JAMUGURIHAT, June 1 � Inaugurating a solo cartoon exhibition of Seemanta Baruah of Biswanath Chariali, Sonitpur recently at India Cartoon Gallery, Bengaluru, Padma Bhusan awardee Prof UR Rao, former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation, said that cartooning could be an effective tool for popularising science among the masses.
Attending the brief inaugural function as the chief guest, Prof P Balaram, Director of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, lauded the efforts of young cartoonist Seemanta Baruah and opined that his exhibition was a rare and unique combination of science, environment and general topics soaked in wit and humour.
The solo exhibition has been organised under the aegis of Indian Institute of Cartoonists where 60 selected cartoons of Seemanta will be displayed. A self-taught cartonist, who learnt the ABC from his father, Kshiradhar Baruah, who himself is also a cartoonist, made his debut in cartooning at the tender age of 10 in Dristi, a science magazine edited by Dr DC Goswami, was fascinated and inspired by the works of RK Laxman, Ajit Ninan and cartoons published in Science Today, Span, etc. He contributed innumerable cartoons to magazines, periodicals and books such as Bijnan Jeuti, Sadin, Prantik, Abikal, Saatoori, national magazines Science Reporter, Resonance, books like Bijnan Lekhakar Haatputhi, Different Colours of Chemistry and comic strips in computer magazine of Asus Inc, United Kingdom.
Seemanta�s cartoons have been exhibited in two international cartoon festivals in Greece and Iran, his cartoon on climate change was nominated by the British Council as a renners-up for a nationwide exhibition. He had also published an anthology of cartoons titled �Science shapes lives.�
Seemanta Baruah a software engineer, serving in Bengaluru is the only son of Kshiradhar Baruah and Lekha Baruah who originally hail from Jamugurihat and are now settled in Biswanath Chariali.
