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'R.K. Laxman, an unambiguous genius'

By Our Special Correspondent

The Nationalist Congress Party leader and president of the Yashwantrao

Pratishthan, Sharad Pawar, and the Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu , N. Ram,
presenting the Yashwantrao Chavan National Award for 2003 to celebrated
cartoonist R.K. Laxman in Mumbai on Friday. Photo: Vivek Bendre
MUMBAI, MARCH 12. "There are would-be geniuses in the field of Indian
journalism, and there are individuals aspiring to be geniuses, but I have long
been clear that there is only one unambiguous genius among Indian
journalists, and that is R.K. Laxman," said N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu
, speaking as chief guest on the occasion of the conferment of the
Yashwantrao Chavan National Award for 2003 on the celebrated cartoonist.

The legendary protagonist of Mr. Laxman's cartoons in The Times of India, the
silent but observant `Common Man', has been a daily companion to
generations of readers. He has represented their crises and predicaments,
their struggle with poverty, inflation, corruption, poor infrastructure and bad
governance. Except for a brief interval during the Emergency (1975-1977),
Mr. Laxman has been at work continuously for the last 58 years, recording the
errors and foibles of India's political leaders, business barons and selfappointed gurus from an unsparing, fiercely independent viewpoint. His
record of India's public life began in the closing days of imperialism and found
innumerable targets during the age of the protected market, the permit-

licence-quota raj and quasi-socialist political experimentation; it retains its

capacity for critique, illumination and amusement in the epoch of
globalisation. Despite the fact that Mr. Laxman has never been "big on
messages", said Mr. Ram, "there is a strong indictment, in his work, of mass
poverty and mass deprivation in India, despite all the slogans and
programmes of the last five decades. And yet, beneath its cynical
appearance, his work is hopeful."

Presiding over the function, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president,
Sharad Pawar, praised Mr. Laxman for his gift of being able to lampoon
politicians and subject them to satire, without resorting to crude personal
attack. "As Mr. Laxman has shown, a cartoon can have a more powerful effect
on the public consciousness than an editorial or a fiery speech, even many
fiery speeches," Mr. Pawar said. Reflecting on the critical role of journalism,
Mr. Pawar paid handsome tributes to Mr. Laxman and complimented The
Hindu on its uncompromising stand on the freedom of the press, in a single
gesture, when he observed: "No one doubts for a moment that we must
uphold the system of parliamentary democracy, but every elected
representative must also recognise the special position of the journalist who
takes up the pen to ask questions on behalf of the people."

A visibly moved Mr. Laxman professed himself cognisant of the honour

rendered to him, but was too emotionally overcome to speak further. Previous
recipients honoured with the Yashwantrao Chavan National Award, which
recognises contributions to the causes of national unity, democratic values,
and economic and social development, include the economist and politician,
Madhu Dandavate, the social activist, Ila Bhat, and the development
administrator, V. Kurien.

Colossus of cartoons

Sensitivity to surroundings, sharp wit and sound judgement spur the

creativity in celebrated cartoonist R.K. Laxman.

MAN OF HUMOUR: R.K. Lakshman. Photo: Satish H.

R.K. LAXMAN, a name to reckon with in the realm of Indian cartoons was in
the twin cities recently for the Humour India-2002 (a national annual festival
of humour and satire) jointly organised by the A.P Department of Culture and
A.P Crowquill Academy. He was conferred the `Life-time achievement award'
along with few others of his ilk.

In an exclusive t te- -t te, Laxman exchanged his views on present day

politics, newspapers, youth and the country in general. His sharp wit bears
the unmistakable stamp of a dyed-in-the-wool humourist. His keen gaze takes
in everything. The minutest movement cannot miss his eye; his sharp
observations, as he watches - strangers strolling across the lobby of the
hotel, or in animated conversation with each other, hostesses flitting across
in a flurry, new arrivals checking in even as guests check out - are down-toearth, with a serrated edge as the situation demands.

For, R.K. Laxman is no mean cartoonist who is out to etch funny figures for a
living! There's no denying that he is a thorough professional. Yet, he cannot
be framed within the narrow boundaries of his profession nor can he be
dismissed of as just another humourist. Here is an intellectual whose keen
interest in human nature has led him to decipher, delineate and describe the
oddities in men and women placed in varied positions.

His receptive, razor sharp mind absorbs literally everything in his fellowbeings including their idiosyncrasies and the environment and recreates them
at leisure into a cartoon that depicts man as the most ridiculous of Nature's
creations. "I don't look at the world the way everyone does. I enjoy watching
people go up and down the corridors of life from my corner wondering where
streams and streams of human population is heading and for what. It makes
me depict them the way I do," he says.

Laxman has no hassles about his own greatness nor a sense of superiority
over others who are not able to see things as he sees them. He is already the
recipient of four such life-time achievement awards. "What is a life time
achievement? Drawing?" he chuckles. The conferring of titles makes no
impression on a man of his calibre who has carved a niche for himself in the
hearts of millions of readers of newspapers and magazines way back.

Attributing the origin of cartoon drawing as an art to Britain, Laxman says,

"We acquired this art from the British during the Raj." On his own evolution as
a cartoonist, he says, "As a child, I had a penchant for drawing and over the
years perfected this skill. As a student in middle school I used to draw
cartoons for a Kannada magazine called Koravanji and later for My India, an
English periodical of those days. I've had no masters, no guidance, no
training schools. I am a self-taught, self-made and shall I say a self-drawn
man?"

An alumnus of the then famous Maharaja College, Mysore, Laxman graduated

with philosophy, economics and politics, which perhaps gave him the right
mixture of understanding, estimating and enlarging the peculiarities of
human nature with his tongue in his cheek. On the future of cartoons,
Laxman is candid. "Cartoon as an art is dying. There is no originality in the
cartoons of today. They boil down to being rubber stamps with a caption. It
doesn't tickle your sense of humour (if you have one) nor does it provide food
for thought. It is the political events that dictate the punch in a cartoon. What
passes off, as politics today is nothing but criminal activity. All that you get to
read in newspapers is politically motivated murders, brutality and
criminalisation of governance. Reporting is thriving on sensationalism and
crime. Newspapers have lost their relevance devoid of punch in editorials and
main articles. Cartoons have turned into mockery without sense," he
comments having been in the field for ages now and a witness to the
changing political scenario.

"No polarisation is healthy," he says on the communal cauldron that hangs

like a Damocles' sword over the country. "Only unity is a healthy
phenomenon." But then can he see at least a flicker at the end of the tunnel?
"Not really. There is no leadership in this country. The likes of Narendra Modi
will help," he says with sardonic humour. "At least in India some of us are
aware as to where we are heading but the US is unaware of where it is
going!" he says as an after-thought. Laxman has reservations on the
brilliance of our techno-whiz kids, the youth who are all geeks with appalling
general knowledge. "I have nothing against the pursuit of technical
excellence but should it be at the cost of simple general knowledge? We, as
youngsters, during our times were quick-witted abounding in general
knowledge about everything around us! Today the so-called techno-savvy
youngster draws a blank when asked a plain question about his
neighbourhood!" If this generation is to be called smarter than the

forefathers, God bless them!

The environmentalist in Laxman came to the fore when he vociferously

denounced the commercial hoardings that strike a visitor to Hyderabad like
nothing else. "There are two things that have made the twin cities ugly:
hoardings and loud music. Those monstrous hoardings blocking every
structure have ruined Hyderabad. The city seems to be sick with commercial
hoardings screaming consumer durables' advertisements. They distract the
attention of the commuters and overshadow the ambience of anything and
everything. Should concern for commercial advertisements bypass all aspects
of aesthetics in this city?" he questions.

Music in posh hotel foyers, dining halls, and auditoriums are more of irritants
than soothers, he opines. But then, loud music is the `in' thing with pop, jazz
replacing soulful Indian tunes. With that he comes down heavily on the
television, which has put audio entertainment (radio) in the attic. Admitting
the added advantages of the telly, he is sore over the frequency of
commercial breaks again, which mar emotive continuity to a narrative. "I pity
the public who have lost the nerve to protest and put an end to such
inconveniences," he says. The fact that trivial things too attract his attention
and shape his opinion goes without saying. That though a veteran, Laxman's
sensibility has not been dimmed by age. He is still at his creative best only
because he is sensitive to his surroundings, sharp with his wit and sound in
his judgement.

