Happy Birthday to the Common Man, RK Laxman

Search giant Google has honoured an uncommon “common man“-legendary cartoonist R K Laxman-by dedicating doodle on its homepage on the occasion of his 94th birth anniversary”.

“Laxman was greatest recognized for his Common Man character, who he drew into his cartoons as a witness to the sorts of hypocrisies and societal inequalities Laxman needed to silently expose”, Google stated in a press release.

The legendary artist passed away earlier this year on 26 January due to multiple organ failure.

His bald and bespectacled Common Man in a check coat was a silent spectator in daily single-panel cartoons that regaled millions of readers of The Times of India newspaper, helping Laxman to comment on a variety of issues plaguing post-independence India, from corrupt politicians to street potholes.

Born in Mysore on October 24, 1921, Laxman, son of a school teacher, had to face rejection from the prestigious JJ School of Arts in Mumbai when he applied there for admission, and subsequently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Mysore. The show was written by his brother R. K. Narayan. Narayan died in 2001.

Among the honours bestowed on him are Padma Vibhushan, Magsaysay Award in 1984 for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts, B D Goenka Award – Indian Express, Durga Ratan Gold medal- Hindustan Times.

The black and white doodle was designed by Olivia Huynh, who wanted to make sure she captured Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Laxman’s distinctive hair and grin.

Characters in the cartoon are Lalita Pawar, Guru Dutt and Madhubala.