The uncommon man: R.K. Laxman (1924-2015)

"Since childhood I do not remember wanting to do anything else except draw," RK Laxman says in his autobiography, The Tunnel of Time. And he has done very little else in over five decades as a cartoonist. From objects that caught his eye as a child outside the window of his room, to "the pretentious dignity of Mrs Gandhi to the grumpy face of Narasimha Rao." Famous for his acerbic cartoons lampooning political figures, Laxman at one point said, "What politics is all about today. Blah-blah-blah. The day that stops and the quality of our leaders improve, I will have to retire and go away."