The tall, slender man dressed in white had friendships with world leaders as well as national leaders. P. Ravindran, a native of Alappuzha, was a cartoonist who became a Mumbaikar during his official career and an Aluva resident in his retirement. Although he was a man of few words, his cartoons certainly were not. He drew cartoons that told history. P. Ravindran was a prominent figure in the cartooning world, working mainly from Mumbai between 1960 and 1990. A regular attendee of Kerala Cartoon Academy meetings, he was someone difficult to overlook.
Ravindran was born on April 17, 1924, in Mannar, Alappuzha district, as the son of K. Paramu Pillai of Harippad Puthiyekkal and Bhargaviyamma of Mullassery. P. Ravindran was also a relative of the pioneer of Indian cartoon art, cartoonist Shankar. He worked as a staff cartoonist at the Free Press Journal in Mumbai and also drew cartoons for publications such as Blitz, Illustrated Weekly, The Times of India, The Hindu, and Indian Express. National and international issues were his main themes. From Mumbai, he also independently published a bimonthly magazine called Pick, which focused on humor and cartoons.
In the late 1980s, P. Ravindran published cartoons and articles in Indian Express and other Malayalam publications. His column “Unseen Kerala” in The Indian Express Weekend attracted considerable attention. His caricature column titled “Prathichhaya” in the Malayala Manorama weekly was also notable.
Ravindran maintained close friendships with figures such as Indira Gandhi, E.M.S., A.K.G., E.K. Nayanar, Bal Thackeray, George Fernandes, V.V. Giri, and V.K. Krishna Menon.
In 1960, a cartoon by P. Ravindran was selected for the International Cartoon for Peace Award by the People-to-People Committee in the United States. The selection committee included then U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and the world-renowned cartoonist Milton Caniff.
He also worked in the Malayalam film industry. *Manushyan*, a Malayalam film written and directed by P. Ravindran, was produced and released in 1979. The main actors in the film were Madhu, Kuthiravattam Pappu, Adoor Bhasi, Thikkurissy, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, and Vidhubala. The music was composed by V. Dakshinamoorthy.
He passed away on December 15, 2003, while leading a retired life at his home in Aluva, Ernakulam district. Leela was his wife, and Gnaneswaran was his only son.