JANUARY 30, 2015 EAST COAST EDITION
THE UNCOMMON MAN INSIDE
Legendary cartoonist R.K. Laxman, creator of the iconic ‘The Common Man,’ left no 1 politician or minister, however high or mighty, escape his pointed satire. A tribute...
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QUAID NAJMI, MUMBAI
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story in the media goes that one day a few decades ago, The Times Of India (ToI) cartoonist and creator of The Common Man, R.K. Laxman, retired. The following day, the legend’s cartoon was not to be found as readers rubbed their disbelieving eyes over their morning cuppa. Sustained letters and calls to the ToI offices from the loyal and casual readers finally led to Laxman being dragged out of retirement and reinstating the uncommon, signature cartoons to their dedicated slot on Page 1. That was the command Laxman’s Common Man in “You Said It” pocket cartoons held over masses, having regaled several generations of ToI readers in Mumbai and elsewhere in the country, for decades. ToI management rewarded Laxman with lifetime employment, while his son Srinivas Laxman, considered India’s only journalist specializing in space reporting, retired in 2009. “He continued as a regular fulltime employee and drew his salary till the end…” Laxman’s wife Kamala told IANS. After a rich life, the creator of the man with a bushy moustache, tufts of hair on the rim of a balding head and perennially donning a chequered coat with patch-work — The Common Man, immortalized as a statue in front of an educational institute in Pune, died Monday at the age of 94. Born on October 24, 1921, in Mysore, Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Laxman and his brother R.K. Narayan, who later became a leading Indian English writer had an ordinary childhood, as evidenced from Narayan’s books, The Malgudi Days. At an early age, he lost his father, a school headmaster, his elder broth-
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Desai was one tall thin, grim man, standing ramrod, both in Laxman’s creations and in real life. Who can forget the short and roly-poly perpetually grinning image of former deputy prime minister Jagjivan Ram or the potbellied S.B. Chavan with a stern, headmaster expression always on. Once Laxman said at an informal gathering that politicians of every genre used to approach him and begged of him to make their caricatures, that would make them famous and ‘noticeable’. His severe criticism of successive governments at the states and the centre, always highlighting their glaring acts of omission and commission in his typical wry humor, earned him fans and admirers even among his worst detractors. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paying homage to RK Laxman during Later, his works were compiled xthe funeral in Pune. (Right) The “Common Man.” (Photo: Nitin Lawate/IANS) into a whopping nine volumes of ers took up the responsibility for living. Alongside academics, he pur- cynical, humorous, and hapless, pocket cartoons and a book of select managing the house while Laxman sued drawing, first with freelance view of the country rising from the political cartoons, The Eloquent BJP leader LK contributions Advani, philanthropist Dilip Kumar so-calledKhan, jewel in theactors completed schooling. to local publications ruins of theAga Brush featuring his best commen- and Amitab to Rajiv of the British Empire into a taries from HeBachchan applied to Mumbai’sand famed Punjab and later sketched for crown the Nehru Vibhushan CMcartoons Parkash Singh Badal among Padma awarde Sir J.J. School of Arts, but was brother R.K. Narayan’s stories pub- force to reckon with in the global Gandhi eras. However, the governrejected — his drawings failed the lished in The Hindu and arena — through the eyes of The ment mandarins and politicians Common Man, his vocational whom he slaughtered with his pen high expectations of the other newspapers. and brush, proved a forgiving lot renowned institution. Laxman later got an offer with the trademark. Rajiv Gandhi was depicted as a when they honored him with top Disappointed but not disheart- ToI — which proved to be the turnened, Laxman joined Maharaja Col- ing point in his career and made confused, cherubic baby-faced civilian awards like Padma Shri and youth, while younger brother Sanjay Padma Bhushan, and on the interlege, Mysore, and earned his B.A. him a living legend. degree from the University of As the ToI’s cartoonist, Laxman Gandhi was the naughty, enfant ter- national stage, he bagged the Mysore, and came to Mumbai for a had a field day — always taking a bit rible of Indian politics, and Morarji Magsaysay Award.
THE UNCOMMON MAN Legendary cartoonist R.K. Laxman, creator of the iconic ‘The Common Man,’ left no politician or minister, however high or mighty, escape his pointed satire. A tribute...
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R.K. Laxman, nation’s uncrownedx conscience keeper KOLKATA: R.K. Laxman, considered by many as one of the world’s greatest cartoonists, was an institution unto himself, indisputably the uncrowned conscience keeper of the nation. No politician or minister, however high or mighty, escaped his pointed satire, conveyed through a few deft strokes of his brush, especially if they committed an act of impropriety or indiscretion. Laxman’s Common Man, who graced the front pages of The Times of India for more than five decades, under “You Said It” acquired an iconic stature of its own. These pocket cartoons not only conveyed the pulse of a nation,
but also unfailingly delivered powerful messages. At the same time they mirrored the hopes and aspirations, follies and foibles of a society in transition. The cartoons of Laxman, who died Monday, became the defining moments in nation’s history, as for instance, the one on Aryabhatta, India’s first satellite. A couple of middle-aged officegoers are waiting at a bus stop. One of them wants to know the time. As soon as the other looksAga at his watch and Khan answers, the questioner looks skywards, exclaims: “Aryabhatta must IANS, NEW DELHI have completed one orbit by now.”
