Gratified.

And proud.

That's how we Madras-Musings-ers feel when one of our own goes and does something clever, creative, winning plaudits, compliments, and – equally important – positive reviews.

Like our very own in-house cartoonist, Biswajit Balasubramanian, whose series of telling cartoons, titled 'Humorology', was on display during the recently concluded 'Art Chennai' festival.

As those familiar with Biswajit's work already know, his main source of inspiration is that ultimate akshaya pathram, that Emperor of Cornucopias – Human Nature.

Biswajit is all too aware that you find your stories not only at all the more obvious cardinal points; you'll find them, more importantly, in those shadowy areas that lie in-between, where masks are worn, where words are spoken while true feelings are concealed, where the thoughts behind the thoughts think they're safe.

The image of a baby being forced to sing, while toys, obviously the more attractive alternative to the poor little thing, lie scattered before it may fetch a smile; it also sends a shiver down your spine, especially when you reflect on the potential for self-destruction in those literally premature words: 'child prodigy'. The alphabet blocks before the child spell out 'CAD'... did the cartoonist mean the parents?

Probably not – Biswajit is never harsh or judgmental. The mirror he holds up to Humanity is certainly full of twists and uncomfortably revealing bumps... but it never denounces.

In Biswajit's world, there's always space for change and redemption – if you are willing to let that most useful of characteristics – a sense of humour – rescue you from your baser self.

For most part, his cartoons wear a rueful smile, where the cartoonist is as much a part of the general goofiness of life as the world he sketches. Social Wannabes trying to match car-colour to couture; or believing gizmos add to fashion quotient – we don't merely know people like that; we've been people like that.... Who can claim never to have succumbed to the seductive lure of The Right Image?

And the secret lives behind the oh-so-correct facades – a woman who dresses up for bed, preparing for her fantasies, artlessly letting her husband know that she needs them.... hey, the guy is in bed reading magazines on guns, cars and money....so you can follow her trend of thought; and a musician who prefers cameras to performance, much to the chagrin of his accompanists.

Biswajit, with some amount of gall, even takes swipes at the very 'Art Show' situations he's a part of – Openings which seem more about socialising, being seen, eating, drinking...

And posturing. That eternal need to sound knowledgeable.... while the artist, knowing that all he did was to 'paint light green on dark green in 10 mins', now appears a little confused about his worth and his Muse.

This is Life around us – born out of our all-encompassing Desire with a capital D for....well, for everything – looks, image, name, fame, wealth.... the works.

Biswajit believes that it is very important every detail in his cartoons reacts to the situation.

Is that why the expressions of the 'Others' in his cartoons are all so emotive?

"The series Asterix is one of my favourites." he discloses, "where every single aspect in each frame on each page reacts and responds to the central situation. I find that the inanimate also want to come alive and contribute, as much as the animate."

Which explains the expression on the face of the Nataraja idol in the cartoon that pokes gentle fun at the strange coupling of the worlds of Art and Commerce, where sponsorship is the name of the game, where a dancer's age-old classic hand movement becomes a convenient stand for an advertisement.

For Biswajit, reworking his cartoons when he revisits them is part of creative development, a constantly evolving process.

Like most people whose business is Humour, is he seen as someone who has things easy; as someone who merely raises a laugh? "Yes. People say things like: 'Oh, it must take you about five minutes to do a cartoon, right?' They think it's that simple."

His work mixes satire and comedy, and isn't always 'laugh out loud'. That confuses people. "I don't do slapstick, obvious humour. So sometimes, I have people looking at my work, and wondering: 'Am I supposed to laugh now?' "

Does he agree that Comedy, in any field, is never...er... taken seriously, not as much as Tragedy or Romance, especially when it comes to awards and recognition? And why does this happen?

Biswajit thinks for a moment, then offers: "The Dalai Lama in his book The Art of Happiness begins by saying that the most basic need of any human being is to find happiness. But then, we complicate our lives with many layers because we feel that they provide a certain weightage to our lives, our existence."

So we're incapable of keeping things simple?

"I think so," he smiles, "we lose that child-like spirit so quickly. We make ourselves more than what we are, and like to think of ourselves as very complicated beings."

Is that why bookshops have rows and rows of self-help books, but offer humour a distinctly 'smaller' space?

"Probably," he grins, then adds, "And yet everything we do is in the pursuit of happiness."

But then, that's exactly the sort of tortured thinking that makes Human Nature so endlessly fascinating, so very universal, and a source that can be tapped endlessly for stories.....as Biswajit's work reflects so effectively.

Biswajit's work has also appeared in lifestyle magazines like Frappe, Second Reel, Galatta Cinema, and the series 'Kaapi' in Malli, an online gourmet website. His corporate cartoons have appeared in the Nightingale Management Diary, and he has illustrated children's books for Tulika Publishers. But it's a journey that began at Madras Musings – and, naturally, we're the most delighted.