NYT Cartoon: Why should we care?

Yippee! The New York Times has apologised. Can you imagine the significance of such an action? The venerable granddaddy of journalism had to say sorry to the Indian hoi polloi.

2014 is certainly a landmark year when it comes to thumping the Indian chest. Indians got a new no-nonsense prime minister, Indians sent a spacecraft to Mars, Indians heckled and roughed up a "desi" journalist in far away "Amrika" and Indians got NYT to say sorry for a cartoon. 

New York Times' cartoon on India's Mars mission

What an ugly cartoon it was, it lampooned every character that it had on the single panel. There were two fat westerners sitting on fat sofas sipping fattening drinks. What a cliché I say. Then, they lampooned the Indian farmer who was holding on to the venerable Indian cow. The fat westerners were sitting inside their exclusive Elite Space Club and the Indian farmer with the cow was knocking on their door. The fat westerners were holding a newspaper that headlined India’s Mars mission success.

And this entire Western plot was executed by an artist in Singapore. Look at the international conspiracy that was hatched to make India look small. But naturally there were vehement protests over how NYT portrayed India and Indians. How dare they have a thin looking farmer and the cow be the representatives of a nation that sends missions to Mars? How impertinent of them to show the westerners as very well fed and attired in suits and bow tie while the poor farmer only wears a dhoti and kurta shirt with a small headgear on his head.

But then I sat back and thought and thought. What is it that the cartoon has done that is so objectionable to the Indian psyche? Was it the fact that the Indian was shown wearing a dhoti and short kurta that millions and millions of Indians wear? Was it that the Indian was thin compared to the fat westerners? Was it that a frugal Indian was knocking at the door of an Elite Club demanding entry? Was it the look of consternation on fat western faces because of the realisation that they will now have to give the Indian chap an entry into their club?

Or was it the fact that they showed India as being represented by a farmer looking chap? Could that be it? Were Indians displaying angst about being portrayed as mere farmers? No that cannot be true. After all Gandhiji onwards, everyone has led us to believe that India is an agrarian society and farmers are its main stay.

So why should Indians be touchy about being shown as farmers? Remember Jai Jawan Jai Kisan?

It was then that realisation hit me. Go Mata! The devilish Singaporean cartoonist in cahoots with the debauched editors of NYT has shown our Mother in such bad light. The cow in the cartoon has a bored expression. How can a mother have such an expression when her son is so proudly knocking on the doors of the West challenging them to open it?

It is an affront to the Indian nationhood and culture and 5000 year old history. We gave them zero and Kamasutra and this is how they treat us. Don’t they know that without either their life would be worth nothing?

Moral of the story: Nobody draws a bored cow and gets away without saying sorry.