Open for 'The Common Man', exhibit of RK Laxman's caricatures is open until June 28

Celebrating cartoonist RK Laxman, the Indian Cartoon Gallery is exhibiting selected 78 caricatures done by the artist during his long career

Depiction of the Common Man by RK Laxman

Cartoons and caricatures have played a significant part in human expression and entertainment for ages. Evolving from traditional art forms to the current digital creations with a modern twist, in India, they have a lion’s share in shaping the cultural narrative of history.

A reminder of this, the Indian Cartoon Gallery, Midford Garden Road is hosting an exhibition titled ‘Through the Eyes of RK Laxman’ paying tribute to the legendary Indian cartoonist and illustrator RK Laxman, known for his iconic character ‘The Common Man’.

The ongoing exhibition features 78 caricatures drawn by Laxman, which capture prominent personalities across fields like politics, culture and society. As VG Narendra, managing trustee of the Indian Institute of Cartoonists, notes, “The speciality of Laxman is that he captures the essence of a personality as if they come alive and speak to the viewers about their era. Here, the viewers are taken 20-25 years back to tell the real story of their own.”

Charlie Chaplin

Laxman’s cartoons and caricatures have been a staple of Indian media for decades, offering commentary on everyday life, politics and social issues. The caricatures on display include depictions of politicians, singers, and cultural leaders. “Most of the caricatures are of politicians, ex-prime ministers, ex-presidents of America, Britain, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Apart from these, we have Bertrand Russell, Pablo Picasso, singer MS Subbulakshmi, his old mentor, David Lowe, Satyajith Ray and Indian tennis player Ramanathan Krishnan,” Narendra explains.

Back in 2009, the gallery had done a similar exhibition. As Narendra recalls, “He was alive at that time and we had exhibited his political, pocket cartoons and some of his caricatures, but this exhibition is a special one because Laxman has coloured them nicely.”

Satyajit Ray

Recently, with the exhibition, the gallery has been attracting visitors from all over South India. “It has become a hub of activities for the viewers from across South India. People especially children are fond of this. They spend time viewing the caricatures,” he notes.

(The exhibition is open to the public until June 28 from 10am to 6pm)