Mickey Patel

Biography:

Mickey Patel was born in 1941 at Lahore, now in Pakistan. Studied economics at St. Stephen's College, New Delhi. He worked with the following advertising firms — Lintas, Thompson, ASP and Clarion. He worked for leading newspapers and magazines such as India Today, Reader's Digest, Business Standard, Hindustan Times, Illustrated Weekly of India, Shankars Weekly and the Patriot. He illustrated many books for the National Book Trust in Delhi. He was passionate in illustrating and worked as an independant illustrator to the media industry, as a cartoonist for the daily newpapers and as achildren's book illustrator for the publishing industry. Awarded Noma Concours by UNESCO for Picture Book Illustrations in the years (1978, 1984, 1986)

Mickey was a cartoonist and illustrator of books and magazines, as well as a painter and designer. He was born in 1941 in Lahore, Pakistan and went on to study economics at St. Stephen’s College in Delhi. His work has been featured in almost all of India’s leading newspapers and magazines. He also published several children’s books, illustrated the books of other prominent writers including Ruskin Bond, provided the still sketches in some famous television serials including Nukkad – and much more!

Starting his career in advertising, he gave that up when he thought he had enough of it and started illustrating children’s books thus playing a hugely important role in the lives of the young. The above series that you see is a result of his long-term focus on Gandhi and his teachings. Mickey has sketched and painted the great man many times in his work.

Mickey Patel unfortunately passed away on 17th August 1994. In a foreword to his last exhibition, Sunita Paul says that Mickey Patel always lived on the edge and the law in his own words was, “unplug all safety valves.. And somewhere within you, find that grenade, unpin it and let it explode.”