On Thursday morning, after Keshav Venkataraghavan tweeted a painting of a toddler Krishna in Yashoda’s lap, his timeline was yet again inundated with notes of appreciation. Admirers of his work applauded him with words like “You have magic in your hands”, “simply wow”, “brilliant”. And the cartoonist-painter made it a point to thank everyone who wished him.
Venkataraghavan began posting his paintings of Krishna on Facebook and Twitter, each hashtagged #KrishnaForToday, some years ago. The about section of his Facebook page, Krishna for Today, reads, “Drawing and Painting. Of Krishna! By Krishna! For Krishna!” It has more than 8,300 followers.
Fans of Venkataraghavan's work have been leaving glowing comments on his posts for years.
The reception was no different on Thursday, when Hindus nationwide were celebrating Krishna’s birth anniversary commonly called Janamashtmi. Krishna is believed to have been born at midnight during the eighth phase of the moon, known as ashtami tithi.
One Facebook user, Prantik Gupta, commented, “With your paintings, Keshav, everyday feels to be Shri Krishna Jayanti.”
Another user, Jayakrishnan Unni, had a query: “Krishna sees the universe in his mother. Does she know what she is to experience later?” Venkataraghavan responded: “Even she doesn’t know what she is revealing. He sees her that way.”
Arya Krishnan wrote on Venkataraghavan’s Facebook page: “I was eagerly waiting for Janmastami special drawing of urs... This is just out of the world.”
A popular cartoonist, Venkataraghavan has also been engaging readers of The Hindu, with his political cartoons for the past three decades.
Here are some other recent images from his #KrishnaForToday collection.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!