The RK Laxman Museum and
Art Gallery.
I was so happy to have had the opportunity to visit this wonderful museum in Pune, in February this year which is a must-see for all RK Laxman fans.
The museum features an
8-foot bronze statue of the common man, atop the museum roof welcoming
visitors. Inside visitors are taken on a well-curated
tour of several galleries showcasing Laxman’s career from illustrating books
written by his brother, Rk Narayan to his caricatures of famous personalities, sketches
of Lord Ganesha, cartoons of children and his favourite bird the crow. Additionally,
some of Laxman’s work that couldn’t be accommodated indoors is exhibited on the
walls outside the gallery in the museum’s compound.
An audio-visual room
provides a commentary on the life of Rk Laxman, narrated by the ‘common man’
character. The ‘common man’ was a cartoon
character created by Laxman. Clad in a dhoti and plaid jacket the common man was
a silent and puzzled spectator, registering the political events occurring in
the country. The ‘common man’ represented the hopes aspirations, troubles and
fears of the average Indian. The same was carried in a daily comic strip in the
Times of India from 1951 and lasted for over five decades.
The second audiovisual
room features snippets of stories from Malgudi Days, written by his brother,
RK. Narayan brought to life. The show concludes with the spotlight on a wax
statue of RK Laxman sitting at his workstation.
Laxman’s last cartoon
was created on December 20th, 2014. Laxman passed away on January 26th
2015 at the age of 93. His granddaughter Remanika carries forward his legacy by
making the character of the common woman.
This post is part of the #BlogchatterHalfMarathon2024 challenge.
Image credit - from my personal collection
It's good to know about museums precisely because history is dying in textbooks.
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