S.Jithesh, aka Jitheshji, a 46-year-old speed cartoonist from Pathanamthitta, has been ranked among the top 10 Indian cartoonists to have attained global attention by the Los Angeles-based online media company ranker.com.
An ambidextrous cartoonist, Jithesh is known for his speed in caricaturing celebrities. He has also been recognised as the world’s fastest cartoonist when he drew 50 celebrity sketches in five minutes at a stage show at Pandalam 11 years ago.
The ranker.com honour has come a month after a video clip of his public speed cartoon show Varayarangu crossed one million hits (views) on the Facebook page of the Bangkok-based Media Today in five days of its debut.
Ranker.com claims to be the largest online media company in the U.S. that conducts polls on entertainment, brands, sports and culture. The company also claims to be one of the largest databases of opinion with more than 250 million votes gathered on over one million items.
Ranker’s lists and opinion data are regularly cited in the media, including The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, The Hollywood Reporter , and USA Today .
Besides Jithesh, the Ranker’s top-10 has the names of four more cartoonists — Abu, Sankar, O.V. Vijayan, and Aravindan — from Kerala.
Basically a pictorial narration, Varayarangu is a blend of poetry, anecdotes, and socio-political satire, effectively utilising the medium of speed drawing. Jithesh’s cartoon show draws attention as his brush strokes are laced with interesting anecdotes set to background music.
The drawing of Mahatma Gandhi is accompanied by Vande Mataram and the Gitanjali verses form the background for Rabindranath Tagore.
Jithesh has conducted around 7,500 stage shows of Varayarangu in the country and abroad. He is on an Australian tour at present to popularise his speed cartoon show.
