India’s revered cartoonist, illustrator, and humorist, R.K Laxman, passed away on the day India became a Republic. He’s a man who described India and its people with one iconic character better than most of the books and essays ever could – and, sadly, he has left us on a day we celebrate the Constitution. Laxman’s ‘The Common Man‘ has represented the hopes, aspirations, troubles and even the eccentricity of the average Indian, through a daily comic strip, ‘You Said It’ in The Times of India which started in 1951. With the signature ‘dhoti‘, the semi bald common man unearthed several hypocrisies of the political class, giving the average citizen a voice. His sarcasm, sharp observation and remarkable talent of expressing our discord with the political circus made him something we looked forward to reading in our papers every morning.
In a fitting tribute to this iconic cartoon that quickly attained a cult status in the country, a commemorative postal stamp was issued featuring the Common Man in 1988 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Times Of India. Laxman’s association with the paper continued through 60 years and we all know that the paper will not remain the same after his death.
I’m quite a realist but today I feel that God decided he needed some humour up there; heaven was getting too boring. Rest in peace sir – thank you for making us smile every morning.