Space is the limit for creativity, says ISRO chairman Somnath

Hyderabad: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr K Somnath said on Tuesday that space was the limit for creativity and called upon the professionals to rise to the highest level in their chosen field.

The Telugu Region Malayali Association and Hyderabad Forum for Political Cartoonists Association, with the support of the Telangana Department of Language and Culture, organised a cartoon exhibition in the name of 'Space Toon' in which Somnath was the chief guest. Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao also participated in the programme.

Speaking on this occasion, Somnath said that when he was young, he used to draw cartoons, and he liked cartoonists and the humour in cartoons very much. He said that the spaceship cartoon in the famous series TinTin surprised him a lot, and now he was happy to be the head of the ISRO. He said that India was achieving success in a very short period of time and with a very small budget, and the reason for that was the scientist’s fraternity. The journey, which was started by Vikram Sarabhai, has now made a lot of progress till Chandrayaan 3.

Somnath said that it was the responsibility of senior cartoonists to train new cartoonists by providing support and encouragement to those who choose this field. On this occasion, the Department of Language and Culture was congratulated for organising a cartoon exhibition with the theme of space. Somnath answered questions asked by the students regarding space exploration.

Minister Krishna Rao said that the cartoon has few lines, but thirty meanings are hidden in those lines. “Cartoons—make you think—that's why cartoons are liked by everyone; cartoons are an art that can not only influence the common people but also influential people. Famous cartoonists K Shankar Pillai, RK Laxman, and EP Unni enriched the cartoon field. RK Laxman's cartoons were very harsh on contemporary politics. Today Telangana was a care of address for all the artists as well as cartoonists, and that is why the Telangana government was also encouraging cartoonists with respect,” he said.