President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday paid rich tributes to legendary cartoonist R.K. Laxman.
“In the death of Mr. Laxman, India will miss the genius who made the common man into a national icon,” the President said expressing his condolences.
“I feel [a] personal loss because I was both an avid follower and subject of Laxman’s cartoons,” Mr. Mukherjee tweeted.
Vice-President Hamid Ansari said Laxman touched the lives of millions of our countrymen by his incisive humour and socially relevant messages expressed through his immensely popular cartoons.
In her message, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said Laxman’s “Common Man”, for more than one generation, represented India and served as the conscience keeper of the establishment. “Mr. Laxman was an intellectual giant who will be missed for decades to come and will serve as an inspiration to many,” she said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said, “Laxman touched the lives of the common people in many ways and portrayed their problems and aspirations for over half a century.”
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said, “Through his cartoons he held up a mirror to society — making us laugh at ourselves, while putting the concern of the common man at the forefront.
“One of the most incisive observers and commentators of post-independence India, his loss will be mourned by the whole nation,” he said.
Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao described the legendary cartoonist as the most powerful representative of the common man who articulated the viewpoints of “the silent millions.”
Mr. Laxman was the “most effective commentator on issues of national and international importance to have dominated the news space for such a long time,” Mr. Rao said in a statement here. “[Laxman] understood the joys and sorrows of the common man and articulated the viewpoints of the silent millions of India for more than five decades through his eloquent cartoons,” he said.
