What a Life! (A Kaleidoscope of Rajinder Puri's Cartoons)

In this Kaleidoscopic collection are some of the best political cartoons since Independence by Rajinder Puri, Used as a vehicle for spreading public awareness on the burning issues of the day, these cartoons give us a glimpse of Puri's virtuosity as a prescient columnist, fearless writer, and activist. His work exudes a certain directions and purity of purpose that continues to impress and intrigue discerning readers in its combination of realism and humour. No matter how controversial some of Puri's cartoons seem, his vision of the society, politics and life will continue to play and important role in contemporary culture.

Rajinder Puri's cartoons appeared in The Manchester Guardian and The Glasgow Herald in the UK (1957-59). He was the staff cartoonist for The Hindustan Times (1959-65) and The Statesman (1969-70). He also drew cartoons for publications as diverse as The Indian Express, The Hindu, The Illustrated Weekly of India and Outlook, to mention a few.

His published works include India 1969: A Crisis of Conscience (1971); India: The Wasted Years (1975); Government That Works and How! (1989); Recovery of India (1992); Bull's Eye (2004) and A Tale of Two Countries: Chronicles of a Columnist (2008).

Puri edited Stir Weekly from 1972 to 1974. He was General Secretary of the Ianata Party in 1977 and the Lok Dal in 1979. He later formed the Ekta Party, which merged with the Janata Dal.

Partha Chatterjee is a filmmaker, critic, and journalist, who has written on the arts for leading Indian newspapers and magazines like Economic Times, Tehelka.com, New Indian Express, Frontline, and Fountain Ink among others. He lives in Delhi.

Arvindar Singh is a consummate columnist and entrepreneur. His works include a biography of former Prime Minister Morarji Desai Morarji

Desai: A Profile in Courage and an anthology of his writings Myths and Realities of Security and Public Affairs. He wrote a monograph on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw for the United Services Institution of India

in 2003. Perceptive interviewing has also been a forte with him. Singh is an advisor to the literary festival, Valley of Words, held in Dehradun. He was for many years Associate Editor of the Security Journal Defence Watch. He has also been associated with Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and is on the management committee of the Dehradun kendra of this institution.