Aasha

Welcome to Life Beyond Tax! Our guest is blessed with the unique ability of bearing right into the soul of the subject and drawing it out on paper. His passion is drawing caricatures. He is featured in the Limca Book of Records as the Fastest caricaturist in 2010, who sketched 651 full body caricatures in half a day or just 12 hours. Within one minute our guest somehow connected with the subject and brought out that one peculiar feature of personality trait that typically defines the person.

Meet Mr Sajjive Balakrishnan, Deputy Commissioner in Income Tax Department, Kochi, Kerala. His passion is his people. Without any formal training as an artist he learnt this art through his many teachers starting with his mother who introduced him to dressing paper and the picture of a bird behind the note book. His father is his hero and also defended him from the wrath of the family elders when he doodled with charcoal on their whitewashed wall of their 130 years old ancestral home. The child hungry for more learnt from the local barber, the village people besides undergoing formal training by correspondence from his teacher heading the Shantanu Cartoon Academy in Chennai. Sajjive first cartoon was published while he was still in school. He won several prizes in college. He went on to win the first 'John Abhram Award' for budding cartoonist, 1985 and went on to hold his solo exhibition in caricature. Well there is no looking back since. He has sketched more than 1,025 people of different nationality. He has his own blog under the title of ‘Fat Cartoonist'. He loves music and his wife is a well-known playback singer. Together with their son Shiddarth the family is settled in Ernakulam, Kerala. Sajjive was recently in Delhi, let's go to Pragati Maidan to meet our rolly polly cartoonist, a heavy weight in the world of caricature.

Aasha

Sajjive, welcome to Life Beyond Tax! When did you first become aware of your ability to sketch?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

My mother would be my first drawing. I remember because of drawing of a bird in my 5 th standard. After a long period I attempted to draw but that was not fulfilled. I participated in competition in my 7 th standard although I did not win. From my 8 th standard I solely participated in competitions and won prizes as well, basically from school levels.

Aasha

But then you would always draw on the walls of your ancestral house?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Yaah! At that time the only flair for me was my drawing. So my father (who is no more) detected my flair for drawing and enrolled me in Shantanu Chitra Vidyalaya, Chennai, which is a prominent drawing school in South India.

Aasha

But can you learn cartooning through correspondence?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Actually my Guru was a splendid one; I got assignment for two weeks and I had to send it back after my half of home work was done and they used to probably send it back after two weeks. And earlier when I tried to contact him, he became blind and died before I could locate him. I always feel that my Guru is me whenever I hold my pen in hand, “without Guru there is nothing”. Because of the grace of my Guru , blessings of my mother and father I have the feeling that I can take my art lightly. Wherever I go, even if I have a small pad and pen with me, I would ask for the permission of the viewer and do one minute caricature. I believe that they will take home the caricature and showed it to their dear ones.

Aasha

You are spreading light among people.

Aasha

Actually, even if in artist you can see a small person of cartoonist; and also even in cartoonist there is a small person of caricaturist. And also in caricaturist there is a small person of fast caricaturist. Basically we are not using rubber but straight away go into the paper. So in one minute we have to finish up everything that we are so sure of everything. If the line goes off nothing can be done. So there has to be Guru's grace. Constantly, I am genuine to take it lightly. Whenever I draw my instinct every time is like the feel of' 'Me' that ‘I AM DOING'. If you think on that ‘I Am Doing' then go back on that and it just destroys the feeling. It's a constant struggle against the feeling of me whenever I draw. So the artist will be hang between and keep on saying that ‘It's Not Me'....!

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Somehow I got this blessing and from the nature only imbibing the props to fill the caricatures, so nothing is mine.

Aasha

You are the Deputy Commissioner in the Income Tax Department, are you in a wrong profession?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

People use to say and even some of my senior officers tell me that you have your choice. But I never felt so because the Department has been pampering me enough for cartooning because I have to be in the department working like a Deputy Commissioner. But at the same time, unfortunately the office wants that it takes minimum amount of time, it just happens in one minute. Sometimes even if assessee is interested then he comes or some person comes for advice. If there is time left and finds the face very interesting, I just take it and do it in one minute. So it will help in very good impression of the department also. Already the Department has changed; the human relationship has tremendously become friendly.

Aasha

What is the nature of your job?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

At present I am looking after the technical part. I am a Deputy Commissioner technically to the Principal Chief Secretary Kochi. I mostly look after the transitory of delay, interest behavior, grievances or audit etc like technical sides.

Aasha

Most the assessees would come to you probably with a grievance and you draw their caricatures and they return happily.

Sajjive Balakrishnan

I have to first redress their grievances and to act to their pleasure then I would add a caricature. I would always make sure that technically their grievances are solved.

Aasha

When you say that if a person has a very interesting face, so what is it which draws your interest?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Caricature is all about exaggeration! Look at me I am a bundle of big features; I have perfectly a round shape. I have slightly bulging eyes and look at my eyes something like crucifier. And I dont have a neck, it's like the head instead stay into the body. My body is like a pumpkin; so I am a bundle of inches. So whenever I go to school camps, so naturally they will ask this question what to learn and what to look for. Because when you talk about observation part, they will naturally do not know what to do and what not to do. Just look at me, it is just the spark we see in the face. We add good face in it with certain pattern but ones you depart from it, we say it is off track.

Aasha

When you see the person where is the time to connect with the person?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

It's a perpetuation! For that I have to get used to it. I have 1.25 lakhs caricatures of some of the nationalities.

