The day was cloudy and there was a light drizzle when R.K. Laxman and wife Kamala visited Madikeri city in October 2006. “It’s quite disappointing,” the eminent cartoonist had observed when this correspondent met him at a private resort, near Madikeri, in Kodagu district.
Perhaps, not many, were aware of the credentials of the man who visited the picturesque city, leaving the couple to enjoy a quiet stay at the resort. RK had told The Hindu that it was his third visit to Kodagu, but the inclement weather was an anti-climax. The couple had visited the pilgrim centre of Talacauvery, Omkareshwar temple in the city and the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe.
A keen observer, he had also expressed displeasure over the poor road conditions in Kodagu. His ‘Common Man’ cartoons had formed one of the main planks of the conversation where he quipped the “common man never gets into trouble, the common man is an eternal observer. He watches the happenings in society. He is omnipresent and omnipotent. He is joyous at times, and is disappointed watching developments in society on certain occasions.”
