Aged around 50 years or so, a balding head, wearing dhoti and a checked shirt with a pair of spectacles balanced on his nose. Who is this? This is you, this is me. This is the ‘Common Man’ epitomised by the great Indian cartoonist, R. K. Laxman. For years, we have woken up with the cartoon of the common page dutifully occupying his corner of the front-page of newspapers. His uninterrupted appearance has been a source of inspiration for many, a light at the end of dark-tunnel during the tough so cial times. He has been a mute spectator of all events, whether elections, scandals or plain homely domesticity. In his silence, we find an alert individual with endurance and perhaps the helplesness of the larger scale happenings. His voice is never heard. Yet, his presence signifies his attention to all events. He represents us all.
Usually, we associate cartoons with childhood and innocence. The cartoon world is one where humans and animals co-exist, the laws of physics are blatantly violated and humour is a key ingredient. It is a beautiful world devoid of tragedy and pain. For some of these reasons, cartoons have a universal appeal. R. K. Laxman’s cartoons depart from few of these characteristics, in the sense that his world of cartoons is realistic, inhabited by Indians and reflects the everyday situations that we encounter on the streets, market-places and in offices.
R. K. Laxman was born in 1924 in the cultural city of Mysore, the youngest of eight children. He graduated from the prestigious Maharaja College of Mysore. He started off his career as a cartoonist in 1947. He soon joined the Times of India and started the cartoon series ‘You said it’ through which the Common Man became a famed character. He has published several cartoon collections. He has also written few short-stories, essays, travelogues and novels. Lately, he penned his autobiography ‘The Tunnel of Time’.
The rustic fragrance of the TV serial ‘Malgudi Days’ (written by R. K. Narayan, brother of R. K. Laxman) was enhanced by the cartoons accompanying the wonderful song at the beginning and end of the serial. As we got to see Swami playing hookey to laze around and got familiar with his antics, we realised how full of life the cartoons were. I still vividly remember the cartoons. Who can forget them?
R. K. Laxman pays great attention to details. The ambience of a particular situation is brought out magnificently through a few strokes of the pencil. The beauty and humour of his cartoons lies in its simplicity. He conveys the joys, the frustrations and fortitudes of the protagonist through this black and white medium of lines and curves. The humour exuding from a cartoon usually belongs to the protagonist. His most famous protagonist is, however, a mute listener and a spectator to the events (usually political satire), the details of which are expressively brought out. The effort is enterprising and commendable, not only for the choice of the medium (cartoonery) but also for the manner of expression.
R. K. Laxman cannot be called a cartoonist alone. He has played a larger role in awakening us to the social, political and bereaucratic tangles through his quiet humour. R. K. Laxman, has successfully managed to enthuse the people with humour about the mundane happenings. Some us have been numbed by the continuous flow of scandals and corruption to make us pessimists. His cartoons have brought hope and optimism to us. To those of us who have become lethargic, his cartoons have aroused us to play a more active role than be mere spectators. All this with a few curves and lines of a skilful hand and a sharp mind!
