Personality of the Month


Personality of the Month: April 2005 www.nihindia.org Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman: The uncommon creator of The Common Man Most readers of a leading Indian English daily would remember the column “You Said It”, featuring *The Common Man. The creator of this character is a man, who could see every issue, ranging from politics, sports, science, day-to-day life, through the eyes of the common man. No other cartoonist has understood the average Indian as R.K. Laxman has. A Laxman cartoon has two characteristics. It is drama frozen at a crucial moment with something before and something after it. He puts us on the spot and we feel the ambience. The common man is helpless in his country, choking with frustrations and anger, but Laxman converted this rage into humour. Born to a headmaster in Mysore, Laxman was the youngest of 8 siblings, which included the celebrated Indian writer R.K. Narayan. In a house, bustling with activities, no family member had time for the young Laxman and his childhood companions included his gardener and a Great Dane. From a very early age, Laxman decided to be an artist and this passion led to paintings, posters and finally to the love of his life, the cartoons. Laxman graduated from the University of Mysore and his earliest works included those for newspapers and magazines like Swarajya* and Blitz. His first full-time job was that of a political cartoonist for the Free Press Journal, which he left after some dispute to join The Times of India, where he served for over five decades. Laxman would always be remembered for the “*The Common Man” in the cartoon series “You Said It”, which began in 1951 and also made its way to the idiot-box, through the series called, “WAAGLE KI DUNIYA”. He has also illustrated for his brother R.K. Narayan’s articles in The Hindu* and who can forget the character *Swami* in Malgudi days. He also created the popular mascot for the Asian Paints group called Gattu. Most of his cartoons have been compiled in books like “The Eloquent Brush: A Selection of Cartoons from Nehru to Rajiv”, “50 Years of Independence through the eyes of R.K.Laxman”, “The Best of Laxman series”, “Servants of India” and his autobiography, “The Tunnel of Time”. In his illustrated career, Laxman received numerous awards including the B.D. Goenka Award, the Durga Ratan Gold Medal, the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts. In 2003, Laxman suffered a major stroke, leaving him paralyzed on his left side. However, he has partly recovered from its effects. Though his cartoons were in black and white, they had shades of wit, humor, satire, tragedy and irony. His versatility and strict discipline made him one of the most adorable journalists and undoubtedly the most beloved cartoonist of India. A Commemorative stamp, released on the occasion of 150 years of the Times of India featuring *The Common Man* is probably the most befitting tribute to the unforgettable masterpiece of R.K. Laxman. Aniruddha Sengupta sengupta@mail.nih.gov

Personality of the Month: April 2005 www.nihindia.org

Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman: The uncommon creator of The Common Man

Most readers of a leading Indian English daily would remember the column “You Said It”, featuring The Common Man. The creator of this character is a man, who could see every issue, ranging from politics, sports, science, day-to-day life, through the eyes of the common man. No other cartoonist has understood the average Indian as R.K. Laxman has. A Laxman cartoon has two characteristics. It is drama frozen at a crucial moment with something before and something after it. He puts us on the spot and we feel the ambience. The common man is helpless in his country, choking with frustrations and anger, but Laxman converted this rage into humour.

Born to a headmaster in Mysore, Laxman was the youngest of 8 siblings, which included the celebrated Indian writer R.K. Narayan. In a house, bustling with activities, no family member had time for the young Laxman and his childhood companions included his gardener and a Great Dane. From a very early age, Laxman decided to be an artist and this passion led to paintings, posters and finally to the love of his life, the cartoons.

Laxman graduated from the University of Mysore and his earliest works included those for newspapers and magazines like Swarajya and Blitz. His first full-time job was that of a political cartoonist for the Free Press Journal, which he left after some dispute to join The Times of India, where he served for over five decades. Laxman would always be remembered for the “The Common Man” in the cartoon series “You Said It”, which began in 1951 and also made its way to the idiot-box, through the series called, “WAAGLE KI DUNIYA”. He has also illustrated for his brother R.K. Narayan’s articles in The Hindu and who can forget the character Swami in Malgudi days. He also created the popular mascot for the Asian Paints group called Gattu. Most of his cartoons have been compiled in books like “The Eloquent Brush: A Selection of Cartoons from Nehru to Rajiv”, “50 Years of Independence through the eyes of R.K.Laxman”, “The Best of Laxman series”, “Servants of India” and his autobiography, “The Tunnel of Time”.

In his illustrated career, Laxman received numerous awards including the B.D. Goenka Award, the Durga Ratan Gold Medal, the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts. In 2003, Laxman suffered a major stroke, leaving him paralyzed on his left side. However, he has partly recovered from its effects.

Though his cartoons were in black and white, they had shades of wit, humor, satire, tragedy and irony. His versatility and strict discipline made him one of the most adorable journalists and undoubtedly the most beloved cartoonist of India. A Commemorative stamp, released on the occasion of 150 years of the Times of India featuring The Common Man is probably the most befitting tribute to the unforgettable masterpiece of R.K. Laxman.

Aniruddha Sengupta sengupta@mail.nih.gov