RANEE KUMAR

The cartoonist and the campaigner

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Archival photograph from Raj Thackeray's book on Bal Thackeray showing
him sketching a cartoon for the Free Press Journal.
The HIndu Archival photograph from Raj Thackeray's book on Bal Thackeray
showing him sketching a cartoon for the Free Press Journal.
SLIDESHOW
Bal Thackeray, or Balasaheb Thackeray who formed and led the Shiv Sena
passed away on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2012. Photo: AP
Bal Thackeray (1926-2012)

TOPICS
human interest
politics
The story of an unusual, all-weather friendship between two of India's best
known political cartoonists, Bal Thackeray and R K Laxman.

On November 3, Bal Thackerays physician made a phone call from Mumbai.

Balasaheb is sinking, he told cartoonist R.K. Laxmans wife Kamala. He
wants to hear his voice just once.

Later that afternoon from Pune, 91-year-old Laxman, who is slowly regaining
his speech after a stroke he suffered in 2010, called his fellow-cartoonist and
friend of more than 60 years to enquire about his health. Im well on my way
out. Goodbye, the 86-year-old Thackeray said, according to Ms. Laxman.
Then Balasaheb told me, You know, Ive never spoken like this. I didnt want
to regret not having called him, Ms. Laxman told this correspondent
recently.

As I can see it, youll recover and surely come to our Pune house again, she

told the ailing octogenarian. I can only wish, Mr. Thackeray replied, but
insisted on saying goodbye again.

Their friendship may have looked unusual: R.K. Laxman, the relentless critic
of the state of the world, yet affable creator of The Common Man, who
crossed all boundaries of identity and came to be regarded as the conscience
of the nation, cannot be more different than the right-wing politician.

Thackeray met Mr. Laxman in 1946, when he joined The Free Press Journal,
where Mr. Laxman was working. In their twenties and just starting out as
political cartoonists, they hit it off instantly. They visited cafes, shared many
days of people-watching and laughing together. Both were cartoonists, what
else do you expect? Their relationship grew on a steady dose of laughter,
Ms. Laxman said. Mr. Laxman, who gestured to convey the fact that his
hearing too was not so good anymore, sat holding his wifes hand, nodding in
agreement to stories of yesteryear.

In 1950, Mr. Laxman joined The Times of India where he started his daily
pocket cartoon, You Said It. Soon, Thackeray too quit The Free Press Journal.
It became impossible to work there. The newspaper wanted them to follow
Communist leanings, and both of them disagreed, Ms. Laxman said.

But their friendship continued over the years. Thackeray started his own
magazine Marmik. All through, he was proud of Laxman, and pampered him.
Balasaheb knew Laxman was a better cartoonist, a step above, she said.

In 1966, when Thackeray announced the launch of the Shiv Sena, it directly
targeted south Indians. But this did not change anything. There were no
political strings attached to their relationship, she said, describing Mr.
Laxman as apolitical.

Asked whether the Senas vicious attacks on south Indians bothered Mr.
Laxman, she said: Sometimes he said he shouldnt have gone this far. But
we understood he perhaps had his own reasons for doing what he did. But it
never mattered that Laxman was a south Indian. Our friendship was totally
different.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, when the Senas fanaticism peaked, Mr.
Laxmans cartoons never targeted it, Ms. Laxman said. He kept quiet. And
Balasaheb appreciated it.

He registered his protest in silence. He didnt understand the need for

violence, though. He used to say, is he mad? Why does he need to do this?
But they never talked about it, as far as I know. Maybe, his way of expressing
was not to express at all. But Laxman forgives people.

Laxman liked the cartoonist Bal more than the politician Balasaheb. Hed
have liked it if he had continued being a cartoonist, but he told me maybe it
is his inner calling, we cannot avoid that. He always thought that if you are
cut out to do something, you must do it, Ms. Laxman explained.

Once, many years after the Sena was formed, Balasaheb confessed he felt
sorry he didnt continue being a cartoonist. He felt sorry. He told Laxman,
Im basically a cartoonist, she said.

Thackeray visited their Pune house for the first time last year with his son
Uddhav and grandson Aditya. Showing off the sketch of the Common Man
that Mr. Laxman made for him, he told reporters: When he saw me, the poor
chap started crying.

These days, every time they see each other, one starts crying and then the
other starts crying till one of them bursts out in laughter. The laughter
stays, she said.

The uncommon man: R.K. Laxman (1921-2015)

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R.K. Laxman
R.K. Laxman
R.K. Laxman celebrating his 90th birthday with family, friends and relatives at
his home in Pune. File photo
R.K. Laxman celebrating his 90th birthday with family, friends and relatives at
his home in Pune. File photo
TOPICS
society
death
It was not always politics that inspired him.

Since childhood I do not remember wanting to do anything else except

draw, R.K. Laxman says in his autobiography, The Tunnel of Time. And he
has done very little else in over five decades as a cartoonist. From objects
that caught his eye as a child outside the window of his room, to the
pretentious dignity of Mrs. Gandhi to the grumpy face of Narasimha Rao.
Famous for his acerbic cartoons lampooning political figures, Laxman at one
point said, What politics is all about today. Blah-blah-blah. The day that
stops and the quality of our leaders improve, I will have to retire and go
away.

Fortunately for the world, politicians remained consistent enough. But he also
complained of present-day leaders that, unlike those of an earlier generation,
they all look the same today. Lalu Prasad and Jayalalithaa were the two
exceptions, he said. Nehru, Morarji Desai, Indira Gandhi and the others of that
time had personalities which made them a joy to draw. The present crowd

lacked personality!

Some of the cartoons out of the 1960s and 1970s would be alive and
meaningful if reproduced today without a date. Like the one where a
policemen is reporting to his superiors saying, roughly, that there had been
looting, rioting, stone-throwing and then the situation took a turn for the
worse and there was looting, rioting, stone-throwing. So too, the
innumerable cartoons on price rise that he did in the early decades they
would be as alive today as they were then.

But it was not always politics that inspired him. As a child I drew objects that
caught my eye outside the window of my room the dry twigs, leaves and
lizard-like creatures crawling about, the servant chopping firewood and, of
course, and number of crows in various postures on the rooftops of the
buildings opposite.

The man known as R.K. Laxman was born Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman
on October 24, 1921 in Mysore. The youngest of six brothers, Laxman had as
his older brother, the legendary R.K. Narayan, the creator of Malgudi.
Admonished by one of his siblings never to copy from the many magazines
that he used to read in the house, Laxman impressed his school teacher with
a drawing of a peepul leaf. He later drew a caricature of his father sitting in
an armchair, using a piece of chalk on the ground, much to his parents
horror. Laxman inspired his brothers writing instincts early in life. R.K.
Narayans Dodu, the Money Maker, based on Laxman, won him a literary
award. In an essay in Frontline (issue of January 18-31, 1992) Laxman writes:
I did not know that Narayan was a writer, till one day the postman delivered
a magazine called The Merry Magazine. An announcement in it said that
Narayan had won a literary prize for his short story, Dodu, the Money Maker.
The story was about a boy struggling for financial independence from his
elders so that he could buy groundnuts from an old woman selling them
under a tree whenever he felt like it. I was excited because the plot had a
remote suggestion of my own activities and needs as a boy of eight. Besides,
the hero bore my name!

Later he sketched for his brothers stories which were published in The Hindu,
and his novels too. While Narayan worked his way towards becoming Indias
leading writer, Laxman was busy sketching. While all this was going on, my

own creative urge was driving me in another direction. I used to visit, with
sketch-pad and pencil in hand, the crowded localities of Mysore like the Town
Hall compound, the city square, public parks and the vegetable market in
order to sketch people in action, study their faces, their dresses, their
postures and other characteristics. My sketch-book was filled with drawings of
whatever caught my fancy including the local railway station, weather-beaten
houses, ruminating cows, meditative donkeys, schoolchildren, lawyers,
passengers at the bus terminus and so on, he writes in the Frontline essay,
which was titled O, brother!

It was in The Hindu, too, that Laxman saw the name of Sir David Low, the
political cartoonist from Evening Standard, London, who has inspired people
around the globe. Laxman was much struck by his work and it was a high
point in his life to meet him while working at The Times of India in Mumbai in
1952.

While the death of his father, a headmaster, early in life was a setback,
Laxman, never one for school, chose drawing and painting as special
subjects. He later became a cartoonist for a popular Kannada magazine
called Koravanji, published from Bangalore. His sketches were displayed
along with prominent painters from Mysore and he managed to win an award
for pencil drawings of his nephew, called Glimpses of Thumbi. He sketched
his brothers stories while still at the Maharajas College, Mysore, studying
politics, economics and philosophy. He drew political cartoons for Swatantra,
edited by Khasa Subba Rao. For six months he was part of an animated film
unit at Gemini Studios in Madras before shifting to Mumbai.

