A TRIBUTE TO R K LAXMAN

                                                                       

I have always wished writers be immortal so that they never stop writing. I wish I could say the same for R K Laxman. The world recently observed the end of the amazing cartoonist and great literary genius.

Most people knew him as the foremost cartoonist in our country whose touch of satire in the common man marked the beginning of the day for many. However, hidden underneath the cartoons was someone who could express satire in his writings. While he hasn't published many books, his autobiography is worth a read. The Tunnel of Time expresses a beautifully crafted journey from a simple boy interested in drawing to a successful cartoonist. The description of his childhood is especially well drawn up - comprising of his strict father and his routine life, his creative mother who was a voracious reader and his bossy older brother who was constantly trying to inculcate good habits in him.

"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, and number of crows in various postures on the rooftops of the buildings opposite"
— R. K. Laxman

Some of his lesser known works but equally amazing include short stories like "The Gold Frame". On careful reading one can notice the subtle similarity between his and R. K Narayan (his older brother's) writings. Both of them immortalize the passive hapless common man. In "The Gold Frame", the protagonist is the owner of a small stall namely Modern Frame Works. Like his brother does in most of his works, R K Laxman brings out the hypocrisy and false prestige of the middle class.

R K Laxman's death marks the end of an era for the journalism world. One would be hard pressed these days to find a writer/cartoonist who creates something magical from the simple pleasures of life.