Eminent cartoonist RK Laxman passes away

January 26, 2015

Eminent cartoonist, illustrator and humorist Rasipuram Laxman passed away in Pune. He was 94.

About Rasipuram Laxman

Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman (famously known as RK Laxman) was born on 24 October 1921 in Mysore, Karnataka. Famous novelist R. K. Narayan was his elder brother.
His creation:

He is best known for creation of iconic character The Common Man, for his daily cartoon strip, You Said It in The Times of India(TOI). It was started in 1951. This character held a mirror to the society and targeted politicians for more than five decades.
In 1988, commemorative postage stamp of The Common Man was released by the Indian Postal Service on the 150th anniversary TOI.
He also created a popular mascot for the Asian Paints group called Gattu in 1954.

Other Works:

His cartoons have appeared in Hindi films such as Mr. & Mrs. in 1955 and a Tamil film Kamaraj.
His creations also include the sketches drawn for the television adaptation of Malgudi Days (written by his elder brother R K Narayan and directed by Shankar Nag).
Awards: He is recipient of Padma Bhushan (1971), Padma Vibhushan (2005) and Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts (1984).
His Autobiography: The Tunnel of Time: An Autobiography.
Books: He had published numerous short stories, essays, and travel articles, some of which were collected in The Distorted Mirror (2003). His novels include The Hotel Riviera, The Messenger and the short story collection Servants of India.