Thanks to failing in Kannada he could not continue his studies for a while,
something which broke his heart. Consolation came again from his brother
Narayan who became an English novelist despite failing an entrance
examination in the subject. Now averse to college degrees, Laxman decided
on a Diploma in Fine Arts and applied to J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai. To his
dismay he was told that he did not have the talent to qualify. Much later, after
he made his name as a cartoonist in The Times, the same J.J. School of Arts
felicitated him, as a chief guest, much to his amusement. Laxman did not
forgive the Dean, though he thanked him for the rejection saying he had
become a cartoonist as a result and was not languishing in some advertising
agency writing jingles.

After trying his luck in various newspapers, he was finally introduced to the
Editor of Blitz in Mumbai. Some of Laxmans earliest work on arriving in
Mumbai was done for R.K. Karanjias weekly publication. Laxman never forgot
that break and Karanjias table would, decades later, often sport the original
of a Laxman cartoon that Karanjia had liked. Laxman was to write a tribute to
that relationship in Blitzs 50th anniversary issue in 1991. One of the classics
that adorned Karanjias table was the cartoonists take on the exit as
Maharashtra Chief Minister of the late Babasaheb Bhosale. Bhosale was Chief
Minister for less than 14 months with every week bringing rumours of his
removal. Dissidents seeking his removal were advised by the High Command
that the time was not right just yet. Laxman had the rotund Bhosale as a
large and rather nervous-looking Ganesh idol about to be immersed by a
rowdy bunch of Congressmen with one senior leader asking them to wait
as the time was not right just yet.

He joined the Free Press Journal in 1946 as a political cartoonist, where his
colleague was none other than a young Bal Thackeray, also an admirer of
David Low and an aspiring political cartoonist. Darryl DMonte, former
resident editor of The Times of India, Mumbai, recalls a popular story at that
time that Thackeray started the Shiv Sena because Laxman was a better
cartoonist.

He did a variety of jobs for the paper, far beyond what the salary justified,
including producing a political cartoon every alternate day. I used to sit bent
over my drawing board for nearly ten hours a day, according to Laxman
(from R K Laxman: The Uncommon Man - Collection of works from 1948 to
2008, by Dharmendra Bhandari, 2009).

Laxman later left the Free Press Journal over differences with his bosses and
came to The Times of India in 1947 on a princely salary of Rs. 500 doing
illustrations for the Illustrated Weekly of India and comic strips for a childrens
magazine. Ironically, The Times editor did not initially encourage Laxmans
genius as a political cartoonist and his first cartoon appeared in the Evening
News of India, the groups tabloid. Soon, his cartoons made it to The Times of
Indias front page, where they stayed for decades. He became the papers
chief political cartoonist. His You Said It series of pocket cartoons took shape
later, and he was even offered a post at the Evening Standard in London.

Laxman was married to the writer Kamala and has a son Srinivas, who had
worked with The Times of India. Every morning, he would drive up in a black
Ambassador to the imposing Times office with Srinivas sitting next to him. He
would walk up the stairs to his office and had no use for the lift. A brisk, nononsense man, Laxman in his white, short-sleeved crisp shirt and black
trousers was as much a trademark of the newspaper as was his cartoon of
the Common Man with a moustache and spectacles. His devastating humour
trashed politicians while looking at the pathetic plight of common persons
who still do not have the basic necessities. His humour did not always make
you laugh: it was often grim, ironic, and impaled politicians for their generally
corrupt and exploitative ways.

Laxman established a routine at work that remained consistent throughout

his brilliant career. He would wake up at around 7 a.m. and be at the drawing
board in his office at 8.30 a.m. every morning. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., he
would read newspapers, concentrating on news items, political analyses,
editorial commentaries and opinions. From 2 pm to 5 pm, he would torment
himself, waiting for the muse of satire to oblige him with an idea for the next
day before the deadline. It was like shooting a movie, according to him,
choosing a suitable setting, selecting the characters and compressing the
script into a brief caption. He swiftly sketched the idea in pencil, used ink
and brush, wrote the caption and added final details. By then Laxman would
have put in eight to ten hours of continuous work. (From R K Laxman: The
Uncommon Man - Collection of works from 1948 to 2008).

Darryl DMonte, who has worked with Laxman at The Times of India, recalls
there was a lead story on the ceiling on agricultural land being lifted. He had
sent a cartoon showing a slab being lowered on a bewildered farmer. I
thought it was too literal, but Laxman called it back and quickly drew a
politician sitting on the slab looking down at the farmer triumphantly. It was
just that touch, that genius for converting a literal illustration into really
something that made you smile. It was the pocket cartoon and common man
that people identified with. He has done so many illustration, its an amazing
output of work, Mr. DMonte adds.

Laxman talks about his work in The Tunnel of Time: As was my habit, I put
my legs up on the table and scoured each page, mulled over possible ideas,
cogitating, pondering, contemplating, rejecting and choosing. After deciding
on my subject I weighed its potential relevance in the paper the next day
visualising its graphic possibilities. I mentally formulated the entire cartoon

down to the carved legs of the furniture, if it happened to be that kind of

setting, the pictures or graphs on the wall, the view outside the windows, the
pattern on the curtains, the designs on the carpet and last but not least, the
clothes, stance and physical attributes of the politicians I was satirising. Then
came the punch line...

Laxman has held exhibitions of his favourite subject of crows and the
Ganesha. His cartoons have been compiled into several books. Apart from
being an acerbic cartoonist, Laxman also wrote novels. The first one, The
Hotel Riviera, was inspired by his move to a hotel from his paying guest
lodgings. He visited London to draw caricatures of David Low, Graham
Greene, Bertrand Russell, J.B. Priestly and T.S. Eliot.

His love for crows was abiding. As far back as I can remember from
childhood, the crow attracted me more than any other bird because it was so
alive on the landscape. In our garden it stood out against the green of the
trees or the blue of the sky, against the red earth or the cream compound
wall. Other birds are afraid and get camouflaged. But this canny scavenger
could look after itself very well indeed. As a three-year-old I observed it
carefully, my hands always itching to sketch its antics. My mother noticed
that I was becoming rather good at drawing crows and encouraged me
because the crow is the avian mode of transport for Saturn, Lord Saniswara of
the Hindu pantheon. By drawing his mount was I averting his evil eye? Of
course, I ignored this religious interpretation. For me looking at the crow
affords pure aesthetic pleasure, he said (in a Frontline interview titled Of
crows and cartoons, published in the issue of January 18-31, 1992).

Laxmans association with The Times of India, spanning over five decades,
must rank as something of a record of its kind. His Common Man cartoons
are in many ways a better chronicle of some aspects of Indias independent
history than the first draft of history that newspaper front pages are said to
be. Political upheavals, space research, price rise, joblessness, life on the
footpath, slum-dwellers, changing cities, water scarcity those were just a
few amongst thousands of subjects he covered. But the travails of the
everyday citizen were those he returned to quite often. Yet, Laxmans
Common Man never spoke out in his cartoons. The cartoonist was to say in
2002 of his Common Man: He remains the same and has not spoken a word.
Quietly watching the world, he represents the silent majority of India, who
have no voice.

Laxman also kept a sharp eye out on what the newspapers were writing,
often complaining about silly errors which he would circle with a thick black
pen. Those dropping in on him at his office would be regaled with the stories
behind those errors. Another thing you would find him doing if you dropped in
unannounced at his cabin was Laxman drawing crows. He may well have
done hundreds of sketches of crows, which he considered a most intelligent
bird. Crows, he would also point out, were the subject of many tales in Indian
folklore. As he said once, Crows are very intelligent creatures and thats my
art. Not cartooning. I love my crows. I draw them whenever I find the time.

The citation as part of the Ramon Magsaysay award, which Laxman received
in 1984, said: The preface to an early volume, reprinted in six editions, gives
the flavour of his occupation: A cartoonist works for an industry in which
time is of the essence. The Damocles sword of deadline rules his days, which
for him follow one another in a bewildering order of importance: tomato
shortage, nuclear threat, five-year plan, potholes, corruption, monsoon
forecast, adulterated drugs, prohibition and mission to the moon ....
Laxmans trademark is his portrait of the Common Man a small figure with
a bulbous nose, caterpillar eyebrows, the bushy hair behind the ears below a
bald pate, and a moustache like a brush. His dress is unchanging a dhoti,
long shirt and checked coat. His mien suggests a determined staying power.
As his creator wrote: You cannot do away with the Common Man. They have
tried it for centuries and not succeeded... he is the mirror image [of millions
of readers]... the conscience that pricks the evildoer, the social offender, the
practitioner of all those trades which we might have liked to practice but for
fear of the police, if not of God.

