| Kaak | |
| Birth Name: | Harish Chandra Shukla |
| Birth Date: | 1940 3, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Puranisf Pansari, Unnao, United Provinces, British India |
| Occupation: | Cartoonist |
| Years Active: | 1967–present |
| Nationality: | Indian |
| Signature: | Sign_kaak.jpg |
| Signature Size: | 100px |
Harish Chandra Shukla (born 16 March 1940), better known by his pen name Kaak,[1] is an Indian editorial cartoonist and caricaturist who works in Hindi-language media. He is the foremost Hindi newspaper cartoonist, having worked with leading newspapers such as Jansatta, Navbharat Times, Dainik Jagran, Rajasthan Patrika, and a few others, in a career spanning several decades. 'Kaak' means crow in Hindi, which according to a proverb, is the bird that raises its raucous voice when someone tells a lie.[2]
Kaak was born 16 March 1940, at village Pura, Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, the son of a freedom fighter. He trained to work as a mechanical engineer, but gave up the field to pursue cartooning. His first cartoon was published in Dainik Jagran in 1967. He has worked as an editorial cartoonist with Jansatta (Indian Express group) from 1983 to 1985 and with Navbharat Times (Times of India group) from July 1985 to Jan 1999. He has also been published in Dinman, Shankar's Weekly, Current, Blitz, Ravivar, Itwari Patrika, Dharamyug, and Saptahik Hindustan. National Hindi dailies such as Dainik Jagran, Aaj, Navjeevan, Rajasthan Patrika, and Amar Ujala have carried his work. At present he contributes to the webportal Prabhasakshi.
He was also Elected as the first president of Cartoonists' Club of India.[3]
Kaak is very commonly called as the Cartoonist of masses,[4] adding that his greatness lies in his brilliant understanding of the problems of the people at the grassroots level. Yet, unlike Laxman’s Common Man, Kaak’s Everyman is not a silent spectator to the goings-on. He is a vocal commentator. Kaak’s female characters too are strong characters.[5]