Kanpur mourns death of R K Laxman

KANPUR: “It is impossible to say how to become a cartoonist; you have to be born with the gift, just as you cannot tell someone how to sing,” says R.K. Laxman in his autobiography, ‘The Tunnel of Time’. The veteran cartoonist was certainly blessed with the art of making cartoons that he managed to carry for over five decades. The city remembers the 'uncommon man' behind 'The Common Man' cartoon series after he passed away at the age of 93 on Monday. Laxman is known for his acerbic cartoons satirising the Indian politicians. His ‘Common Man’ in daily cartoon strip ‘You Said It’ in The Times of India won him applauds and shot him to fame. Clad in checked jacket, dhoti and Gandhi-glasses, the `Common Man' generally acts as a silent witness to all the action in the comic and misses no detail of the political drama. He is someone with whom a common man can actually relate too. After the news of Laxman’s death broke, Kanpurites mourned his demise, confessing how much they will miss their favourite cartoonist. Abhay Dwivedi, former head of fine arts department, DAV College, said that the demise is remorseful. “A cartoonist is one who says something big by minimum words. Laxman was one cartoonist who knew the art of blendinghumour with seriousness. With his masterful strokes using the space of couple of inches, he exposed the hypocrisy in politics. He made satirical cartoons of almost every politician including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, but his way of presentation was so clean and unique that everyone becomes his fan,” he said.Prahlad Singh, head of fine arts department, CSJMU, said, “For over half a century, we have been waking up to the Common Man. The iconic cartoon character was something that people could relate with. It is a great loss to the cartoon fraternity. There cannot be any other Laxman born on this planet,” he said. India’s best known political cartoonist was an inspiration to many young artists, who mourn the sudden demise of their ‘guru’. “I had been reading ‘You Said It’ cartoon series since my childhood. In his biography, `The Tunnel of Time', the legendary cartoonist recalls, ‘I drew objects that caught my eye outside the window of my room -- the dry twigs, leaves and lizard like creatures crawling about, the servant chopping firewood and of course, the number of crows in various postures on the rooftops of the buildings opposite?’Following his footsteps I had also made several sketches of natural things. Making a career in cartooning is not an easy task, but Laxman followed his passion and proved his worth to the world,” Kshitij, an engineering graduate said.