In Laxman We Trust

A one-man opposition party – that’s what comes to my mind when I think about R K Laxman. For over 50 years, he has captured Indian politics, politicians, and their impact on the common man, in his cartoons. It is impossible to imagine the Times of India without his pocket cartoons tucked away in the corner of the front page, or his single-panel political commentary that reflected the political situation or public sentiment of the day.

Growing up in the 80s, a decade of hope, achievements, disappointments, tragedies, scandals, the loss of innocence and arguably a decade that changed India and the world, I, like many others, depended on newspapers and Doordarshan for information. But through his cartoons, it was R K Laxman I came to trust and listen to when it came to cutting through the everyday spin. At the time, I didn’t know why, but as I write this piece, I find it even harder to pinpoint how one man was able to enter that zone of trust and stay there for such a long time.

Was it his sense of humour or his uncanny ability to gauge the public mood? Was it the imagery or was it his use of satire, wit to state the obvious and evoke laughter, a chuckle or a smile? Maybe it was his ability to provoke thought and subtly influence public opinion. After all, who could suspect an innocent cartoon of having a lasting impact when public memory is so mercilessly short? But these are the two things that stand out about the man and his work – his unbiased opinion of politicians and issues of all sizes, shapes and backgrounds and his ability to package this opinion in a manner that an 11-year-old could begin to understand what was happening around him.

Laxman’s cartoons showcase his keen sense of observation and a sharp political mind that could foresee future events. One such cartoon is from the time Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India, where Rajiv is shown reading a newspaper headlined “Sonia to help Rajiv at Amethi” and telling a little boy sleeping in his cot “Sure, you too can help so long as we don’t give the impression we are trying for dynastic rule”. During the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, a cartoon titled “The other side of the chargesheet” shows P V Narasimha Rao, the then PM, reading out criminal charges to L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, who cannot contain their joy looking at the back of the chargesheet that reads “Vote for BJP”. More recently, it is his portrayal of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being under Sonia Gandhi’s control, saying, “Nobody is breathing down my neck and interfering with my work. I am in complete control” with Sonia shown doing exactly that – sometimes prophetic, sometimes stating the obvious, but never far from the truth.

Throughout his five decade career, no politician has been out-of-bounds of his criticism; no issue too small for his commentary, and no suffering too trivial for his attention, Laxman has tackled every facet of Indian politics with a rare freedom and lack of malice. Governments have come and gone, issues have captured our imagination and then faded away, politicians have risen and fallen, deceived us, failed and disappointed us, but one man has stayed true, soldiering on, vigilant, tireless like the fabled crow that dropped pebbles into a pitcher with little water. At a moment when he is in critical condition, I can only pray that R.K.Laxman gets another shot, that the man who made us think, and laugh, may yet have the last laugh, because without him, there would be no credible opposition left.