The late Mr. Laxman has appeared a few times on this blog earlier, always with a picture. As he exits this world today, he enters here without a picture.
For a long time, I did not know Laxman drew 'You Said It!' for The Times of India because I was brought up looking at his pictures in a Marathi paper - Maharashtra Times (महाराष्ट्र टाइम्स) titled "Kasan Bolalat!" ( ' कसं बोललात!' )
Not every picture of Laxman was brilliant, indeed many were predictable but when he hit the bull's eye, it was sheer ecstasy.
What I thought most admirable in him was the way he appreciated and drew: 'The Bird of Birds the Indian crow'. Another guy who appreciated the species: Mark Twain!
I had a good fortune of meeting Laxman at IIT, Madras in early 1980's. Unfortunately, I had not been able to get into the hall where he had lectured and drew earlier but I lined up with hundreds to get his autograph at the end of it.
I consider Vasant Sarwate (वसंत सरवटे) the greatest cartoonist India has produced. Here is a tribute by Sarwate to Laxman, in Marathi, from Sarwate's book 'Vyangkala-Chitrakala' (व्यंगकला -चित्रकला), 2005.
A line from that: लक्ष्मणचा मोठेपणा असा की, त्याला हे मर्म बरोबर सापडले आहे...Greatness of Laxman is that he has accurately found the nerve...
For a long time, I did not know Laxman drew 'You Said It!' for The Times of India because I was brought up looking at his pictures in a Marathi paper - Maharashtra Times (महाराष्ट्र टाइम्स) titled "Kasan Bolalat!" ( ' कसं बोललात!' )
Not every picture of Laxman was brilliant, indeed many were predictable but when he hit the bull's eye, it was sheer ecstasy.
What I thought most admirable in him was the way he appreciated and drew: 'The Bird of Birds the Indian crow'. Another guy who appreciated the species: Mark Twain!
I had a good fortune of meeting Laxman at IIT, Madras in early 1980's. Unfortunately, I had not been able to get into the hall where he had lectured and drew earlier but I lined up with hundreds to get his autograph at the end of it.
I consider Vasant Sarwate (वसंत सरवटे) the greatest cartoonist India has produced. Here is a tribute by Sarwate to Laxman, in Marathi, from Sarwate's book 'Vyangkala-Chitrakala' (व्यंगकला -चित्रकला), 2005.
A line from that: लक्ष्मणचा मोठेपणा असा की, त्याला हे मर्म बरोबर सापडले आहे...Greatness of Laxman is that he has accurately found the nerve...