Untitled

Chittaprosad devised a narrative style to render powerful images of dissent of the oppressed masses denouncing the ruling class. A number of his caricatures address the dire issue of food shortage experienced by people after Independence. A crippled economy and infective government policies worsened the food shortage in the face of an influx of refugees. Eventually, the Nehruvian government imposed the system of ration cards, which did not do much to improve the situation. In this illustration Chittaprosad depicts towering stacks of food supply shrouded in illegitimacy, with a board sarcastically announcing, ‘Everything sold here without ration card’. A man dressed in a kurta, Nehru coat, and cap, tries to reveal such a blatant act of hoarding but is aggressively stopped by a policeman, who seems to be in alliance with the conniving character who smirks at them as he tries to pull the shroud back on.