RK Laxman , who joined The Times of Indiathe year India gained Independence and chronicled its ups and downs for over half a century, drew his last breath in Pune as the sun set on our 66th Republic Day.
The creator of the Common Man made millions of our readers smile every morning, but more importantly he captured the mood of a nation in the space of a small single column. It's both funny and sad that countless of his "You Said It" pocket cartoons still seem so relevant.
The coincidence is fortuitous but that should not diminish its significance: RK Laxman breathed his last in the midst of a fierce debate raging across the world in the wake of the murderous assault on Charlie Hebdo.
In one camp are those who believe that nothing is more sacrosanct than freedom of expression. And in the opposite camp are those who hold that such freedom must go hand in hand with a heightened sense of responsibility.
(the times of india)