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JP leader L.K. Advani, spiritual leader and philanthropist Aga Khan, actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal are among the nine named for India’s second highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan. The awards, declared on the eve of Republic Day, are the first Padma honors announced by the Narendra Modi government which assumed office last May. It had last month conferred the nation’s highest honor - the Bharat Ratna - on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and educationist Madan
His huge canvas spanned local, national and global personalities and issues, born out of his deep understanding of the cross currents shaping the world. His take on Angolan crisis in which both the super powers fought through proxies, at the height of the Cold War, shall remain among his many unforgettable cartoons. The three-column illustration depicts Leonid Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter, presidents of erstwhile USSR and US, L.K. Advani who are stealthily stepping across the coast of Angola, both armed and inminthe Mohan Malaviya. A home guise burglars.said Carterthat criesPresident “thiefistryofrelease
Pranab Mukherjee has approved conferment of Padma awards to 104 people — nine for Padma Vibhushan, 20 for Padma Bhushan and 75 for Padma Shri. Seventeen of the awardees are women. Four have been named for Padma awards posthumously. Also among the Padma Vibhushan awardees is senior nuclear scientist M.R.Srinivasan, 84, who had negotiated on behalf of India with Russia for supply of reactors for Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP). Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, journalists Swapan Das-
‘Don’t make religion a cause for conflict’ IANS, NEW DELHI
thief” as soon as he spots his burly opposite number. It exposes their double-speak and evokes laughter at the irony. These cartoons speak volumes about Laxman’s capacity to convey complex geopolitical realities in his characteristic style. Laxman’s cartoons, undoubtedly the outcome of a brilliant mind, also entailed sheer hard work. It meant isolating himself for six hour daily, neither speaking nor listening to anyone during the period.Dilip “Se Kumar Laxman showed promise very early ingupta life. The illustrations in The Strand, and Rajat Sharma, lawyer Punch, Tit-Bits, reputed HarishBystander Salve, and filmmaker Jahnu
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British magazines, spurred his innate talent which found an outlet in his own house. He drew on its floor, walls and doors, sketched caricatures of his school teachers. Sir David Low, the world-famous cartoonist whose sketches also appeared in the Hindu, also influenced him. Refused admission to the J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, on the grounds that he lacked requisite talent, Laxman joined the Maharaja’s College in Mysore. Amitabh While doing his graduation Bachchan in arts, he began to illustrate the stories of elder sibling R.K. Narayan, director for India’s Mars mission whichS.K. appeared in The Hindu.. and Shivkumar, director of
BJP leader LK Advani, philanthropist Aga Kha Bachchan and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal
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Barua, former chief election commissioner N.Gopalaswami, wrestler-turned-coach Satpal, maths “Nobel Prize” winner Manjul Bhargava and Carnatic singer Sudha Raghunathan are among the 20 recipients of the Padma Bhushan. Barua, who is one of the six from the northeast to figure in the awards, told IANS: “It makes me happy. I feel that such recognition is necessary. A lot of good work is being done and such recognition Khan will do good Aga to the region.” Economist Bibek Debroy, badNEW mintonIANS, player P.V.DELHI Sindhu, space scientists S. Arunan - the project JP leader L.K. Advani, spiritual leader and philanthropist Aga Khan, actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal are among the nine named for India’s second highest civilian honor, the Padma Vibhushan. The awards, declared on the eve of Republic Day, are the first Padma honors announced by the Narendra Modi government which assumed office last May. It had last month conferred the nation’s highest honor - the Bharat Ratna - on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and educationist Madan
the Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Centre and having a key role in building the deep space network (DSN) that was used in tracking the Chandrayaan and Mars Orbite inter-planetary satellites, are among those named for Padma Shri. The list of Padma awardees includes some spiritual leaders Swami Rambhadracharya (Padma Vibhushan), Swami Satyamitranand Giri and Shivakumara Swami (both Padma Bhushan) and AdvaniGuru Amrta Prtugal-basedL.K.Jagat Suryananda Maha Raja (Padma Mohan Malaviya. A home minShri) were in the list. Art of Living istry release saidRavi thatShankar President founder Sri Sri and Pranab Mukherjee has approved conferment of Padma awards to 104 people — nine for Padma Vibhushan, 20 for Padma Bhushan and 75 for Padma Shri. Seventeen of the awardees are women. Four have been named for Padma awards posthumously. Also among the Padma Vibhushan awardees is senior nuclear scientist M.R.Srinivasan, 84, who had negotiated on behalf of India with Russia for supply of reactors for Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP). Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, journalists Swapan Das-
BJP leader LK Advani, philanthropist Aga Khan, actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal among Padma Vibhushan awardees >>PAGE 17