He was winner of many awards, including the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and
the Padma Vibhushan. Laxman suffered a stroke in 2003 but that did not put
him out of action. He continued working with one hand, although the lines
were not as sharp, and the Times sent someone home to pick up the
cartoons. He had moved to Pune since a while with his wife. People invariably
connected with the Common Man, and Laxmans work represented the
bewilderment of the poor, contrasting it with the corruption of the ruling
classes. His work will always bring a smile or draw a laugh and make you
realise the grim irony and unchanging nature of the world we live in.

RIP RK Laxman: Common Man just lost its first citizen

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Last updated on: January 26, 2015 20:34 IST

Capturing the entire gamut of idiosyncrasies of Indian politicians in an

innocuous newspaper box with his cartoons, R K Laxman immortalised the
passive, hapless common man with an uncanny perception and sarcasm in a
daily commentary on his life that brought smiles to millions.

Every morning for over five decades, his fans waited for the Common Man
who, with his signature checked jacket, dhoti, Gandhi-glasses and twin tufts
of gravity-defying hair, watched life and politics in India.

With his masterful strokes using the space of couple of inches, he exposed
the hypocrisy in politics, leaving many a politician red-faced.

The iconic cartoonist died in Pune on Monday after a prolonged illness at the
age of 94.

The son of a school teacher -- Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman -- who rose

to become Indias best known political cartoonist, was born in Mysore on
October 24, 1921. He was one of the seven siblings that included his elder
brother eminent novelist RK Narayan.

With a penchant for drawing since his school days, Laxman was engrossed by
the illustrations in magazines such as Punch, Tit-Bits, Strand and Bystander
and came under an early influence of world renowned British cartoonist Sir

David Low.

A creative genius, Laxman was known to have started doodling even before
he could read, using floors, walls and doors of his house.

His artistic bent of mind was appreciated by a school teacher who noticed a
drawing by him on a peepal leaf.

In his autobiography The Tunnel of Time, the legendary cartoonist recalls, I

drew objects that caught my eye outside the widow of my room -- the dry
twigs, leaves and lizard like creatures crawling about, the servant chopping
firewood and of course, the number of crows in various postures on the
rooftops of the buildings opposite?

The crow was also a common figure in his cartoons later on.

Overcoming the setback of the death of his father, the young Laxman
completed high school education and sought admission to Mumbais J J
School of Arts.

Ironically his application was rejected by the dean who remarked that his
drawings lacked the kind of talent required to qualify for enrolment in our
institution as a student.

Laxman subsequently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from University of

Mysore even as he continued with freelancing and contributed cartoons to
Blitz, Swarajya and an animated film based on the mythological character of
Narada.

While at the Maharajas College of Mysore, Laxman started illustrating R K

Narayans short stories in The Hindu and also drawing political cartoons for
local newspapers and a Kannada magazine devoted to humour titled
Koravanji founded in 1942 by Dr M.Shivaram who encouraged the budding

cartoonist.

When he took up his first full time job as a political cartoonist at Mumbais
Free Press Journal, Laxman incidentally found himself in the company of Bal
Thackeray who too worked in the same paper as a cartoonist for a brief
period.

But his legendary spell on the Indian newspaper reader was cast after joining
the Times Of India.

The comic strip You said it started in 1951, unleashing his iconic common
man, a silent witness to the shenanigans of politicians who were supposed to
realise his dreams, hopes and aspirations but betrayed him on most
occasions.

His association with TOI continued through the six decades even as he got
back to work after recovering from a paralytic stroke in 2003 that
incapacitated his left side.

A versatile artist, Laxman also wrote novels -- HotelRiviera and the

Messenger--- published by Penguin and contributed distinctive illustrations to
many works including the Malgudi Days stories penned by his brother RK
Narayan.

His autobiography in English The Tunnel of Time is translated into Marathi

under title Laxmanrekha. In a fitting tribute to the Common Man who
attained a cult status, a commemorative postal stamp was issued featuring it
in 1988 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of TOI.

Among the honours bestowed on the cartoonist are BD Goenka award-Indian

Express, Durga Ratan Gold medal - Hindustan Times, Padma Bhushan, Padma
Vibhushan and the Magsaysay award in 1984 for journalism, literature and
creative communication arts.

Laxman, married to author Kamala, later settled down at his Pune residence
from where he continued his work. A 16 ft bronze statue of the Common
Man, sculpted by Vivek Khatavkar, was unveiled in the premises of the
Symbiosis Institute here on December 19, 2001 in the presence of its creator.

The statue stands as a city landmark and an eternal tribute to a cartoonist

who regaled a nation with his penetrating insight into the political system,
exposing the feet of clay of those run it.

Laxman often said that politicians may have been bad for the country, but
theyve been very good for his profession!

Lauding his work, a magazine said, If Laxman has any affiliation, it was with
his anti-hero protagonist who looks a little bit like all of us.

In his autobiography, Laxman confessed to an unusual personal quirk he

never kept a diary, referred to a calendar, or wore a watch.

In 1985, Laxman became the first Indian cartoonist to exhibit in London,

where he also had the opportunity to meet the idols of his childhood, David
Low and Illingworth.

Describing the beloved Common Man, Laxman had said in an interview: My

common man is omnipresent. His simple dhoti and checked coat could be
anybodys. His bald head could belong anywhere... his dhoti could be the
Malayali mundu too. Hes been silent all these 50 years. He simply listens.

Long before the upstart Aam Aadmi Party took up the cause of Indias
common man, political cartoonist R.K. Laxman created a caricature who
appeared on the front page of The Times of India for more than 60 years
depicting the idiosyncrasies and peculiarities of everyday life in India. He

called it the Common Man.

The Common Man appeared in a pocket cartoon called You Said It which was
a solemn and satirical daily reminder of the struggles faced by the average
Indian.

On Monday, Mr. Laxman died aged 93, after suffering multiple organ failure.
His loss was widely mourned by Indias media and political establishment.

Advertisement

Mr. Laxmans Common Man sported a quintessentially Indian lookdressed in

a dhoti with a small tuft of hair the gentle man, more often than not, wore a
bewildered look as he gazed through his rounded spectacles at the trappings
of power, rapid modernization and the vagaries of Indian politics.

In The Tunnel of Time, his autobiography which was published in 1988, Mr.
Laxman described the Common Man as a silent spectator.

The bespectacled Common Man in his checked coat had walked into my
cartoon spontaneously, as if I had no hand in his creation, he wrote

PUNE: Capturing the entire gamut of idiosyncrasies of Indian politicians in an

innocuous newspaper box with his cartoons, R K Laxman immortalised the
passive, hapless common man with an uncanny perception and sarcasm in a
daily commentary on his life that brought smiles to millions.

Every morning for over five decades, his fans waited for the Common Man
who, with his signature checked jacket, dhoti, Gandhi-glasses and twin tufts
of gravity-defying hair, watched life and politics in Indi ..

Read more at:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/46022679.cms?
utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The 'creative genius': Facts you need to know about RK Laxman Posted by:
Pravin Singh Published: Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 17:39 [IST] Share this on
your social network: FacebookTwitterGoogle+ CommentsMail Mumbai, Jan
27: Iconic cartoonist RK Laxman, whose work ruled the pages of newspapers
and the hearts of countrymen, was on Tuesday accorded a state funeral in
Mumbai, as a teary-eyed nation joined in paying tribute to the man whose
brush strokes put smile on everyman's face. The legendary cartoonist,
creator of the ubiquitous mute spectator 'Common Man' died on Monday
evening, aged 94 after suffering multi-organ failure. Some facts about the
legendary cartoonist RK Laxman, son of a school teacher --- Rasipuram
Krishnaswamy Laxman- was born in Mysore on October 24, 1921. He was one
of the seven siblings that included his elder brother eminent novelist RK
Narayan. With a penchant for drawing since his school days, Laxman was
engrossed by the illustrations in magazines such as "Punch", " Tit-Bits", "
Strand" and " Bystander" and came under an early influence of world
renowned British cartoonist Sir David Low. The young Laxman completed high
school education and sought admission to Mumbai's J J School of Arts.
Ironically his application was rejected by the dean who remarked that his
drawings "lacked the kind of talent required to qualify for enrolment in our
institution as a student". Laxman subsequently graduated with a Bachelor of
Arts from University of Mysore even as he continued with freelancing and
contributed cartoons to " Blitz", " Swarajya" and an animated film based on
the mythological character of "Narada". While at the Maharaja's College of
Mysore, Laxman started illustrating R K Narayan's short stories in 'The Hindu'
and also drawing political cartoons for local newspapers and a Kannada
magazine. He took up his first full time job as a political cartoonist at
Mumbai's Free Press Journal. Laxman's legendary spell on the Indian
newspaper reader was cast after joining the Times Of India (TOI). The comic
strip "You said it" started in 1951, unleashing his iconic "common man", a
silent witness to the shenanigans of politicians who were supposed to realise
his dreams, hopes and aspirations but betrayed him on most occasions.
Laxman has also written novels - Hotel Riviera and the Messenger--published by Penguin and contributed distinctive illustrations to many works
including the "Malgudi Days" stories penned by his brother R.K.Narayan. He
created Asian Paints mascot 'Gattu'. Television show, RK Laxman Ki Duniya,
was based on Laxman's cartoons. RK Laxman was the inspiration behind RK
Narayan's stories Dodu the money maker and The Regal Cricket Club. His
autobiography in English "The Tunnel of Time' is translated into Marathi under

title "Laxmanrekha". In 1985, Laxman became the first Indian cartoonist to

exhibit in London, where he also had the opportunity to meet the idols of his
childhood, David Low and Illingworth. Awards: Among the honours bestowed
on the cartoonist are B.D.Goenka award-Indian Express, Durga Ratan Gold
medal - Hindustan Times, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and the
Magsaysay award in 1984 for Journalism, Literature and creative
communication arts.

