We hardly see any original cartoons in newspapers or magazines these days. If anything, we get to see comic strips - mostly based on foreign characters. 
Till the 1940s, English language publications in this city used to reprint foreign cartoons and quite a few of them centred on cars. Being a cartoon addict, I share with you some favourites from my collection.

Watch out!
Cars tended to scare other road users in the early days. That’s understandable- they were faster than anything else of the road, tended to make a racket and in the hands of bad drivers, could go out of control.

Hands Off
I find the image of the flabbergasted motorist sitting helplessly as his ancient car runs over animals and objects on a street both hilarious and frightening. Humans and pets flee in terror while the driver sits like a statue in the midst of chaos.

Jaywalker
Some cartoons are still relevant. Witness our angry motorist, furious with the pedestrian who appears to have got in his way. In fact there was a law to take action against “jaywalkers”- people who walked on the road obstructing the flow of cars. However, I don’t think anybody in our city has ever heard of it!

Work and play
Floating taxi
Petrol shortages and rationing are distant memories today but at one time, vehicles with coal gas bags were not uncommon. The joke was that the gas would make them float away, as a fuel gas was expected to be lighter than air. The cartoon from a 1930s city club magazine shows a taxi hovering in the air as it expectantly waits for somebody to get up and catch a ride home.

Workhorse
When people are stupid enough to put up environmentally destructive posters urging you to ‘save paper’ (or do something equally good for the environment), removing them is the only answer. The cartoon with the waste paper loaded pick-up is as relevant today as it was in 1935. Remember, at this time, cars were the only small pickups then. There were very very few small cargo carriers.

War games
Armed forces have multiplied their efficiency using motorised transport, but for civilians, it’s not always a cake walk.

Camouflage
Armies aim to paint their vehicles in ways that are expected to make them less visible. Have they been successful? I have always found these efforts funny and the cartoon, featuring a powerful sports car nearly in a collision with a so called camouflaged army vehicle, reflects this mood.

Traffic jam
Before every Republic Day parade, even today, residents close to the parade route experience the dislocation caused by lumbering military gear and equipment trundling along roads. The cartoon of a nervous couple following an enormous cannon facing their way is one of my favourites. I can almost hear them whispering: “I hope it’s not loaded”.

Your car is your visiting card
Lift seeker
The smart pedestrian looking for a lift to work on a rainy day is common sight. The 1940 cartoon shows such a negotiation in progress, between a well dressed commuter and the starchy driver of a equally grand Rolls-Royce. I think this was printed in the days of petrol rationing when the government actually encouraged all cars to give lifts to people to optimize use of available petrol.

The boss’ car
A Second World War (1939-45) era cartoon, it was usual to have lookouts on rooftops to alert office goers of possible attacks by enemy aircraft. We witnessed this in the city in 1971, during the Bangladesh War of liberation. The humour here, of course, is that the lookout is more interested in alerting office staff to get back to their desks as the car carrying the boss is turning the corner.

Endnote
The great cartoonists in English and Indian language publications have mostly passed away. In any case, today’s visuals are hardly on cars. The current focus, I am told, is on the mobile phone. That’s sad in more ways than one.