Sajjive Balakrishnan

I keep on drwing. Everywhere I keep on drawing.

Aasha

Does particular nationality have specific features?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Definitely. For example Newzealand. They have very spaced out features. In the northen countries, Albanian they got narrow nose, reddish teeth, African people got thick lips. So one thing that once you get used to of drawing you keep on drawing so many people. So practice is necessary & fundamental. You have to practice till death then Guru's Grace is there.

Aasha

When the person is sitting before you what is the feature that you look for ? The most prominent feature in the face and that is the feature which you will exaggerate..

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Yes. Definitely. Otherwise you will not be able to finish because our face is such an integrated mechanism. So when we come to the face, we are catching it, we are simplifying in 2-3 lines and we are putting it in 2 minutes. So definitely resemblance part has to be done to that extent. You have to be aware of that. Then we look for basic feature like the nose and all.

The problem which comes when it is very blank face, no features so then it becomes very hard to caricature them. So what we do is just portray them and I put some cartoonish feature on the face. So almost 50% people come here are such blank faces.

And here I find in delhi, amost all ladies are heavily made up, so it becomes very difficult to disable what is crust of the make-up. So that is one thing.

Aasha

So , bascally your fear would be the mask which people wear.

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Yes. If they come in without any make-up that will be fine. So we can wash up some time and then start. There are two things to emphasize on - One is resemblance part & second is Inner bhava  - the impression that they bring that suits their face and then I find to bring their body language and that's it.

Aasha

So, this is where your sensitivity comes in order to be able to catch their Inner bhava.

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Yes.

Aasha

So when you come across with such blank face, so what do you do then? Do you sometimes make subjects smile, when the person has no smile on the face?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

It's very difficult. By experience I can know that when I see pouted lips. I know how pouted it can be and when it goes for smile or if it frowns I know how deep it may go. So by experience I can know. I do fantasize sometimes but it is like tight rope walk. Sometimes it may be correct and sometimes I may fall off. But everything I take very lightly. I am always susceptible to mistakes. Even if I fall I can take it lightly.

Aasha

How do you bring this lightness into your work?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

A lot of Practice & Experience. I have been drawing from the age of 15. I entered the arena of caricature at the age of 15 .

Aasha

My question to you was how do you bring lightness which you put into the character of caricature into your work when you deal with grievances and interest refund has not been issued.

Sajjive Balakrishnan

At work, I cant be like this. I have unique kind of art. I have that kind of art which can show people in one minute. It takes only one minute and people can cherish that piece of paper for long time. Sometimes a person who is sitting across me gets jittery; I feel that okay I can make him happy in one minute. Then I try to pacify and I always scceed. Because I keep the smiling face. I think smile is very important. Smile is small curve that sets many things straight. so I believe in that.

Aasha

When you knew that you had a gift, how did you know that caricature and how you were going to express it?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Basically I wanted to be a cartoonist, an editorial cartoonist. I had the feeling I should go to the national newspaper as editorial cartoonist but the things have changed drastically. Now the space for editorial cartoons has been reduced completely. Even the editorial pocket cartoons that comes on the first page, is limited to one column. So at that time I had a feeling that I should join newspaper so I can become like famous caricaturists, like vijay Nair, but I couldnot. Then once I joined the Department there was no question of political cartooning. But it did political cartooning for small magazines in Malayalam. And a few cartoons for the Indian Express also. Then I stopped political cartooning all together, then I thought of going for caricatures, absolutely harmless. And also I can make more friends. I took it as mission .

Aasha

And you have been specially invited from kerala to be a part of the trade fare.

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Yes. Last year aslo I was invited and this time also. 14 days at a stretch but to me its a practice session. I see different types of faces & different trends.

Aasha

So, what is the major difference between the Malayali person & Delhiites.

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Malyali faces are brown, round face, thick lips and longer nose or curvish nose. Sometimes Pathan like features, very grave face also which you usually don't find in Kerala; long and straightened hair and when I finish my drawing there is customery pose, and they always pose the same ( a bit dramatic never straight)

Aasha

What kind of support have you received from the Department?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Holistic support. Full support. Fortunately, from the beginning only I have been getting full support. I was invited to the Income Tax Day & I was called to Delhi to participate in that. So everytime they are very supportive. Caricature is unique thing.

Aasha

Absolutely & you have been invited here not as much as Deputy Commissioner but as DC who also does caricature.

Sajjive Balakrishnan

Yes. Only because of that. So that is kind of approach Department has been taking.

Aasha

How many exhibitions you have done so far?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

I have conducted only one exhibition ... that was 2000. But I would say I am gypsy cartoonist, as I told you wherever i go I have my pen and paper, so whenever I feel like I just sit and draw. So that's how I do & I don't go for formal things. Formal things make me very tight, and want to make myself very light so one should not be formal also. If you are going through formal patches of life then this natural ting will not come.

Aasha

What are your goals ahead?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

I don't have particular goal but yes in that sense I want to visit the schools. I want to sensitize children about the basic principals in life like the respects they should have towards their elders, the loneliness of old people, honesty, absolute integrity in life

Aasha

How do you plan to carry out this art forward?

Sajjive Balakrishnan

I keep on drawing. That is the only way I find. Definitely I am bringing plesures in strangers' lives. I draw and I forget but they keep it with themselves for longer and cherish the art. So I think this is the best way.

Aasha

So you bring joy in people's lives and we wish you all the very best for carrying the joy forward and spread it all over the world. Thank you so much!