India's 'Common Man' no more
His 'Common Man' entertained people for more than five decades.
His cartoons had not missed any politician in the country and for many Indians their morning would not have been complete without the daily morning intake of satire.
Laxman's creation 'The Common Man', for his daily cartoon strip, "You Said It" in The Times of India, which started in 1951, had touched an iconic stature and became a part of the country's socio-political history.
An era came to an end on Monday when Laxman breathed his last at a Pune hospital. He was 94.
Born in Mysore in 1924, Laxman was the youngest of six sons. His father was a headmaster and his elder brother was the noted novelist R. K. Narayan.
Laxman was engrossed by the illustrations in magazines such as The Strand Magazine, Punch, Bystander, Wide World and Tit-Bits while the creations of British cartoonist Sir David Low had reportedly influenced him in his early days.
According to Wikipedia, 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 enrollment in our institution as a student", and refused admission.
He finally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mysore.
His earlier works were published in newspapers and magazines such as 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.
His first full-time job was as a political cartoonist for the The Free Press Journal in Mumbai.
Laxman later joined The Times of India, where he worked for several years and kept Indians start their day with a laugh with his unparalleled "common man" character.
Among his several remarkable creations, Padma Vibhushan awardee Laxman will also be remembered for creating a popular mascot for the Asian Paints group called Gattu in 1954.
Knowing well the pulse of Indian society,Laxman delivered strong messages through his cartoons and mirrored the hopes, follies and ambitions of country which was shaping itself into a powerful nation after gaining freedom in 1947.
Laxman's brush did not miss a single event which was shaping the world, making his creations unforgettable.
Condoling his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the cartoonist will be missed as the country will be grateful to him for bringing smiles on 'our' faces.
"India will miss you RK Laxman. We are grateful to you for adding the much needed humour in our lives & always bringing smiles on our faces," Modi tweeted.
"My condolences to the family & countless well-wishers of a legend whose demise leaves a major void in our lives. RIP RK Laxman," he said.
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