Born on July 17, 1971, in a small village in the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh.
He is a graduate from Purvanchal University, Jaunpur, and completed a Diploma in Computer Management in Varanasi in 1995.
He lived and worked continuously for 21 years in the Lutyens’ Zone of New Delhi and is currently based in INA, New Delhi.
From 2003 to 2005, he worked for a national Hindi newspaper. Since 2006, he has been working as a freelance artist and cartoonist (with thousands of cartoons and illustrations published to date); he has also written satirical poems.
His art and cartoons have been exhibited in more than 20 countries, including Poland, Croatia, Russia, Macedonia, Ukraine, USA, Brazil, Turkey, Argentina, Italy, and etc.
In 2012, his artwork was published alongside the work of Pablo Picasso in the catalogue of the world-renowned Osten World Gallery of Drawing, Macedonia.
In 2015, his cartoons were exhibited in the Polish Parliament.
His cartoons were also featured in the catalogue of the Osten World Gallery of Cartoon for three different years.
His biography and artwork were published on the back cover of the All-India Fine Art and Craft Society (AIFACS), New Delhi magazine in 2012. In 2015, a short biography and artwork were also featured in Croatia’s Forum magazine.
His bio and cartoons are published on cartoonia.gallery website (Big Encyclopedia of Caricature), Toonsmag, and various other national and international journals and magazines.
Since the last 13 years, Santosh Paliwal has been the India head (Ambassador) of the world-famous satire organisation Good Humor Party, which has over 4,000 members worldwide (mostly cartoonists and satirists). The organisation’s head, Szczepan Sadurski, travels the world giving lectures and frequently mentions Paliwal. In 2015, he was awarded ‘The Super Boss’ certificate by the Good Humor Party.
His cartoons for the Good Humor Party’s ‘Happy Skyscraper’ project have been exhibited in more than 15 countries. Between 2013 and 2018, his photographs of famous Indian landmarks featuring the ‘Happy Skyscraper’ were exhibited in several countries and published in numerous newspapers.
He has been a member of the Press Club of India for 10 consecutive years and continues to be a member.
Paliwal has also authored short biographies for an international website on prominent Indian personalities, including artist Jatin Das, dancer Shovana Narayan, sculptor Ram Sutar, and cartoonist Kaak.
He received invitations (to deliver lectures) from IIT Roorkee in 2017 and TEDx Bengaluru in 2020. **
He has received letters of appreciation from several prominent Indian figures, including former Uttar Pradesh cabinet ministers like Jaiveer Singh (2005) and sculptor Ram Sutar (2012).
In 2005, his local programmes were covered by prestigious newspapers like Dainik Jagran and Amar Ujala.
He has earned diplomas and certificates from various countries, including a Diploma in Visual Art from Vasylivka, Ukraine; a Diploma in Social Illustration from Nuntius Imago, Argentina; and a certificate from Fenamizah magazine, Turkey.
In 2020, he created illustrations for a Delhi-based NGO’s calendar that were designed to be understood through touch (tactile art).
In 2026, the Delhi-based NGO showcased his creative cartoons at the National Museum in New Delhi.
In 2025, he was honoured at the Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi, alongside the former Director General of Police of Gujarat.
He also served as an Art Advisor (Art Director) for an NGO in Lucknow for some time.
Photographs taken by Paliwal of prominent Indian locations (featuring the Good Humor Party’s Happy Skyscraper) have been exhibited in almost all countries and published in various international journals.
Researchers educated at Harvard and Cambridge, residing in different countries, have written articles about Santosh Paliwal.
These details represent only a fraction of Paliwal’s extensive body of work.
Note: Hard and soft copies of all mentioned works are available.