Read more at: http://www.oneindia.com/india/the-creative-genius-facts-youneed-know-about-rk-laxman-1633478.html

ANS | Jan 26, 2015, 08.42PM IST

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R K Laxman passed away today.
NEW DELHI: R K Laxman, considered by many as one of the world's greatest
cartoonists, was an institution unto himself, indisputably the uncrowned
conscience keeper of the nation. No politician or minister, however high or
mighty, escaped his pointed satire, conveyed through a few deft strokes of
his brush, especially if they committed an act of impropriety or indiscretion.

Laxman's 'common man', who graced the front pages of The Times of India
for more than five decades, under "You Said It" acquired an iconic stature of
its own. These pocket cartoons not only conveyed the pulse of a nation, but
also unfailingly delivered powerful messages. At the same time they mirrored
the hopes and aspirations, follies and foibles of a society in transition.

The cartoons of Laxman, who died on Monday, became the defining moments
in nation's history, as for instance, the one on Aryabhatta, India's first
satellite. A couple of middle-aged office-goers are waiting at a bus stop. One
of them wants to know the time. As soon as the other looks at his watch and
answers, the questioner looks skywards, exclaims: "Aryabhatta must have

completed one orbit by now."

His huge canvas spanned local, national and global personalities and issues,
born out of his deep understanding of the cross currents shaping the world.
His take on Angolan crisis in which both the super powers fought through
proxies, at the height of the Cold War, shall remain among his many
unforgettable cartoons.

The three-column illustration depicts Leonid Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter,

presidents of erstwhile USSR and US, who are stealthily stepping across the
coast of Angola, both armed and in the guise of burglars. Carter cries "thiefthief" as soon as he spots his burly opposite number. It exposes their doublespeak and evokes laughter at the irony. These cartoons speak volumes about
Laxman's capacity to convey complex geopolitical realities in his
characteristic style.

Laxman's cartoons, undoubtedly the outcome of a brilliant mind, also entailed

sheer hard work. It meant isolating himself for six hour daily, neither
speaking nor listening to anyone during the period. "Searching for new ideas
is an endless process. You have to come up with new and innovative idea
each day," he said.

Some of the tomes showcasing Laxman's perspective also include the one
which appeared just after the 1971 India-Pakistan war, in three columns, in
his inimitable style. General Yayha Khan, pointing to the stack of destroyed
Pakistani tanks and planes in the background, tells Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with a
smile: "Have I not made it seem like a thousand-year war," (which only lasted
14 days). Bhutto often boasted about waging a millennial war against India.

Laxman, the youngest of six siblings, was born Oct 24, 1921, in Mysore. He
showed promise very early in life. The illustrations in The Strand, Punch,
Bystander and Tit-Bits, reputed British magazines, spurred his innate talent
which found an outlet in his own house. He drew on its floor, walls and doors,
sketched caricatures of his school teachers. Sir David Low, the world-famous

cartoonist whose sketches also appeared in the Hindu, also influenced him.

Laxman lost his father, a headmaster, in childhood to the after-affects of a

paralytic stroke, which he suffered a year earlier. The family elders stepped in
and took responsibility for his children's upbringing and schooling.

Refused admission to the J J School of Art in Mumbai, on the grounds that he

lacked requisite talent, Laxman joined the Maharaja's College in Mysore.
While doing his graduation in arts, he began to illustrate the stories of elder
sibling R.K. Narayan, which appeared in The Hindu. He contributed cartoons
to Swatantra, a local daily. Later, he worked for Swarajya and Blitz. Laxman
also drew cartoons for Koravanji, the Kannada humour magazine.

But his stint with the Free Press Journal, where he worked with Bal Thackeray,
happened to be his first full-time job. In 1951 Laxman joined The Times of
India, Mumbai, which he served for more than 50 years, until a stroke in
September 2003 left him partially paralyzed.

While receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award in Bangalore in February

2002, Laxman observed. "The 'Common Man' has not changed in the last five
decades, and will not change. If he does, then he will become a terrorist... He
represents the silent majority of India, who have no voice."
Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download
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RK Laxman: Honoured by Indira, banned by Morarji

Jan 27, 2015, 06.46AM IST
RK Laxman - VI

RK Laxman.

In his illustrious career, Laxman got to know the nation's and world's top
personalities intimately. Here, in his own words, are the impressions he
gathered.

A PADMA BHUSHAN FROM THE LADY I KEPT MAKING FUN OF!

A man who introduced himself as an official from the home ministry, New
Delhi, said he had brought the good news that the PM had approved of the
list of Padma Bhushan awardees and my name was included in it. I was
stunned; here I was attacking and making fun of her in my cartoons, and she
had seen fit to confer this honour on me!

I suspected a catch in this somewhere! ... I asked for a little more time to
decide. Finally I agreed to accept the honour. The official announcement was
made and congratulatory messages poured in from all parts of the country. A
circular from the home minister followed from Delhi, asking me to be present
in the capital for rehearsals ... If I was to bring my spouse I had to bear the
expenses of her travel, and on the day of the function she should dress
soberly, wearing a sari whose border should not be more than two inches
broad!

Fortunately I was spared the ordeal of attending the rehearsal as well as the
ceremony as I had accepted an invitation to Germany at that time. Ten
months later, the citation declaring that I was a Padma Bhushan and two
medals one big and another small were delivered by a postman to my
flat. There was a note from the home secretary stating that the big medal
was to be worn for formal occasions and the small one on informal occasions.
However, it hinted that neither should be displayed conspicuously.

I am still to understand what these instructions meant.

TS ELIOT SNOOZED AS I SKETCHED HIM

A couple of days later I was sitting with T S Eliot in his study. He uttered some
obvious pleasantries but was mostly silent. As I began to make rough
sketches of his tall figure, large nose and dreamy eyes, I told him about a
poet I had met in London, who claimed that he knew Eliot so well that Eliot
had written an introduction to a collection of that man's poems, currently in
the press. When I mentioned the individual's name, Eliot raised his eyebrows
and said he had neither heard of the poet nor had he written a foreword to
any such book!

Then he sat still, as if posing for an oil portrait. I made an elaborate pencil
study of him. When I finished I held it out for him to autograph. He continued
to sit without stirring. I had to clear my throat loudly, for he had gone to
sleep. He woke up with a start and looked apologetic. He gazed at my
drawing with amusement and signed it cheerfully.

THE COMMON MAN WAS A SILENT SPECTATOR

For a long time I believed I was providing the readers with some comic relief
in their dreary humdrum existence. The bespectacled Common Man in his
checked coat had walked into my cartoon spontaneously, as if I had no hand
in his creation. Equally effortlessly he became a silent spectator of events,
moving with ease from drought-stricken villages to the airport to watch
foreign delegations arriving. Once he even visited the South Pole along with a
minister for commerce who held bilateral talks with a group of attentive
penguins.

In the course of time I was surprised to discover that my readers looked upon
me not merely as a cartoonist who tickled their sense of humour, but as a
profound thinker, a social reformer, a political scientist, a critic of errant
politicians and so on. I received letters complaining about postal delays,

telephones, the sloppiness of municipal authorities, inflated electric bills,

bribes in school admissions.

One such letter pleaded, "Please halt the 47 Down train at ... for a few
minutes to save me the bother of waiting for four hours for the next one to go
home from the office."

