Ajit Ninan, like the best of his generation, was not merely a cartoonist but also a keeper of time. As we look through his works of the last four decades, we are reminded of different periods of our own private histories. He gave us delightful little visual clues that brought us closer to how we felt at different times. Therefore, it would not be a stretch to call Ninan, who passed away in Mysuru on Friday at 68, a visual historian of feelings, both of the individual as well as the Nation.

Ninan’s take on society and politics had been sharp as well as light. They say that a samurai is the strongest when his sword never leaves the scabbard. Ninan was that samurai. His style wasn’t confrontational or combative. His commentary was understated and wrapped in gentle humour. It helped him to have a lasting effect on the reader; his images would endure in his/her mind. Using these tools, he made some of the most powerful comments on society.

Another aspect of Ninan’s work, no less significant than his political cartoons, is his contribution to children’s literature. He created characters who became permanently etched in our collective memory and later on, became the source of characters that we ourselves produced. Among his most iconic creations were Detective Moochwala, and his dog Pooch, which appeared in the youth magazine Target in the 1980s. The bus conductor, the parking attendant, the seller of second-hand electronic items, the receptionist at Shastri Bhawan, the nervous dentist, the medical representative, the road-side seller of virility potions, the wholesale trader, the RWA head, the chairman of the Army Wives Welfare Association, Ninan gave us the world.

Ninan understood the power of imagination. If imagination was a muscle then children need to build it as much as physical strength and mental agility. As we grow old it is imagination that helps us deal with disappointment, depression, and lack of hope. Imagination helps us combat our fears, debate, comprehend, and register our anger. Imagination also helps us heal ourselves and get re-enchanted with life. Ninan had a bottomless well of imagination that he drew from, which he then generously distributed among his readers and encouraged them to develop their own.

Looking back at Ninan’s drawings brings me nothing less than great joy. How could he bring so much life and theatre in a single frame? My guess is that he did not stumble upon his style overnight. It was produced from years of dedicated drawing, keen observation, and a sense of the ridiculous. He must have spent hours in street-corner tea shops, Udupi restaurants, residential neighbourhoods and railway stations, sketching people, animals, objects, and how they move and interact with each other. Only after years of experimenting with form could he have produced these simple yet brilliantly expressive and perfectly composed images.

My hope is that one day Ninan’s estate would bring his papers and notebooks for public viewing. We have mostly seen his finished images. I desire to see his process; the pathways that he must have taken to arrive at the final drawing. What mysterious forces might have guided him to depict such a precise understanding of the human condition?

I feel that through Ninan’s images we can somewhat reclaim our immediate past which would be of great significance to historians, youth and people who are looking for a still place in this constantly moving world.

Banerjee is the author of numerous comic books