Student document publication, meant for private circulation only. All rights reserved.
Visual Communication 2022-2026
Unitedworld Institute of Design, Gandhinagar, India
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Tanvi Kalase, Unitedworld Institute of Design, India.
This book is intended solely for Semester 3 Desgn for print module and no commercial use in any form is intended. While every care is taken to credit all sources, any exception to it is not intentional and is regretted. All textual, illustrated and photographic content is original unless stated otherwise.
Printed at Unitedworld Institute of Design, Stationery February, 2024
NEVER SPOKEN
A R.K.Laxman Exhibit at NGMA DELHI
this book had been highly meddled by a fan who tried to be like him -tanvi
The Artist
Crows
India’s Premier Cartoonist Childhood
The Exhibit
"All my life I have painted crows. Singly, in pairs, threesomes, whole murders of them. I had been fascinated by them. They are smart, lively and have a strong survival instinct. The common crow is really an uncommon bird."
Even as a child I had been fascinated by them. They are smart, lively and have a ‘strong survival instinct. The common crow is really an uncommon bird.’ The speaker is the uncommon creator of that common man who represents the mute millions of this country who else but Rasipurarn Krishnaswami Laxman, India’s most celebrated cartoonist?
India's Premier Cartoonist
“Look, I am tired of interviews. I don’t want to explain yet again that I still don’t know where I get ideas for my cartoons.”
‘You will ask me what every damn fool asks me—”How do you get your ideas everyday?’ ‘As though I could explain. And if I did, as though you could understand!’ But he was willing to talk about his passion for crows, with many digressions and sly digs at the sacred cows in the Indian mind. A year later I found myself in his office cabin listening to descriptions of his childhood. Quick pencil sketches showed me what he was talking about. His words had all the distinguishing features of a Laxman cartoon—the fine eye for detail, the pungent wit, the puckish sparkle, the sudden probe below the surface, and hearty guffaws at the absurdities of life. After the explanation, “I want to talk about your crows, not cartoons,” the eyes gleam, the smile appears and Laxman’s irritation is replaced by interest. What follows is an uproarious session. “You said it, Mr Laxman,” even more zany, irrepressible and wide-ranging than could have been planned. These excerpts from that rambling talk the artist had with this writer focus on the cartoonist’s passion for the common crow, a repeated subject of his popular paintings.
As far back as I can remember from childhood, the crow attracted me more than any other bird because it was so alive on the landscape. In our garden it stood out against the green of the trees or the blue of the sky, against the red earth or the cream compound wall. Other birds are afraid and get camouflaged. But this canny scavenger could look after itself very well indeed. As a three-year-old I observed it carefully, my hands always itching to sketch its antics. My mother noticed that I was becoming rather good at drawing crows and encouraged me because the crow is the avian mode of transport for Saturn, Saniswara of the Hindu pantheon. By drawing his mount was I averting his evil eye? Of course, I ignored this religious interpretation. For me looking at the crow affords pure aesthetic pleasure.
What is it that makes R.K. Laxman so special among cartoonists? Laxman s own answer would be, ‘My genius, what else?’ ‘A little humility is not a bad thing if you are at the top,’ writes fellow cartoonist Sudhir Dar (The Illustrated Weekly of India) as he recounts this story of the cartoonist Ranan Lurie’s meeting with Laxman. When the American asked him who the best Indian cartoonist was, Laxman flashed back, ‘I am.’ ‘The second, third, fourth, fifth best man on the job? Laxman continued to repeat ’I am’. Colleagues list other faults—naiveté, inaccurate caricature, old-fashioned style, lack of experimentation, repetitiveness, verbosity. Even while admitting that he has no peer in pocket cartoons, they call his political cartooning atrocious. No acid-throwing or lava burst— Laxman is too cosy, pleasant, decent, gentle. ‘He doesn’t take the debate forward,’ says O.V. Vijayan. ’No other cartoonist has understood the average Indian as Laxman has. This gives him a far wider reach than his sophisticated colleagues. From garbage disposal to nuclear physics, he can make you see every issue clearly and in a new light.’
I said let me talk about something more interesting than my cartoons!
Active Voice interviews of Rk laxman and Him giving a speech at
“Change? Does the colour of the sky change ever? My Symbol will never change.”
I was the youngest of five brothers and two sisters. My sisters were married; my brothers went to school and college. Father was the headmaster of the local school. Mother was busy somewhere deep inside the sprawling house. There was no one to question me then {and no one dares to question me now!) My constant companions were the old gardener and Rover, my dogThe old gardener was a hero in my eyes. And so I lazed in the garden, a huge one full of trees, bushes and hiding places for a growing child, far from the sight (and the calls) of grown-ups inside
the house. I would watch the squirrels and insects scurrying by, and birds of every description. When did I start drawing? May be at the age of three. I started on the wall, of course, like any normal child. Parents were more tolerant in those days. No one stopped my scribbling on the wall. I drew with bits of burnt wood that I got from the hot water stove in the backyard. What did I draw? Oh, the usual things—trees, houses, the sun behind the hill... I was not at all a good student in the classroom. The one time I got a pat on the back from the teacher was for one of my drawings.
The Roots of a Pioneering Satirist
We were all asked to draw a leaf. Each child scratched his head and wondered what a leaf looked like. One drew a banana leaf which became too big for the slate. Another drew a speck that couldn’t be seen—a tamarind leaf! Some just managed blobs. When the teacher came to me he asked, ‘Did you draw this by yourself?’ I hesitated. Had I done wrong? Will my ear be twisted? My cheek slapped? I nodded dumbly. And do you know, the teacher actually broke into a smile! He said I had done a very good job. He saw great possibilities in that leaf I drew so long ago on a hot afternoon, sitting in the dull classroom. I had seen that leaf on the peepal tree which I passed each day on my way to school. Generally, people take everything for granted. They hardly see anything around them. But I had a keen eye. I observed everything and had a gift for recalling details. This is essential for every cartoonist and illustrator.
