When it comes to satire and memes, politicians are fair game in Kerala

Viral memes of Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor smashing coconut has been setting the Internet ablaze. Clad in a yellow kurta and kasavu mundu (dhoti with a golden-threaded border) combination and armed with a coconut, the picture was shared by Tharoor himself. The image metamorphosed into memes in no time and Tharoor found himself striking a Bharatnatyam pose, mixing tea with a high-arm action, on a cricket pitch and even in a wrestling match.

The 65-year-old politician, a very early convert to social media, not only took the hilarious memes on his chin, but went on to retweet his favourite ones. While non-Keralites might credit Tharoor’s liberal instincts for being such a sport, it is a fact that politicians from Kerala are not as uptight as their compatriots from other states — it’s par for the course in Kerala.

Long before the arrival of social media, political satire thrived in Kerala in various forms: from cartoons and kadhaprasangam (story-telling act) to mimicry and spoofs on TV, lampooning politicians is part of the general irreverence of a Keralite’s psyche. Unlike neighbouring Tamil Nadu where movie stars are worshiped, or in West Bengal where their heroes are adored, people in Kerala are by nature irreverent — with politicians often being at the receiving end.

In fact, the state, having celebrated its centenary of cartoons in 2019, has produced an illustrious line of acclaimed political cartoonists who went on to win national and international recognition. Long before that, in the 18th century, Kunjan Nambiar had developed the art form of Ottanthullal, which was an instrument for social and political criticism of the times. Ottanthullal was itself an improvised form of the more traditional Chakyar Koothu, an art form that dates back even further, a testament to the existence of satire in present day Kerala.

These classical art forms made way for kadhaprasangam and later mimicry, lending imitation into an art form of sorts. Many mimicry artists went on to spoof the voices and mannerisms of politicians such as Congress leaders K Karunakaran, AK Antony, and Oommen Chandy, and Communist leaders EK Nayanar, and VS Achuthananthan, among others, thus adding a different dimension to the thriving political cartoons and caricatures in the press. These artists later graduated to political skits and stand-up acts, often times crude and exaggerated, but occasionally highbrow and enlightening.

Full-length satirical films such as Panchavadippalam (1984), Sandesham (1991), Arabikkadha (2007), Oru Indian Pranayakadha (2013) and Vellimoonga (2014) capture the essence of the bi-polar politics of Kerala over the years with elements of Marxist theory and Gandhian ideals juxtaposed with realpolitik.

The arrival of 24X7 news channels saw political satire becoming a staple, with the 9.30 PM slot on virtually every news channel exclusively reserved for it. Despite tight schedules and limited scope for creativity, satirists invariably come up with rushes of the day’s political events spruced with terrific commentary, interspersed with famous dialogues from movies and imagery. These shows extended the parody culture, and have a dedicated fan base.

Munshi, a long-running political capsule on a news channel has a village bumpkin, a Congressman, a Communist and a Muslim, all coming together to discuss the pressing political issue of the day and a wise observer (the munshi) summing up the conversation with a sharp proverb or a quote. Of late, a Hindutva figure also finds representation, perhaps to add more shades.

When the dour-faced Pinarayi Vijayan became Chief Minister in 2016, many feared whether satirists would voluntarily tone down their criticism but none of that happened. In fact, these shows were more reflective of reality and hard-hitting than the preceding primetime debates on many news channels.

The advent of social media heralded the arrival of memes, known as ‘trolls’ (not to be confused with trolls lurking in the social media) in the local lexicon, with movie imagery dominating the medium to aid familiarity and instant recall.

Irrespective of what transpires on social media, and despite the growth of the ‘hurt-sentiments’ tribe which is accompanied by faith-revivalism, politicians are still fair game in Kerala.

Anand Kochukudy is a journalist.

Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.