GENIUS STROKES TO THE TOON - R.K. LAXMAN
GENIUS STROKES TO THE TOON - R.K. LAXMAN
The extra ordinary man who created common man with his unforgettable pencil tip. The genius was evident in each and every gifted stroke of his brilliance.
The political cartoonist in his master stroke display bettered each stroke by another.
The political satire his painting brush dished out every morning in a leading newspaper was the oeuvre of his genius.
R.K.Laxman was a Cartoonist, Illustrator and Humourist. He had also written many short stories, essays. and travelogues besides two novels and an autobiography.
The thought provoking small cartoon space in a national daily was always topical of the contemporary politics of the nation.
He was a daily columnist to the India's numero uno newspaper "The Times of India" since 1951, and that was the turning point of his life. His column "You Said It" appeared in the daily and soon accepted by the readers. He created 'Common Man' his political satire and catapulted to fame and riches.
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The news in nutshell was the caricature drawing of his story of common man.
He was the uncommon man who fearlessly depicted the doyens of his era through his satire. The illustrious sense of humour left everyone startled. His courageous take on the fearsome Bal Thackeray who terrorized Mumbai in his heyday was illustrious. It would also be interesting to note that Bal Thackeray was his Cartoonist colleague in the Daily, "The Free Press Journal". Bal Thackeray after leaving Free Press started his political party "Shiv Sena" and it's mouth piece Marathi journal, "Saamna".
R.K. Laxman's famous comic strip in the front page of a national daily, "You Said It" which chronicled Indian life and politics through the eyes of "Common Man", a bulbous-nosed bespectacled observer dressed in a dhoti and a distinctive checked coat who served as a silent point-of-view character for readers. His "common man" was witty and sarcastic but never venomous, and his outlook was said to represent that of countless average Indians.
R.K. Laxman aka Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Laxman was born on October 24, 1921 in Mysuru, the then Mysore. He died on 26th January (India's Republic Day), 2015, aged 93 years at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Center, Pune, Maharashtra due to multiple organ failure.
He also made sketches for his elder brother R.K. Narayan's "Malgudi Days'" TV adaptation directed by Shankar Nag.
The comic strip also served as the basis for a comedy series on Indian TV, "R.K.Laxman's Ki Duniya"(2011-13).
He also wrote the novels "The Hotel Reviera" (1988) and "The Messenger" (1993) and an autobiography "The Tunnel of Time" (1998).
R.K. Laxman was awarded Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan, the nation's prestigious awards by Government of India.
He also won Ramon Magsaysay Award an Asian equivalent of Nobel Prize in 1984 in the category of Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts in 2005.
It is interesting to note that R.K. Laxman was denied admission to Mumbai's prestigious Sir JJ School of Arts. He was told that he did not have the credentials to deserve admission and turned him down by the Dean of the School. He then graduated in Arts from Maharajas College, Mysore.
R.K. Laxman was the scion of a TamBrahm (Tamil Brahman) family.
R.K. Laxman was married to Kumari Kamala, a Bharatanatyam dancer and film actress. They did not have any children out of the wedlock. He then divorced her and married his niece again namely Kamala from whom he had a son. R.K. Laxman's son is currently staying along with his wife and son at Malabar Hill, a rich haven in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
A Museum-cum-Art Gallery in remembrance of R.K. Laxman and his writer bro R.K. Narayan was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on 6th March, 2022 in Pune. The Art Gallery was the brain child of R.K.Laxman's daughter-in-law Usha Laxman and initiated by Municipal Corporation of the City of Pune in 2016. The walls of the Gallery is decorated with his Cartoons.
New Museum-cum-Art Gallery at Balewadi, Pune (Maharashtra), India
To quote Usha Laxman "we have made this Gallery like an institution and we plan to tie up with various universities. It will be an open laboratory for students and artists".
A walk-through in the Gallery ends in a hologram of the 'Common Man". Bollywood Actor Boman Irani rendered his voice for the guided tour in English.
The Art Gallery also houses 30,000 "timeless" sketches made by the legendary cartoonist.
There is a Chair named after R.K. Laxman at "Symbiosis International University".
The immortal multi-faceted R.K.Laxman will always be remembered by his admirers and fans alike.
The writer had a luncheon joint "CRAVINGS" Restaurant, in Mumbai (Bombay), depicting R.K. Laxman's Cartoons on its four walls.
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