To mark the centenary year of RK Laxman’s birth, The Merry Land School in Jaipur’s Malviya Nagar area has planned on installing the statue of one of his most popular fictitious character, the Common Man. This iconic character has been an ideal representation of the dreams, hopes and aspirations of an average Indian and this model statue will further commemorate Laxman’s special connection with the city of Jaipur.
RK Laxman and his visionary Common Man
Owing to RK Laxman’s numerous visits to the Pink City, he established a connect with the place and its people. Merry Lands School is one of those various places that the artist visited numerous times, for various functions and interactions with the students. Dharmendra Bhandari, the Jaipur based author who is penning RK Laxman’s biography, RK Laxman: The Uncomman Man, called the statue a great tribute to Post-Independence India’s greatest artist, whose caricatures sketched in 1950s and 60s, are still relevant to this day.
In 2003, Laxman recited a memorial oration in the honour of Dr. Bhandari’s mother, Prakash Bhandari and laid the foundation of Merry Land School’s Art, Music and Dance Academy, strengthening his tie with the educational institution. Dr Bhandari further shared that RK Laxman enjoyed the direct hospitality of the President of India in 2005. The artist was invited to the Rashtrapati Bhavan for a week along with the Bhandaris post his exhibition, ‘Laxman Rekha’ at Jaipur’s Jawahar Kala Kendra. Besides this exhibition, RK Laxman also illustrated covers of several books written by Dr Bhandari, who commissioned the genius artist for his work.
The renowned artist breathed his last in 2015 in Pune. His works are still pertinent to contemporary society. An exhibition of his creations and artworks organised by the Indian Embassy in Belgium last year was so widely acclaimed and appreciated that it extended for an entire week on the insistence of the European Union Parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium.