WHEN GAMBLERS SAW HIDDEN SIGNS IN MY WORK

Another offbeat incident revealed that my cartoons, besides provoking

laughter, had a mystic appeal to a section of the public. In those days,
betting on numbers was quite a popular pastime, though illegal. Gamblers
somehow saw the possible lucky combinations of numbers in my cartoons. It
went roughly along these lines ... suppose there were four people in the
cartoon on a particular day, with three looking one way and one the other
way, that somehow provided sufficient clues for the gamblers to speculate
accordingly ... The number of lamp-posts, cars in a street scene, people in a
bus queue were all indicators to where the treasure lay.

One morning, a fat fellow who looked like a trader, clad in an immaculate
white kurta and dhoti with a gold chain adorning his neck, was waiting for my
arrival at the office. He took out a sheaf of high-denomination currency notes
and offered it to me, asking in return for the favour of just one glimpse of the
following morning's cartoon. This would help him to read the mysterious
number hidden in it and thus gamble ahead of his rivals and make his
fortune. It was not difficult to get rid of this customer. All I had to do was
bring up imaginary legal objections to such a transaction, as specified in my
contract as an employee of The Times of India. Before I could continue my
narration to point out the illegality of betting, the chap had left the room and
scooted away.

WHAT ON EARTH DOES THIS CARTOON MEAN?

Wading through the sea of dog-eared sketches, I had to face another

problem. Some of the cartoons made no sense at all. What in Heaven's name
could they be referring to? Perhaps they had brought national applause on

the day they were flashed on the front page of The Times of India. Perhaps
the political clown shown in one cartoon was the chief minister of a minor
state or a junior in the central cabinet, whose indiscretions and irresponsible
pronouncements might have invited the attention of the whole nation,
including mine, inspiring me to do the cartoon.

The character must have since disappeared from the political scene; no trace
of him existed now except the frayed drawing I was puzzling over! I was also
nagged by the proliferation of acronyms. I had inscribed Congress (SDK), LB,
KPSS, ABWU, OPPUWF and so on across the shirts of their leaders, on tattered
flags, on tigers, pythons, bulls ... It is in the nature of political cartoons to
have a very short life except those few that satirize momentous national
events.

MORARJI DESAI CALLED A CABINET MEETING TO BAN ME

I congratulated myself on having acheived a harmonious routine work, a

couple of drinks in the evening at home in the company of my family and
retiring early to read in bed. All this was shattered when Morarji Desai
became the chief minister of Maharashtra and introduced prohibition to snuff
out what he perceived as the evil habit of drinking. It was said he would not
even drink plain water to quench his thirst, but would prepare his own
'recycled liquid' from within himself and consume that!

Morarji Desai also banned horse racing and crossword puzzles. A cartoon I
drew on this theme annoyed him so much that he held a full cabinet meeting
to muzzle me and ban making the government, politicians and ministers
objects of ridicule in the name of humour. He was told there was no way of
stopping the cartoons since our Constitution fully protected the freedom of
expression.

RAJIV BEGAN TO RESEMBLE MY CARTOONS OF HIM

I knew Rajiv Gandhi would prove to be a difficult subject. He was tall, young
and handsome. There was nothing in his physical features I could capture,
exaggerate and exploit for my benefit. Besides, he had ideas that were lofty,

progressive and of scientific temper. I was worried that if he succeeded, I

would lose my job.

But soon my hopes revived ... The Congress-I candidates for the Lok Sabha
elections were found to be star actors, dancers, celebrity sportsmen and so
on. I was able to gather plenty of ideas from Rajiv Gandhi's style of
functioning. I even managed to find points in his features for distortion. I
made him look a little more rotund than he really was, I shortened his nose
and tilted it slightly upward.

I thickened his eyebrows and reduced the hair on his pate, making him nearly
bald. Thus, having remodelled him to suit my purpose, I began to produce
this image day after day for the Times. Shortly, people started to remark that
Rajiv had begun to resemble my cartoon version of him, losing his original
God-given good looks!

'DID YOU DRAW THIS YOURSELF, LAXMAN?'

He asked us to queue up and began to critically examine our efforts one by

one, murmuring comments and giving marks. Sometimes he twisted a boy's
ear or brought the cane down on the leg of another. When it was my turn he
stared at the drawing for an alarmingly long time and asked me, "Did you
draw it yourself, Laxman?" I was frightened and stepped back, expecting a
shower of blows. I replied, "You asked us to draw, Sir ... I sat there and
drew ..." fumbling for a safe excuse. But to my great surprise and joy, he held
my slate up before the class and announced, "Attention! Look how nicely
Laxman has drawn the leaf." He turned to me and said, "You will be an artist
one day. Keep it up."

I was inspired by this unexpected encouragement. I began to think of myself

as an artist in the making, never doubting that this was my destiny.

POLITICIANS LIKE CARTOONS WHEN ...

As a rule I avoided meeting politicians. In my professional life I had learnt that

when a politician congratulated me on my cartoon of the day and thumped
me on the back saying I was a genius, he had just seen a nasty cartoon about
his political enemy in the opposition or in his own party. On the other hand if
a politician pumped my hand with warm and generous admiration for a
cartoon in which I had ridiculed him, he was bound to start quietly telling me
in a roundabout way that I lacked political judgement, and end up teaching
me how to draw cartoons.

(Excerpted from 'The Tunnel Of Time' by R K Laxman, with permission from

Penguin Books India)

R. K. Laxman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
R. K. Laxman
R K Laxman.jpg
Born Rasipuram Krishnaswami Laxman
24 October 1921
Mysore, British India (Karnataka, India)
Died 26 January 2015 (aged 93)
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Nationality

Indian

Occupation Cartoonist, illustrator

Known for

Common Man cartoon

Spouse(s)
Kumari Kamala
Kamala Laxman
FamilyR. K. Narayan (brother)

Awards

Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Ramon Magsaysay Award

Signature

RKLaxman.jpg

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Laxman[1] (24 October 1921 26 January 2015)

was an Indian cartoonist, illustrator, and humorist.[2] He is best known for his
creation The Common Man and for his daily cartoon strip, "You Said It" in The
Times of India, which started in 1951.[3]

Laxman started his career as a part-time cartoonist, working mostly for local
newspapers and magazines. While a college student, he illustrated his elder
brother R. K. Narayan's stories in The Hindu. His first full-time job was as a
political cartoonist for the The Free Press Journal in Mumbai. Later, he joined
The Times of India, and became famous for the Common Man character.

Contents [hide]
1 Birth and childhood
2 Career
2.1 Beginning
2.2 Other creations
3 Personal life
4 Death
5 Awards and recognition
6 Bibliography
7 Multimedia
8 Notes
9 References
Birth and childhood[edit]
R. K. Laxman was born in Mysore in 1921.[4] His father was a headmaster
and Laxman was the youngest of six sons (he had a sister as well[5]);[6] an
older brother is the famous novelist R. K. Narayan. Laxman was known as
"Pied Piper of Delhi".[7]

Laxman was engrossed by the illustrations in magazines such as The Strand,

Punch, Bystander, Wide World and Tit-Bits, before he had even begun to read.
[8] Soon he was drawing on his own, on the floors, walls and doors of his
house and doodling caricatures of his teachers at school; praised by a
teacher for his drawing of a peepal leaf, he began to think of himself as an
artist in the making.[9] Another early influence on Laxman was the work of
the world-renowned British cartoonist, Sir David Low (whose signature he
misread as "cow" for a long time) that appeared now and then in The Hindu.
[10] Laxman notes in his autobiography, The Tunnel of Time:

I drew objects that caught my eye outside the window of my room the dry
twigs, leaves and lizard-like creatures crawling about, the servant chopping
firewood and, of course, and number of crows in various postures on the
rooftops of the buildings opposite

R. K. Laxman[11]
Laxman was the captain of his local "Rough and Tough and Jolly" cricket team
and his antics inspired the stories "Dodu the Money Maker" and "The Regal
Cricket Club" written by his brother, Narayan.[12] Laxman's idyllic childhood
was shaken for a while when his father suffered a paralytic stroke and died
around a year later, but the elders at home bore most of the increased
responsibility, while Laxman continued with his schooling.[13]

After high school, Laxman applied to the J. J. School of Art, Bombay hoping to
concentrate on his lifelong interests of drawing and painting, but the dean of
the school wrote to him that his drawings lacked "the kind of talent to qualify
for enrolment in our institution as a student", and refused admission.[14] He
finally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mysore. In the
meantime he continued his freelance artistic activities and contributed
cartoons to Swarajya and an animated film based on the mythological
character Narada.[15]

Career[edit]
Beginning[edit]
Laxman's earliest work was for newspapers and magazines including

Swarajya and Blitz. While still at the Maharaja College of Mysore, he began to
illustrate his elder brother R. K. Narayan's stories in The Hindu, and he drew
political cartoons for the local newspapers and for the Swatantra. Laxman
also drew cartoons for the Kannada humour magazine, Koravanji (which was
founded in 1942 by Dr M. Shivaram who was an allopath and had a clinic in
the Majestic area of Bangalore. He started this monthly magazine, dedicating
it to humorous and satirical articles and cartoons. Shivaram himself was an
eminent humourist in Kannada. He encouraged Laxman.)

