On 26th Jaunary 2015, millions of fans and the world of
cartoonists lost one of its immortals with the passing away of
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Laxman (or R.K. Laxman as he is
known to the world). Laxman was born on 24th October 1921 in
the city of Mysore in India and from his humble beginnings he
rose to the status of arguably the most iconic cartoonist from
India with a fan following so large that he was often referred to
as the “Pied Piper of Delhi”
It is said that the young Laxman used to be engrossed in the
illustrations in magazines like Strand, Punch and Tit-Bits and very
soon, he started drawing figures and caricatures of his teachers
on the floor, doors and walls of his house. In his autobiography,
Laxman wrote: “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, a number of crows in various postures on the rooftops of
the buildings opposite.”
Incredible as it sounds, Laxman did not go any art school for a
formal degree. Instead he learnt his developed his extraordinary
skills all by himself. After high school, Laxman did apply to the J.
J. School of Art in Mumbai. However, the dean of the school wrote
to him that his drawings lacked "the kind of talent to qualify for
enrolment in our institution as a student". He was refused
admission. He then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from
the University of Mysore. In the meantime he continued his
freelance
artistic
activities
and
contributed
cartoons
to Swarajya and to an animated film. His earliest works appeared
in a few newspapers and magazines like Swarajya and Blitz. More
importantly, while still at college, he started illu