Known for his famous cartoon illustration “The Common Man” from his cartoon strips “You Said it”, cartoonist RK Laxman was born on October 24, 1921. He died on January 26, 2015, due to multi-organ failure.
To hold him and his work in great respect, Google today sketched out a black and white doodle. The doodle displays Mr Laxman’s art studio which has his work desk on the left and a number of canvases on the right. In the center is Mr Laxman sitting on a chair, sketching out “The Common Man” on a canvas; with him standing behind it, holding a newspaper.
The Google logo can be seen in the background, spreading across the doodle.
When you click on the doodle it takes you to the search page where numerous sites are listed giving away information related to him and his compositions.
Mr Laxman is survived by his wife Kamala Laxman, son Srinivas, his daughter-in-law and his grand-daughter Mahalaxmi Laxman.
He started his career as a cartoonist by doing part-time jobs for local newspapers and magazines. His first full-time job was as a political cartoonist for The Free Press Journal in Mumbai. Later, he joined The Times of India and began his daily comic strip “You Said it”.
Mr Laxman created the popular mascot for the Asian Paints group “Gattu” in 1954. Some of his cartoons appeared in Hindi films such as Mr and Mrs ’55. His art work also includes sketches from the TV show Malgudi Days, written by his brother RK Narayan.
Mr Laxman has been honoured by multiple national and international awards – Padma Bhushan (1973), Ramon Magsaysay Award (1984) and Padma Vibhushan (2005).
There is a chair named after RK Laxman at Symbiosis International University.