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impacts the law-making role of the parliament and breaches the trust reposed in it by the people. “This is neither good for the democracy nor for the policies relating to those laws.” Recently the president had raised strong objections to a string of ordinances - executive orders passed by the union cabinet, including the one on the land acquisition act. President Pranab Mukherjee addressing the nation on the eve of the Republic Day. While acknowledging that the constitution provided for promulga- the people. It is the platform where also found mention in the presition of ordinance in extraordinary progressive legislation using civilized dent’s speech on January 25. Mukherjee said: “...it pains me situation, Mukherjee had said this dialogue must create delivery mechroute cannot and should not be anisms for realizing the aspirations to see that Mother India is not taken for normal legislation. In his of the people. It calls for reconciling respected by her own children thecomes law-making of theof IANS, NEW DELHI address, the president also stressed the differences amongst stakeholders impacts when it to therolesafety and breaches the trust on the importance of the parliamen- and building a consensus for the law parliament women. “Atrocities of rape, murin it by theonpeople. Mukherjee tary process in making laws saying to beresident enacted,”Pranab he said in his address reposed ders, harassment the roads, kid“This isand neither political discourse that good for have the there can be no governance without that said was aired in Doordarshan, the napping dowry deaths “cutsbroadcaster. and wounds” people’s democracy norfearful for the a functioning legislature. national made women evenpolicies in their “abhorrent” to security India’s relating to those the laws.” “The legislature reflects the will of hearts Thewas aspect of women’s own homes,” president said, traditional ethos. Recently the president had In his customary address to the raised strong objections to a string nation on the eve of Republic Day, of ordinances - executive orders Mukherjee said: “The freedom passed by the union cabinet, inherent in democracy sometimes including the one on the land generates an unhappy by-product acquisition act. when political discourse becomes a While acknowledging that the competition in hysteria that is constitution provided for promulgaabhorrent to our traditional ethos.” tion of ordinance in extraordinary “The violence of the tongue cuts situation, Mukherjee had said this and wounds people’s hearts,” he route cannot and should not be added. Quoting Mahatma Gand- taken for normal legislation. In his hi, he said: “Religion is a force for address, the president also stressed unity; we cannot make it a cause of on the importance of the parliamentary process in making laws saying conflict.” Mukherjee once again objected there can be no governance without to government enacting laws with- a functioning legislature. “The legislature reflects the will of out discussion, saying that it
P The landmark civil nuclear deal, US support for an “early decision on India’s entry” into the four multilateral export control regimes make religion and $4 billion worth of new initiatives, the Obama ‘Don’t visit has a cause for conflict’ elevated India-US ties to a new level resident Pranab Mukherjee said political discourse that “cuts and wounds” people’s hearts was “abhorrent” to India’s traditional ethos. In his customary address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day, Mukherjee said: “The freedom inherent in democracy sometimes generates an unhappy by-product when political discourse becomes a competition in hysteria that is abhorrent to our traditional ethos.” “The violence of the tongue cuts and wounds people’s hearts,” he added. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he said: “Religion is a force for unity; we cannot make it a cause of conflict.” Mukherjee once again objected to government enacting laws without discussion, saying that it
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Parkash Singh Badal
yoga guru Ramdev had decl receive the awards after names appeared in the medi The Padma Bhushan aw also include former Lok Sab retary general and constit expert Subhash C. Kashyap. Bhargava is settled in the U others in the list are foreign n als. Prominent among thos have been conferred Padam include Bollywood director Leela Bhansali, lyricist P Joshi, music director Ra Jain, Gujarati writer Tarak and cartoonist Pran Kumar Kumar ma or PranDilip (posthumously Mohandas Pai (trade and gupta and Rajat Raj Sharma, (sports) al try), Mithali Harish filmmaker Rajput Salve, (literature and educaJ Barua, former chief election missioner N.Gopalasw wrestler-turned-coach adding every Indian mustS maths Prize” winner pledge“Nobel to protect the ho jul Bhargava Carnatic women fromand violence of ans Sudha Raghunathan are am Commenting on terroris the 20 recipients of theis Ps president said “violence Bhushan. across our borders”. Barua, who is onenon-violen of the six “While peace, the to intentions figure in goodnortheast neighborly awards, IANS: “It make remain told the fundamentals of o happy. I feel that such recogn eign policy, we cannot afford iscomplacent necessary. Aabout lot ofadversarie good w being done and such recogn will stop at nothing to disru will do good to thea region.” progress towards prospero Economist Bibek Debroy, equitable India,” he added. minton P.V. strength, Sindhu, Indiaplayer has the S. determination Arunan - the to p scientists dence and architects of this war agai people, he said. “Repeated violations o ceasefire along the Line of C and terrorist attacks must integrated response throug sive diplomacy and impre security mechanisms. The must join India in fightin menace of terrorism,” he sai The president also said th results of last year’s genera tions have been remarkable ple have voted a single pa power after three decades.
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President Pranab Mukherjee add
the people. It is the platform progressive legislation using civ dialogue must create delivery m anisms for realizing the aspir of the people. It calls for recon the differences amongst stakeh and building a consensus for th to be enacted,” he said in his ad that was aired in Doordarsha national broadcaster. The aspect of women’s se
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