His childhood memory characterized into one of his artwork
His work over the years
1940-1950
Later, he began to illustrate his elder brother R. K. Narayan’s stories in Malgudi Days and Swami and Friends. For The Hindu, and he drew political cartoons for the local newspapers and for the Swatantra.
Till 1942
R.K Laxman’s earliest work was for newspapers Rohan and magazines including Swarajya and Blitz. While still at the Maharaja College of Mysore,
1951
Laxman joined The Times of India, Mumbai, beginning a career that spanned over fifty years where he created You Said It, which adorned the newspaper’s front page into the 21st century. Laxman’s “common man” was witty and sarcastic but never venomous, and his outlook was said to represent that of countless average Indians.
Laxman also created a popular mascot for the Asian Paints Ltd group called “Gattu” in 1954. He also wrote a few novels, the first one of which was titled The Hotel Riviera. His cartoons have appeared in Hindi films such as Mr. & Mrs. ‘55 and a Tamil film Kamaraj.
1950-1970
1970-2000
He got the recognition of Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India – 1973.
The comic strip of You said it served as the basis for a comedy series on Indian TV, Wagle Ki Duniya
He got the recognition of Padma Vibhushan –Govt. of India – 2005. In 2015 Google’s Doodles honoured R.K. Laxman on his 94th Birthday for his humour and uncommon talent.
2000-2015
R.K. Laxman is a cartoonist whose work is featured in the TV series Malgudi Days. Laxman’s cartoons are also featured in the opening and closing credits of the series. Malgudi is a fictional town located in Agumbe situated in the Shivamogga district of the Indian state of Karnataka in the novels and short stories of R. K. Narayan. It forms the setting for most of Narayan’s works. Starting with his first novel, Swami and Friends, all but one of his fifteen novels and most of his short stories take place here. Malgudi was a portmanteau of two Bengaluru localities - Malleshwara and
Basavanagudi. Narayan has successfully portrayed Malgudi as a microcosm of India. Malgudi was created, as mentioned in Malgudi Days, by Sir Fredrick Lawley, a fictional British officer in the 19th century by combining and developing a few villages. The character of Sir Fredrick Lawley may have been based on Arthur Lawley, the Governor of Madras in 1905.[1] But now MP of Shimoga (Lok Sabha constituency) has requested Indian Railways to rename Arasalu Railway Station a small station on Shimoga-Talaguppa railway line to Malgudi Railway station.
Malgudi Days is a collection of stories that are set in the fictional town of Malgudi and depict the lives of various characters in a small South Indian town.
The Common Man
Common man acts as a silent witness to all the actions in the comics
He said, “I couldn’t draw hundreds of people to say this plan applies to them so I vaguely used to show 20 people with turban without turban, bald head and so on to show the people of India. But cartooning consumes alot of time, I had a deadline everyday so as
Common man illustrations for You said it.
the time went by I started drawing 5 people still i was short of time so i made it three still i was hard pressed of time then i eliminated 2 more then I found an old man ,bewildered in striped Coat, bald head , gaping at me.“ This common man has Never Spoken, perhaps symbolises millions of mute Indians. Only common man’s wife is shown to make satarical comments in the comic strips, you can see more of these in the exhibit.
A Treat down the
memory lane, where You said it by R.K. Laxman was added
in Times of India
R.K.Laxman says, “My two and three column cartoons which used to appear four days a week on the front page top fold, were mostly national and international cartoons on turning point political situations which used to create a furore amongst the people and the parties concerned.”
“Always, Every day I grumble, I plan to resign as I drag myself to the office. By the time I come home I like my work.”
A picture of R.K Laxman working on cartoons sitting in his workplace
Some Caricature Stuff
Laxman had visually captured almost every well known Indian and World personalities for two generations.
Laxman says, “ Cabinet ministers like Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Rajagopalchari they had definitive features that i could use, twist and distort but Nehru could not be distorted, he was a handsome man I used to find him in my cartoons rigid and wooden. One day accidently I somehow failed to put the white cap on his bald head and i found that he had come alive, from then on I never put the cap on.”
R. K. Laxman’s fame grew so fast as a political cartoonist that foreign newspapers began to reproduce some of his cartoons. He became as important to the Nation as our freedom fighters are
The people, power and happenings provided plenty of fodder for Laxman to lampoon and excel at his task. Laxman felt that such satirical comments were essential as checks and balances in a democracy. Some of his cartoons even became a subject of annoyance for Ministers that full cabinet meetings were held to muzzle Laxman and ban his cartoons that made ministers as objects of ridicule. But nothing of that sort could shake the chair of Laxman because Indian constitution protected freedom of expression.
as he capitalised Everytime and spared Peopleexpected
expectedhisblockbustercartoons
these current affairs Everytime there was a sensational
capitalised
spared no one, with malice.
situation
Even during the Emergency declared by Mrs. Indira Gandhi Laxman’s cartoons appeared for a short while, with the firm belief by Laxman that the art of political satire was based on disapproval. In the exhibit you can see some rare cartoons where the common man speaks, cartoons made during emergency. which was censored, a cartoon that escaped the censor’s notice and got published, bold cartoons on price rise, corruption, law and order, about Winston Churchill the dynamic leader and his farewell, the power of America, not to leave out Science & Technology, on International iconic leaders, Our dynamic and loveable Former President Late Dr. Abdul Kalam, Saddam Hussein and his clones and Mahatma Gandhi’s concern about his country.
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