From politics to gender equality and global issues, Karnika Kahen has an opinion on everything and she isn’t mincing words. The brainchild of cartoonist Kanika Mishra, Karnika, the Aam Ladki of India, as she identifies herself, was born out of the need to express herself and downright anger.
“The Asaram incident served as the trigger. My first cartoon showed Karnika as the Aam Kadki urging Asaram’s followers to find him on the moon since they’ve claimed true devotion can help them see their leader’s face in the moon,” she said in an interview with Femina.
It took all of one week for her cartoons to go viral and Kanika hasn’t looked back since.
Last year Kanika became the first woman to win an award for Courage in Cartooning from Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI). “Karnika is a female cartoon character, a socially and politically aware girl from India, who believes in expressing her thoughts without any fear. She is the first India aam ladki in the world of political cartoons,” she states on her website.
It’s heartening to see a female cartoonist who won’t limit herself to commenting on feminist issues. From politics to global issues to everyday sexism, we women are affected by it all and Karnika is out to prove just that to the world.
Image courtesy: Karnika Karhen
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