R.K. Laxman

R.K. Laxman’s spontaneity in rendering humour and satire in a single blend remains unmatched. In 1998, he visited an Animation Academy at Hyderabad, of which I was the principal. After his special lecture to the students, we gathered at the conference hall for a coffee break. When he picked up his plate of cashewnuts, a stray fly landed on his hand. While trying to brush it off, he said, “See, this fellow is following me wherever I go.” One of the students asked: “Sir, how do you know this one is the same fly?” Pat came the reply. “He was sitting next to me in the aeroplane!”

S. Jayadev Babu,Chennai

I still remember a two-frame Laxman cartoon on how road repair is done in India. The first said: “Go slow,work in progress.” In the second it was: “Go, slow work in progress.” At times, the truth is the best joke!

J.K.V.R. Setty,Mysuru

I once had the fortune of meeting R.K. Laxman and asked him why there was no common woman instead of the “Common Man”. To this he immediately took out a sheet of paper from a pile, grabbed a pencil and drew his “Common Man” standing in front of a mirror that reflected the image of Mother Teresa. His explanation was that the iconic image at the back of his mind was the great lady.

George John,

Dehradun