A legend passes away… leaving a veritable treasure trove of immortal cartoons
which has been representing the expectations, desires, dilemmas, and perhaps
even shortcomings of the hapless Indian man since decades. And the best part of
it was that he was greatly successful in bringing smiles to people’s daily
lives without being spiteful, malicious, or offensive in any way. That, I
guess, is the true mark of a genius cartoonist. The sad demise of ‘The Common
Man’ will certainly leave an inconsolable void in the minds of his followers.
Reminded
of my early college days, when inspired by his caricatures, I aspired to become
a cartoonist. Disregarding my mother’s raised eyebrows, I enrolled in an
correspondence course in cartooning from an Bombay based institution called
ICS, after paying a princely sum of Rs.800. The first lot of study materials
arrived by post to my excitement, and it called for hours of practice drawing
lines and curves. I had to submit weekly assignments, and generally do a lot of
hard work observing my surroundings, drawing objects and figures, and a whole
lot of stuff that I found hard to stay focused on. Gradually, as my interest
waned, my assignment submissions too started being erratic, and ultimately,
stopped altogether.
That was when I realized that being a cartoonist didn't require much of study material or classroom tactics or Rs.800. All that was necessary was a humorous mindset, the ability to visualize and to capture imagination in paper, and most importantly, an inborn talent that I guess, I severely lacked. By the way, my mother still doesn't let me forget the fact that I wasted her 800 Rupees, especially when I start talking about any new venture which I plan to take up…
I choose to pay my tribute to this immortal legend by posting a few of his cartoons that invariably reflect his delightful wit and satirical humor in every possible way. These had appeared in the Times of India, and feel so very relevant to our times...
RIP, R.K.Laxman. We will miss you.
That was when I realized that being a cartoonist didn't require much of study material or classroom tactics or Rs.800. All that was necessary was a humorous mindset, the ability to visualize and to capture imagination in paper, and most importantly, an inborn talent that I guess, I severely lacked. By the way, my mother still doesn't let me forget the fact that I wasted her 800 Rupees, especially when I start talking about any new venture which I plan to take up…
I choose to pay my tribute to this immortal legend by posting a few of his cartoons that invariably reflect his delightful wit and satirical humor in every possible way. These had appeared in the Times of India, and feel so very relevant to our times...
RIP, R.K.Laxman. We will miss you.
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