R.K. Laxman- The Common Man

 The Common Man

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Laxman- a renowned cartoonist, humorist, and illustrator. The man who created the famous cartoon character 'The Common Man', which describes the troubles, hopes, and daily life of an average Indian middle-class family, But how did this common man become a cartoon sensation across India ? Let's find out.

 

R.K. Laxman was born into a middle-class Hindu brahmin family on October 24, 1924, in the Mysore Presidency. His elder brother, R.K. Narayan, was a famous novelist. From his early days, he developed an interest in cartoon creations. Laxman ji was influenced by renowned British cartoonist David Low, whose illustrations were printed in the 'The Hindu' newspaper. After completing his schooling, he pursued his degree from the University of Mysore in Bachelor of Arts. He started making illustrations for his elder brother, RK Narayan, who worked as a storywriter for 'The Hindu'.

 

He started working as a political cartoonist for 'The Free Press Journal' in 1946, where he was joined by yet another famous cartoonist, Bal Thackeray. Later,  he left the job to work on his own weekly 'Marmik'. Laxman ji joined 'The Times of India' in 1947, where his job was to create a unique cartoon for the comic strip named 'You said it', which was published on the front page of TOI. The comic strip became so popular among people, that it was published for almost five decades. The turning point in Laxman ji's life was the creation of the cartoon character 'The Common Man', a simple man with dhoti, specs, and a plaid jacket. It draws attention to the daily life and happenings of politics in a simple and humorous way. A tiny shift in politics cannot be overlooked by this common man. He also created other characters, including the common woman, the common man's wife, etc. The cartoon soon established itself as the most recognizable feature in The Times of India. According to Laxman ji the alchemy of a cartoonist consist of three vital components ; General Knowledge, Craftsmanship and Humor.

In 2005 he was awarded with Padma Vibhushan for his contributions in Industry. Following RK Laxman's legacy Indian Postal Service commemorated a postal stamp featuring Common Man, Google also created Doodle on the occasion of RK Laxman's 94th birthday. The R.K. Laxman museum was constructed in Pune which features his life story and his creations. 

Thank You, 

Sarthak P. Khode 😊