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club in 1990 and 1992.
15.
Yesudasan died in Kochi on 6 October 2021 at the age of 83 from a heart attack caused by COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
16.
Yesudasan is a member of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and his funeral took place at St Mary Chapel in Chittoor.