R.K. Laxman
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[[Category:Culture & Learning |L ]] | [[Category:Culture & Learning |L ]] | ||
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| + | [[File: RKLaxman.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): The common man|frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman1.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Rajiv Gandhi|frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman2.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Rajiv Gandhi|frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman3.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): The administration: a political cartoon |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman4.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Man on the moon|frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman5.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Junket|frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman6.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Damaged assets|frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman7.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Predicting Indian Airlines schedules: a political cartoon |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman8.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Devastation |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman12.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Development |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman9.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Tiger |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman10.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): PM Nehru|frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman22.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): PM Pt. JL Nehru |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman11.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Citizens of India|frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman13.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Endorsements|frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman14.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Breaking news. |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman15.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): A sub-lease. |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman16.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Lives of luxury. |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman17.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Haar jaa at Sharjah (and beyond). |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman18.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Election symbols. |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman19.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Dr Manmohan Singh’s budget |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman20.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Mrs Indira Gandhi’scabinet |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman21.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Jan 1980: The Janata government collapses. |frame|500px]] | ||
| + | [[File: RKLaxman23.png| RK Laxman (1921-2015): Sh Pranab Mukherjee |frame|500px]] | ||
''' Best of RK Laxman's cartoons ''' | ''' Best of RK Laxman's cartoons ''' | ||
[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Best-of-RK-Laxmans-cartoons/photostory/45944693.cms ''The Times of India''] | [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Best-of-RK-Laxmans-cartoons/photostory/45944693.cms ''The Times of India''] | ||
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| − | + | =The man= | |
| − | [ | + | ''' R K Laxman, nation's uncrowned conscience keeper ''' |
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| − | + | [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/R-K-Laxman-nations-uncrowned-conscience-keeper/articleshow/46022595.cms IANS | Jan 26, 2015] | |
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| − | + | Laxman, the youngest of six siblings, was born Oct 24, 1921, in Mysore. He showed promise very early in life. The illustrations in The Strand, Punch, Bystander and Tit-Bits, reputed British magazines, spurred his innate talent which found an outlet in his own house. He drew on its floor, walls and doors, sketched caricatures of his school teachers. Sir David Low, the world-famous cartoonist whose sketches also appeared in the Hindu, also influenced him. | |
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| − | + | R K Laxman, considered by many as one of the world's greatest cartoonists, was an institution unto himself, indisputably the uncrowned conscience keeper of the nation. No politician or minister, however high or mighty, escaped his pointed satire, conveyed through a few deft strokes of his brush, especially if they committed an act of impropriety or indiscretion. | |
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| − | + | Laxman's 'common man', who graced the front pages of The Times of India for more than five decades, under "You Said It" acquired an iconic stature of its own. These pocket cartoons not only conveyed the pulse of a nation, but also unfailingly delivered powerful messages. At the same time they mirrored the hopes and aspirations, follies and foibles of a society in transition. | |
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| − | + | The cartoons of Laxman became the defining moments in nation's history, as for instance, the one on Aryabhatta, India's first satellite. A couple of middle-aged office-goers are waiting at a bus stop. One of them wants to know the time. As soon as the other looks at his watch and answers, the questioner looks skywards, exclaims: "Aryabhatta must have completed one orbit by now." | |
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| − | + | His huge canvas spanned local, national and global personalities and issues, born out of his deep understanding of the cross currents shaping the world. His take on Angolan crisis in which both the super powers fought through proxies, at the height of the Cold War, shall remain among his many unforgettable cartoons. | |
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| − | + | The three-column illustration depicts Leonid Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter, presidents of erstwhile USSR and US, who are stealthily stepping across the coast of Angola, both armed and in the guise of burglars. Carter cries "thief-thief" as soon as he spots his burly opposite number. It exposes their double-speak and evokes laughter at the irony. These cartoons speak volumes about Laxman's capacity to convey complex geopolitical realities in his characteristic style. | |
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| − | + | Laxman's cartoons, undoubtedly the outcome of a brilliant mind, also entailed sheer hard work. It meant isolating himself for six hour daily, neither speaking nor listening to anyone during the period. "Searching for new ideas is an endless process. You have to come up with new and innovative idea each day," he said. | |
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| − | + | Some of the tomes showcasing Laxman's perspective also include the one which appeared just after the 1971 India-Pakistan war, in three columns, in his inimitable style. General Yayha Khan, pointing to the stack of destroyed Pakistani tanks and planes in the background, tells Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with a smile: "Have I not made it seem like a thousand-year war," (which only lasted 14 days). Bhutto often boasted about waging a millennial war against India. | |
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Revision as of 22:25, 26 January 2015
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Source
Best of RK Laxman's cartoons The Times of India
The man
R K Laxman, nation's uncrowned conscience keeper
Laxman, the youngest of six siblings, was born Oct 24, 1921, in Mysore. He showed promise very early in life. The illustrations in The Strand, Punch, Bystander and Tit-Bits, reputed British magazines, spurred his innate talent which found an outlet in his own house. He drew on its floor, walls and doors, sketched caricatures of his school teachers. Sir David Low, the world-famous cartoonist whose sketches also appeared in the Hindu, also influenced him.
R K Laxman, considered by many as one of the world's greatest cartoonists, was an institution unto himself, indisputably the uncrowned conscience keeper of the nation. No politician or minister, however high or mighty, escaped his pointed satire, conveyed through a few deft strokes of his brush, especially if they committed an act of impropriety or indiscretion.
Laxman's 'common man', who graced the front pages of The Times of India for more than five decades, under "You Said It" acquired an iconic stature of its own. These pocket cartoons not only conveyed the pulse of a nation, but also unfailingly delivered powerful messages. At the same time they mirrored the hopes and aspirations, follies and foibles of a society in transition.
The cartoons of Laxman became the defining moments in nation's history, as for instance, the one on Aryabhatta, India's first satellite. A couple of middle-aged office-goers are waiting at a bus stop. One of them wants to know the time. As soon as the other looks at his watch and answers, the questioner looks skywards, exclaims: "Aryabhatta must have completed one orbit by now."
His huge canvas spanned local, national and global personalities and issues, born out of his deep understanding of the cross currents shaping the world. His take on Angolan crisis in which both the super powers fought through proxies, at the height of the Cold War, shall remain among his many unforgettable cartoons.
The three-column illustration depicts Leonid Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter, presidents of erstwhile USSR and US, who are stealthily stepping across the coast of Angola, both armed and in the guise of burglars. Carter cries "thief-thief" as soon as he spots his burly opposite number. It exposes their double-speak and evokes laughter at the irony. These cartoons speak volumes about Laxman's capacity to convey complex geopolitical realities in his characteristic style.
Laxman's cartoons, undoubtedly the outcome of a brilliant mind, also entailed sheer hard work. It meant isolating himself for six hour daily, neither speaking nor listening to anyone during the period. "Searching for new ideas is an endless process. You have to come up with new and innovative idea each day," he said.
Some of the tomes showcasing Laxman's perspective also include the one which appeared just after the 1971 India-Pakistan war, in three columns, in his inimitable style. General Yayha Khan, pointing to the stack of destroyed Pakistani tanks and planes in the background, tells Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with a smile: "Have I not made it seem like a thousand-year war," (which only lasted 14 days). Bhutto often boasted about waging a millennial war against India.
