The journey of a cartoonist and his new book

NANDA Soobben, who was referred to as “the POST cartoonist” in his early career, for his assortment of contributions to the title, is preparing to release his third book, Shut Your Pothole.

- CANDICE SOOBRAMONEY

The book, which will be launched on May 31 at Phansi Museum, contains 140 selected cartoons.

“In my career, which spans almost 40 years, I have done about 3 000 cartoons. This book includes some of the older cartoons and those that were done more recently. They appeared in various newspaper titles, including the Independent Media stable, and syndicated international publications,” said Soobben of Isipingo Beach.

The award-winning cartoonist said when he looked through the book and reflected on his career, there were many incidents and people that had shaped his life.

“I was raised in Clairwood and as a child, I always loved drawing. I was 9 years old when the teachers at Mobeni Primary School took us to watch Tom Thumb. They thereafter asked us to draw a scene from the story, which I did, and I won first prize for my efforts. I still have the story book. I come from a family who were well-read and politically conscious. My grandmother, Gangamma Reddy, was in the passive resistance movement and we used to spend our evenings sitting outside our home, in front of the fire, talking about what was happening politically.

“As a teenager, I began drawing on walls with charcoal and chalk. This was done at my house, my friends’ buildings, and on the street. My parents used to scold me but this, I guess, was my way of expressing myself on a larger platform. I also drew illustrations for activists, like Strini Moodley, and members of the Natal Indian Congress, who needed placards for demonstrations.”

He said one incident stood out for him — that got his career started. And it began with this newspaper title.