Laxman held a summer job at the Gemini Studios, Madras. His first full-time
job was as a political cartoonist for the The Free Press Journal in Mumbai,
where Bal Thackeray was his cartoonist colleague. Laxman later joined The
Times of India, Bombay, beginning a career that spanned over fifty years. His
"Common Man" character, featured in his pocket cartoons, is portrayed as a
witness to the making of democracy.[16] Anthropologist Ritu G. Khanduri
notes, "R. K. Laxman structures his cartoon-news through a plot about
corruption and a set of characters. This news is visualized and circulates
through the recurring figures of the mantri (minister), the Common Man and
the trope of modernity symbolized by the airplane (2012: 304)."[17]

Other creations[edit]
Laxman also created a popular mascot for the Asian Paints group called Gattu
in 1954.[18][19] He also wrote a few novels, the first one of which was titled
The Hotel Riviera.[20] His cartoons have appeared in Hindi films such as Mr. &
Mrs. '55 and a Tamil film Kamaraj. His creations also include the sketches
drawn for the television adaptation of Malgudi Days[21] which was written by
his elder brother R. K. Narayan and directed by Shankar Nag. Laxman also
drew caricatures of David Low, T.S. Eliot, Bertrand Russell, J.B. Priestly and
Graham Greene.[20]

Personal life[edit]

A tribute to the late R. K. Laxman by cartoonist Shekhar Gurera

Laxman was first married to Bharatanatyam dancer and film actress Kumari
Kamala Laxman, who began her film career as a child actress named "Baby
Kamala," and graduated into adult roles under the name "Kumari Kamala"
("Miss Kamala"). They were divorced, and Laxman later married a woman

whose first name was again Kamala. This was the authoress and children's
book writer Kamala Laxman. In a cartoon series named "The star I never met"
in film magazine Filmfare he painted a cartoon of Kamala Laxman, with the
title "The star I only met!" The couple had no children and divided their time
between Mumbai and Pune.[citation needed]

In September 2003, Laxman was affected by a stroke which left him

paralysed on his left side. He partly recovered from its effects. On the
evening of 20 June 2010, Laxman was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in
Mumbai after being transported by an air ambulance from Pune. His condition
was said to be stable.[22]

In October 2012 Laxman celebrated his 91st birthday in Pune. During a

private gathering at his residence, Laxman cut the cake and was presented a
DVD of a documentary titled The Brainy Crow by his fan Rajvardhan Patil,
depicting the life and survival of the favourite bird of the cartoonist. Shiv
Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who had a past association with Laxman as a
cartoonist, sent birthday greetings to him, family sources said. Scientist
Jayant Narlikar and Symbiosis University chancellor S. B. Mujumdar also came
to greet him on the occasion.[23]

Death[edit]
Laxman died at the age of 94 at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune on
26 January 2015. He was hospitalized on 23 January for urinary tract infection
and chest-related problems that ultimately led to multi-organ failure.[24] He
was put on life support after his condition worsened on 26 January 2015. He
had reportedly suffered multiple strokes since 2010.[25][26][20]

A cartoon that Laxman had made following the successful landing of

Mangalyaan on Mars was posted by the Indian Space Research Organisation
on its Facebook and Twitter pages on 27 January.[27] Maharashtra Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that Laxman would be accorded a
state funeral and a memorial would be built in his honour. Laxman's body was
kept at the Symbiosis Institute's Pune premises near the "Common Man"
statue and his body was cremated at the Vaikunth crematorium.[28]

In The Darkness of Night: Iulia caught sharing Salman's jacket

Home/Bollywood/Bollywood Gossip
In The Darkness of Night: Iulia caught sharing Salman's jacket
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 17:11 IST By Ankur Karan Singh, Santa Banta
News Network
Getting associated with some of the gorgeous women of showbiz is not
something new for Bollywood's Dabangg, Salman. And linking up of his name
with Sangeeta Bijlani, Katrina Kaif, Jacqueline Fernandez is one of the
conspicuous example of the same. But inspire of the sizzling off screen
chemistry of these lasses with Salman, reports never reached till the level of
their getting hitched.

But if we talk about Sallu's new alleged Romanian girlfriend, Iulia Vanture.
Then reports have repeatedly suggested that her proximity with this most
eligible bachelor of Bollywood is far more intimate than any of the women we
have mentioned above.

After many hearsay chunks pertaining to Salman's seeing Iulia, just a few
months back during Arpita's wedding fest, reports about Salman's introducing
Iulia to his family as his girlfriend also made it to page 3. And soon after
many started seeing Iulia as Salman's soul-mate.

And now if we believe the latest visual chunk which has surfaced in grapevine
has once again compelled us to believe that Iulia is much more than just a
friend for Salman.

If we believe the this image which has caught our attention then it shows Iulia
wearing one of Salman's jacket during a party held on Salman's birthday at
latter's Panvel farmhouse.

Sitting besides a bonfire in darkness of night, undoubtedly this stunning babe

looks no less a than a perfect fairy who will make a perfect pair with our very
own Chulbuul Pandey... Feeling envious gals?

As far as we know Salman then this Dabangg of Bollywood is very particular

and choosy about sharing his things with people, despite their belonging to
his inner circle.

Now if our eyes are some thing to believe and this jacket is the one belonging
to Sallu Bhaai then there are ample chances that in the near future millions
and millions of Salman may get a chance to see Salman exchanging wedding
chaplet with Iulia or saying 'Qubool Hai'.

Shah Rukh Khan is 'proud' to be part of Barack Obama's speech, but sad as
he couldn't do Bhangra
IANS

@ibnlivemovies
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Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is delighted that US President
Barack Obama incorporated his famous "Senorita" dialogue during an
address in the national capital. Now King Khan hopes that Obama will groove
to his hit number "Chaiyya chaiyya" some day.
Obama, who was in India on a three-day state visit, recollected that when he
had first visited India in 2010, he had experienced some 'bhangra'.
Giving his speech a Bollywood twist, he delivered Shah Rukh's dialogue from
the 1995 movie "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge".
Shah Rukh Khan is 'proud' to be part of Barack Obama's speech, but sad as
he couldn't do Bhangra
A file photo of Shah Rukh Khan
#shah rukh khan #barack obama #bhangra
"Senorita, bade bade deshon ... You know what I mean," he said.
Even though he cut the popular dialogue short, Obama managed to draw a
huge applause and cheer from the audience.
For SRK, one of Bollywood's top-rated filmstars and a global icon, it was a
moment to feel proud.
"Proud 2 b part of the gender & religion equality speech of Pres. Obama. Sad
he couldn't do the Bhangra... next time Chaiyya Chaiyya for sure," Shah Rukh
tweeted.
Composed by Oscar-winning music maestro A.R. Rahman, the popular dance
number is part of the "Dil Se" sound-track.

President Barack Obama quotes SRK's 'senorita' dialogue

Source :

PTI

Last Updated: Tue, Jan 27, 2015 15:45 hrs0 Comments

US President Barack Obama charmed everyone by quoting Shah Rukh Khan's

famous line 'Senorita, bade bade deshon mein...' from blockbuster 'Dilwale
Dulhania Le Jayenge' at the Siri Fort auditorium here.

He drew a loud cheer from the audience after he borrowed SRK's famous
dialogue from the movie.

"Last celebration here we celebrated festival of lights in Mumbai. We danced

with some children. Unfortunately, we were not able to schedule any dancing
in this visit. Senorita, bade bade desho mein... you know what I mean,"
Obama said with a smile while addressing a Town hall event on the third and
final day of his visit to India.

The US President picked Indian heroes like actor Shah Rukh Khan and sports
icons like Milkha Singh and Mary Kom and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi to
make a point that courage and humanitarian values unify both the nations.

Reality Check: When Bollywood crossed borders

Home/Bollywood/What`S Hot?
Reality Check: When Bollywood crossed borders
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 10:42 IST
As US President Barack Obama amused us on R-Day by quoting a 'DDLJ'
dialogue, we reminisce a few instances when Bollywood evinced international
interest

As India celebrated its 66th Republic Day, two events seemed surprising. One
was the random rain during the R-Day parade in New Delhi and another,
Barack Obama's presence as chief guest making him the first US president to
do so. However, one factor is common to all national day celebrations in our
country: Bollywood songs.

