B. M. Gafoor

The well-known Indian cartoonist and comic artist B.M. Gafoor was born on 4 May 1942 in Thalassery, Madras Residency, British India. His parents are Vaidyarajath Mohammed Kutty Haji and Mariyumma Hajjumma. He established the Kerala Cartoon Academy and BMG Animations. He married Suhara Gaffoor and had four children. He learned painting from various painters, including M. V Devan and K.C.S Panicker. He studied at the Government School of Arts and Crafts, where K.C.S Panicker was the principal. He was a cartoonist for several publications, including Chandrika, Deshabhimani, etc. Furthermore, he had his magazine called Nirmala. He joined Mathrubhumi and worked for the rest of his life. His first character was called Uncle Kunj or Kunjamman. It was published by Mathrubhumi publications. The character gained widespread popularity.

The Kunjamman is represented as a commoner who has the courage to raise his voice against various injustice that exist in the society. His cartoon depicts the political condition of Kerala sarcastically. BMG Animation made an animation version of Kunjumman and telecasted it on Kairali TV. It completed 2000 episodes. His next character is called Tintumon. Tintuman didn't gain popularity initially but gained widespread popularity during the mid-2000s. In 2010, there was a legal war between BMG and other animation companies about its copyright. BMG Animations obtained its copyright and aired its animated version on Jeevan TV. He died on 13 November 2003 in Calicut, Kerala. The Kerala government honored him by establishing an annual award named Gafoor Smarakapuraskaram.