My Columns: Without Fear and Favour

As the 'Common Man' Views It By Deepak Parvatiyar (This report was published in the Free Press Journal, Bombay on 6th December 1992. FPJ,as Free Press Journal was popularly known as, was very close to Mr. Laxman's heart since he had started his career from here. Indeed he was fond of me too and after I had joined the FPJ, he invited me to his exhibition on a rainy day. I was drenched and was reluctant to be there. But then, my editor, late Mr. Diego Silveira, insisted me to go. I reached there and Mr. Laxman promptly took me around his illustrations. What to say. I was completely overwhelmed by his gesture. So much so that the curator of the Cymroza Art Gallery was prompted to make even me sign the visitor's book. Today Mr. Laxman's death makes me sad. RIP, one of the greatest cartoonists of all time. Reproducing my report of the above mentioned exhibition) For once the famous common man had removed his age-old check shirt to come to a world where he rea...

Laxman has a yen for the Japanese (This report was published on October 25, 1990 in The Times of India, Bombay) (Note: I am pained to hear that the Great Cartoonist RK Laxman died today, 26th January 2015. RIP Mr. Laxman. He had liked this report very much acknowledged it before me -- then a wide-eyed fan. His son Srinivas later told me that he rated it among the "best" reports on him. Reproducing the same as a tribute to the legend). Report by Deepak Parvatiyar in Bombay: What could have happened if the Japanese had not come on the scene fifty years ago?  "We would still have been using eh same telephone model that Graham Bell invented," says Mr. R.K.Laxman, the noted cartoonist and writer. "Although not a Japanese expert at all", Laxman was delivering a lecture on "Impressions of Japan", jointly organised by The Consulate General of Japan and the National Centre of the Performing Arts, here today. The audience, includi...