Incomplete Hanuman icon by Mangaluru man is India’s new icon

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Sep 21, 2016: Observe every other vehicle in Karnataka is now sporting the image of a fierce-faced, maroon coloured Hanuman. The image has become the rage for cabs, autorickshaws, lorries and several private vehicles in the last few months.  Karan Acharya, the 27-year-old Mangaluru artist who is the talent behind the rage has been recently spotted.

Karan Acharya’s interesting image of Hanuman was something he drew at the request of his friends. Little did he know that it would become a sensation. Earlier this month, when Karan visited Bengaluru, he was taken by surprise. :"Friends who knew this was my work were saying how it had become popular in Bengaluru. But what I saw with my own eyes shocked and thrilled me," he shared.

Karan is a native of Kumble village (yes, the same village that gives Anil Kumble his surname). "On Ganesh Chaturthi last year, they wanted to put up something unique on the flag. So, I made sketches of Gods like Shiva and Hanuman. A night before the festival, I finished the sketch of Hanuman and sent it to them.

This was used on the flag at the festival. I had never even imagined it would go viral across Karnataka," said Karan.  

Karan wanted to draw the full image of Hanuman but ended up sending only the face. "At least 20 boys from Kumble organised the festival. They liked the image and shared it on WhatsApp and Facebook. I had not used any watermark on the image as it was for my friends. The image is still incomplete. I have just added the body and hands to it. I still have to draw the legs. But it is the face that I drew for the flag that has gone viral. I see them on clock dials, bikes and cars," he said.

Karan studied fine arts and took up a job as a drawing teacher in a private school. He then completed a course in animation and started working for a private company as an animator in Mangaluru. Now he is a freelance artist and also working on storyboards and character designs for films. His latest film is ’Gandada Kudi’.

COPYRIGHT  : After the Hanuman image went viral, some business houses have approached him to lease the copyright to use it on T-shirts. "I had not taken copyright on the image, so I do not know how to go about it. I had no idea that this would become so big. I have not made a single rupee out of it. It does not matter. I am happy that so many people have liked it. As an artist, it gives me immense pleasure," said Karan.