During his address at the Siri Fort in Delhi, Obama chose a popular line from
the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' to make a
point about geopolitics

In fact, Hindi cinema seldom gets its due credit for fostering patriotism
through feisty lyrics. In similar fashion, Bollywood's emotional influence
among non-diaspora populace abroad is a story that seldom gets noted. That
also makes Obama's decision to paraphrase a dialogue from 'Dilwale
Dulhania Le Jayenge' (1995) - "Senorita, bade bade deshon mein..." - quite
interesting. hitlist points out some random facts and anecdotes from recent
or distant past to emphasise Hindi films' cultural influence...

Obama

Socialist ties
Soviet Union might be a thing of nostalgic past but Raj Kapoor's films are still
in vogue. Even today, a generation of cinephiles from countries like Russia,
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan or Turkmenistan are likely to churn out playful numbers
- say, 'Mera joota hai Japani' - from movies like 'Awara' (1951) and 'Shree 420'
(1955) in thick accent. This magical cinematic affair has something to do with
the fact that the Soviet government loved Raj Kapoor's socialist-leaning films
as they didn't promote anarchy.

Afghanistan's connect with Hindi cinema goes far beyond this Amitabh
Bachchan and Sridevi-starrer 'Khuda Gawah' (1992)

Language no bar
Shashi Tharoor, while talking to us, reminisced that during his UN work in
Senegal, he came across an illiterate village woman who took a bus every
month to Dakar to watch a Bollywood movie. She neither understood the
dialogues nor could she read the French subtitles. But then, it didn't matter to
her as she loved the singing, dancing and action on the big screen. "The story
is understood and she goes home with stars in her eyes about India and its
culture," added the MP.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

All the rage

Who doesn't know Big B? Try asking this question during your visit to Egypt.
Apparently, the ageless superstar is a very popular figure in the land of
Pyramids. So much so that a taxi driver on the streets of Cairo is most likely
to ask "How is Amitabh Bachchan doing?" on knowing your Indian origin. His
popularity owes to the screenings of his films from the '70s when his angry
young man image was in flourish. Interestingly, he is still young in that
politically angry country.

'Mother India' (1957) is one of the most watched Hindi films in Nigeria and
Ethiopia

Written in the stars

Did you know it's illegal to watch Hollywood films in North Korea? And this
has been the case even before Seth Rogen and James Franco's latest comedy
'The Interview' got embroiled in the recent controversy. Regardless, in 2007,
North Korea's government did something exceptionally different from the
routine by screening Aamir Khan's 'Taare Zameen Par' to celebrate 40 years
of New Delhi's diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. What's more intriguing is
that it was the Koreans who selected that movie.

Raj Kapoor happens to be a popular figure in former Soviet Union nations

Not really an island

Jacqueline Fernandez isn't the only thing Sri Lankan about Bollywood. In our
neighbouring country, Bollywood films - not Tamil films although they are
closer geographically - happen to be a huge draw. One of the reasons why
Hindi film stars are perceived as icons among youth especially in urban areas.
Like a retired diplomat once stated, "Hindi films have done more to bring
people of these two countries closer than high commissions with colonial
hangover!"

Jacqueline Fernandez isn't the only thing Sri Lankan about Bollywood

By hook or crook<
Not a year goes by without the Pakistan government banning a handful of
Indian films (read: Bollywood) for sensitive reasons. Nonetheless, that doesn't
stop our neighbours across the border from watching the films they'd love to
spend their time on. Even if that means downloading them illegally or
procuring pirated DVDs. Several spots in Lahore and Karachi are famous dens
for pirated DVDs of Bollywood films - both that releases as well as doesn't in
the country.

Chinese takeaway
According to legend, two of the most popular modern Indian figures in China
have been Tagore and Gandhi, for years now. But going by the current trend,
Bollywood films are gradually picking up. So much so '3 Idiots' (2009)'s
unexpected popularity in the mainland is a stuff of legend now. The film's
heartwarming story about India's education system struck a chord. And that's
along with a number of Hindi film songs that were rendered by Chinese on TV
talent shows in recent memory.

On the watch
It's easy to call Afghanistan a war-ravaged nation with a major chunk of it
struggling with electricity issues. But at the same time, change is on its way
and entertainment is gradually making a comeback.

Which is also why Bollywood's reference point is no more limited to 'Khuda

Gawah' (1992) because it not only starred Amitabh Bachchan as a Pathan but
also shot extensively in Kabul. As of today, Afghans are increasingly tuning in
to watch Hindi films - either through TV or pirated DVDs - as a source of
weekly recreation

Disco Dancer is a 1982 Indian Hindi/Bollywood feature film film directed by

Babbar Subhash, starring Mithun Chakraborty in the lead role and Rajesh
Khanna in a special appearance plays the mentor of the lead hero. The film
tells the rags-to-riches story of a young street performer. It is especially
known for its filmi disco songs composed by Bappi Lahari and dance of
Mithun Chakraborthy. Songs including "I am a Disco Dancer" and "Yaad Aa
Raha Hai" - both picturized on Mithun and sung by Vijay Benedict and Bappi
Lahiri ; the song Goro Ki Na Kaalo Ki picturised on Rajesh Khanna - sung by
Suresh Wadkar with Usha Mangeshkar became very popular.

The film was a worldwide success, with its popularity extending across
Southern and Central Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, the Middle East, the
Far East, Turkey and Soviet Union. It was one of the most successful Indian
films in the Soviet Union, drawing an audience of 40 to 63 million viewers
there. The film established Mithun as a household name in Southern Asia as

well as the Soviet Union. In China, the film's soundtrack was a success and
received a Award there.

The film was remade in Tamil as Paadum Vaanambaadi with Anand Babu and
in Telugu as Disco King with Nandamuri Balakrishna.
Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja' and 'I Am a Disco Dancer' are very popular in
countries such as Mongolia and post-Soviet states such as Russia, Azerbaijan,
Ghana, Nigeria and Uzbekistan.[citation needed]

Baimurat Allaberiyev, an ethnic Uzbek from Tajikistan became an internet

sensation by singing 'Goron Ki Na Kalon Ki' and 'Jimmy Aaja' in a warehouse.
The 2008 video recorded on a mobile phone got over 1 million views on
YouTube. He has landed an acting role in a Russian comedy film, Six Degrees
of Celebration (2010).
In Russia, there are statues for Jimmy and some acquaintances in Kazakhstan
told me that when Mithun Chakraborty went to Almaty, the president's
address to the nation was cancelled because a million-strong crowd was busy
welcoming Mithun at the airport.

In Tokyo, there's a shrine to the Disco Dancer. In Egypt, people serenade

Indian tourists by singing "Disco Dancer" songs. Across Western Asia in
general, a swath generally denied Hollywood entertainment through the Cold
War years, movies like "Disco Dancer", and especially this one, found the
audience it was always searching for.

Modelling is stepping stone to acting: Rakul Preet Singh

Home/Bollywood/Interviews
Modelling is stepping stone to acting: Rakul Preet Singh
Wednesday, January 28, 2015 13:46 IST By Santa Banta News Network
Rakul Preet Singh first faced the camera when she was all of two, and her
love for showbiz since has only grown manifold. Having done her fair share of
catwalks before entering films, she says modelling gives newcomers a push
into the movie world.

Rakul, who made her Bollywood debut with "Yaariyan" and has starred in
various southern films like "Venkatadri Express", "Loukyam" and "Current
Theega", calls herself a "filmy kid".

"I was a filmy kid. I was two when I faced the camera for the first time. My
parents realised it pretty early and I'm really thankful to them for their
support and help. I did modelling for a year, but then I always wanted to be
an actress," Rakul told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

A former Miss India contestant, Rakul started paving her way to films through
the ramp.

Asked why she chose a modelling career if she had her eyes set on films, the
Delhi-born beauty said: "Beauty pageants work as a platform from where you
can reach out to many. Although they are two different fields, they come
under the same group.

"For newcomers, modelling is like a stepping stone to acting. The exposure

and experience in modelling helps...But for acting, we have to show a lot of
hard work and dedication towards it."

On the film front, Rakul will next be seen in two southern movies -- "Pandaga
Chesko" and "Kick 2".

Apart from that, in the Bollywood space she will play an "independent girl" in
filmmaker Ramesh Sippy's light-hearted comedy "Shimla Mirchi", which stars
veteran actress Hema Malini and actor Rajkummar Rao in lead roles. The film
is likely to release in June this year.