Headlines
Cartoonist R.K. Laxman to get a memorial
Pune, Jan 27
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced a memorial for legendary
cartoonist R.K. Laxman who passed away here late Monday.
"Laxman
was not just a cartoonist - what he said through his cartoons will
inspire future governments...Though he is no more, The Common Man he
created will live forever," Fadnavis said Tuesday while paying homage to
Laxman here.
In a rare honour, Maharashtra government accorded a
state funeral to Laxman, 94, who died in a private hospital Monday
after a brief illness.
With his body draped ceremoniously, the
last rites were performed with full state honours at Vaikuntha
Crematorium here, this afternoon.
Top political leaders, media
personalities, industrialists, film personalities and others have
condoled his death, besides an outpouring of grief, affection and love
for him on various social networking sites.
Besides Fadnavis,
several of his cabinet colleagues, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray,
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and commoners from
different walks of life came to a private college here to pay tributes
to Laxman.
The brother of late English novelist R.K. Narayan,
Laxman is survived by his writer wife Kamala, retired journalist son
Srinivas and daughter-in-law Usha.
He had been admitted to a
private hospital around 11 days ago for a urinary tract infection and
lung problems, and later to Dinanath Mangeshkar Hospital.
Laxman
had suffered multiple organs failure, but responded well to the
treatment and bounced back. Three days later, he was taken off the
ventilator and shifted to the intensive care unit.
Renowned for
his creation of The Common Man, which ran for several decades in The
Times of India, under the title "You Said It", Laxman breathed his last
late Monday evening at the hospital.