In December 2015, American daily The New York Times decided to poke some fun at India for its stoic stance on dealing with climate change. At the Paris climate summit that year, India had argued that the developed world should be asked to make more substantial cuts in emissions, as opposed to the less-polluting developing countries.
The New York Times and a majority of other international media outlets portrayed India as an obstacle – an elephant on the tracks – in the climate talks.
Cut to 2017, and this conversation has undergone a drastic change, thanks to US president Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris accord. The United States no longer stands as the champion of this cause, and the moral high ground of NYT’s controversial cartoon also comes into question.
In light of recent events, here’s Indian cartoonist Satish Acharua’s ‘karara jawab’.
Not NYT's First Attempt to Mock India
In 2014, when India stormed into the ‘elite space club’ with the Mangalyaan mission, the NYT published this cartoon:
The cartoon garnered heavy criticism and the publication was forced to issue an apology.
Today, three years after this cartoon was published, the tables have turned. With India’s record launch of 104 satellites in February 2017, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now a force to reckon with. The Times of India capitalised on this flip in scenario, with this epic cartoon:
If you’re going to underestimate India, then be warned, because this nation isn’t going to shy away from supplying sick burns from time to time, with a generous dollop of sass.