Geniuses seldom look like genius. Albert Einstein’s suit was always rumpled, and he badly needed a hair trim and a comb in his pocket. No wonder one breakfast morning, he stood in front of his stove in deep thought holding an egg, while his wrist watch bubbled merrily in a pan of boiling water. Geniuses make their own rules and can break them with impunity. India’s premier cartoonist Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Laxman or R. K. Laxman did this for nearly five decades! His themes were not lofty, as he focused on the Common Man and made him part of Indian life. We understood many more things about the Common Man from his cartoons. Well, he did have a sense of humour.
The ‘Common Man’ was his hero
Whether Indians have a sense of humour is a debatable issue. Of course, we do laugh a lot at the expense of someone else. When we are the victim of a joke, the laughter disappears and could even degenerate into fisticuffs. Laxman’s Common Man stood for every single Indian, because he symbolised everyone of us. We identified with him in his joys and sorrows. For over 50 years, Laxman produced cartoon strips and pocket cartoons and popularised the common man. Unlike other famous cartoonists, he did not allow himself to be outshone by his cartoon characters. Charlie Brown and his gang( Peanuts’ cartoon strip) became more famous than creator Charles Shultz. So was the case with Hank Ketcham and his Dennis, Mort Walker and his Beetle Bailey and others. By making the Common Man his hero, Laxman avoided this pitfall. Going by his very name, the Common Man could not be a hero. He was always the victim, like many millions in his country, of circumstances created by his rulers.
Was Laxman a political cartoonist? Not exactly. Of course, politics played a major role in his career. It was the politician and the system which created problems for him, like they did for many others. His Common Man was never an activist, he did not belong to that era. Without getting involved, he stood apart watching the decline in public life. But he did not ignore any happenings around him, which affected public life. Pot holes for instance, when Mumbai’s roads gradually turned into death traps, Laxman‘s Common Man stood aside silently watching and listening to the conversation between corrupt contractors and BMC engineers who decided these issues. They were telling comments which exposed the rot in the system. The Common Man, tiny, puzzled and helpless stood by watching the tragicomedy enacted before him, which made sure that potholes would continue for many more years. R.K. Laxman During college admission season, our friend- the common man stood as a mute witness to shady deals between parents, principals and management chaps. Indian public life was packed with such sordid episodes, waiting to be exposed, and Laxman did this in his inimitable manner.
Media exposes which helped to fight corruption could be done with articles, editorials, satire and cartoons. The last two were special because they mocked and made fun of public figures and were highly effective because they spared none. But cartoons and satire needed a special kind of intelligence and aptitude which few journalists possessed. With just a sketch and a dozen words as caption, the cartoons exposed public failings through ridicule. So did satire with just words, no illustrations.
Fortunately, Laxman’s Common Man episodes focused on simple aspects of life, which applied to everyone. Do not look out for any intellectual depth in them. They were not needed, the sketch and short captions said everything. R. K. Laxman possessed native intelligence in abundance, but was able to convey his message through the simplicity of his sketches and punchlines. For more than 50 years, millions of Times of India readers, who religiously followed Laxman’s daily cartoon strip “You said it” would be upset, angry, frustrated at the rot in the system, but would soon break into smiles at the humour in his cartoons. His sketches were simple, his women (not many) were the most ordinary housewives. Not for him the well-endowed Miss Fonsecas of Mario Miranda in the ‘Economic Times’.
Laxman fully exploited the ‘Common Man’ theme
Knowing Laxman was not easy. During my 10 years in ‘The Times of India’, part of which were spent in Ahmedabad, he did sketches for the pieces in the Sunday magazine. He had a reputation for intellectual haughtiness, and did not suffer fools. These included even some of the TOI senior staffers. I was a bit shocked at his low opinions of famous international cartoonists like Shultz (For him the ‘Peanuts gang’ members were silly kids, the humour too American). In the TOI office, Laxman had few close friends and did not quite appreciate other cartoonists like Mario. His friends were at the highest levels (Sham Lal, the editor, M K B Nair, of the ‘Economic Times and others). He seldom came out of his cabin or rubbed shoulders with the rest of the staff. But his talent and brilliance were unquestionable.
Laxman was the top star of the TOI; the management did everything to please him. Even when he was unable to produce his normal quota of cartoons, the management had his old sketches revived and used them. Laxman fully exploited the Common Man theme, in the process becoming a Cartoon Ratna. It is he who gave a boost to the poor, humble, Indian Common Man and immortalised him.
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V. Gangadhar
The writer is a well-known satirist.[/column]