Vernacular Punches: Cartoons and Politics in Colonial India

Why has the story of the vernacular cartoon-based newspapers in colonial India, which were versions of the British Punch, remained obscure? Specifically, what does the story of the Urdu Punch and Hindi Punch among other vernacular Punches tell us about colonial politics? Approaching memory and history as forms of knowledge, this article draws upon archival research to construct an alternate history of Punch and the vernacular Punches in colonial India. By focusing on two plots—the fate in India of the British humour magazine Punch and a debate around humour in vernacular cartoons—this paper brings attention to the cartoon as a space for rethinking the history of Punch and the narrative of mimicry and modernity. I argue that memory of cultural practices, such as cartooning, can be hegemonic and tactical.