Captionless cartoonist SD Phadnis turns 100 on Tuesday, his lines & drawing bring out the humour

Time of India

26-07-2025

Pune: Caricatures are funny and their punchlines drip with wit but captionless cartoons, if they are S D Phadnis's, are a class apart.
Popular as Shi Da, his caricatures that have maintained appeal for seven decades, stick to anatomical accuracy, an uncommon practice.
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"I capture the distortions of thought and behaviour, not physical features," the man, who will turn a 100 years old on Tuesday, said.
His appearance belies his age— a good posture and stride with a mind so sharp that it finds humour in everyday life, the eminent cartoonist is a whirlwind of energy.
A three-day festival celebrating his life and works will be held at Balgandharva Rangmandir from July 27 to 29 by Vasundhara Club and Cartoonists Combine.
Born in Bhoj, a small village in Belagavi, Phadnis schooled in Kolhapur before joining JJ School of Art in Mumbai. A senior advised him to study commercial art, and he could blend his passion for drawing with practical application in advertising.
"The cartoons in Punch, The Saturday Evening Post and The London Opinion fascinated me. I started drawing cartoons and sending them to Marathi magazines. My first publication was in 1946 in Manohar magazine published by SV Kirloskar.
I was still in college," Phadnis added.
The turning point came when his cartoon was published on the cover of Mohini magazine in 1952 by famed editor Anant Antarkar.
"It was a Diwali edition, and at a time when the cover would be a film star or women doing cultural things, Antarkar took a risk, and that paid off. Since then, the cover art for all editions of Mohini have been mine. This year will be the 74th edition," Phadnis said.
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After a brief stay in Kolhapur, he moved to Pune and has lived here for decades. His wife Shakuntala, an author, was his first critic, offering feedback on his drafts until she passed away.
"I have been trained to think visually and not use words. Many people ask me about captionless cartoons. I do nothing different, nor is it a planned move. Lines and colours are my alphabet. Because there are no words, my cartoons can be exhibited anywhere, and understood too.
My cartoon is my language," he added.
Though he dabbled in political cartoons, Shi Da chose a more creative pursuit. His first exhibition was at Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai in 1965, followed by shows in the UK and the US. Despite admiring figures like Dinanath Dalal, S V Kirloskar, Mario Miranda, and Shankar, Shi Da held his own.
Phadnis considers his work on mathematics textbooks his greatest challenge. From 1978 to 2010, he illustrated textbooks for Stds I to IV, using cartoons to make division and multiplication more accessible.
This, he said, was a significant achievement in helping children grasp mathematics.
He has steered clear of controversies, but the criticism that political cartoons now receive leaves him sad. "Criticism should be through words. Shankar would criticise Nehru, Ambedkar, and Gandhi and their policies but it drew no backlash from them or their admirers," he added.
The easygoing cartoonist has embraced new technology though he believes it cannot replace artistic originality. "I don't know much about AI, but creativity cannot be replaced," he added.
Phadnis is also a skilled mechanic and a carpenter. And the secret to his longevity? Daily yoga, a set routine, and stress-free living.