I had to wait just a few minutes in the reclining but yet hot sun before Kamala and R K Laxman�s car slid by the kerb at Worli Seaface. We had already finished eating, drinking, talking, reminiscing over some good South Indian coffee at their place a few days earlier. The rendezvous here was Laxman�s idea. �I say, there is the common man waiting, watching the sea at Worli, you can get your pictures there�, he had said. Brilliant, I replied, kicking myself for not having thought of it. But then it�s not for nothing that R K Laxman is who he is and how he is.

And he is still the same - razor sharp, impatient, immodest, even arrogant and fully aware of his genius. Neither age nor physical setback have taken their toll on his mind.

"We had already finished eating, drinking, talking, reminiscing over some good South Indian coffee at their place a few days earlier. The rendezvous at the Worli Seaface Promenade was Laxman�s idea. �I say, there is the common man waiting, watching the sea at Worli, you can get your pictures there�, he had said."

I have known this fascinating couple for over two decades. Naturally it�s because of my husband. Both, Behram and Laxman have The Times of India stamp on them. Though Behram may have left TOI years ago, his beginnings were there, so if You Said It was the appetiser, Behram�s (Busybee�s) Round and About was the dessert. And the Bombay newspaper readers never had it better. Strangely both started at the Free Press Journal (FPJ). It is well known that Laxman strode off in a huff from the FPJ office when the proprietor thinking he was making fun of the communists banned him. The fiery 23 year old went over to the Times riding in a Victoria to stay put there till today, which is in itself a record. I surely know of no one who has been loyal to one organization for 60 years! Behram on the other hand quit FPJ and went off hitch-hiking to Europe, reaching London after one year.

"What the world knows is Laxman�s humour as portrayed through the �common man�, what they don�t know is the unique brand that is Kamala�s very own humour. She has this manner of speaking, which has a certain comic timing and she is equally forthright. �You know I got married to my sagga mama, RK is my mother�s youngest brother, real brother. "

What the world knows is Laxman�s humour as portrayed through the �common man�, what they don�t know is the unique brand that is Kamala�s very own humour. She has this manner of speaking, which has a certain comic timing and she is equally forthright. �You know I got married to my sagga mama, RK is my mother�s youngest brother, real brother. I was just four hours old when RK first saw me, he was three years old. It was in Mysore at my grand parents house. He was upset because he was missing my grandmother who was tending to my mother, so he came to see her, but when he saw me his heart gladdened�

Possessive about his Common Man.

Theirs is a love marriage, �I was really young, when we decided to get married. First case of uncle-niece marrying�, she adds emphatically, and then annoyed at a memory of 60 years ago, continues, �I remember when we visited someone�s house, they all acted mad and raved about it. As though I had done something wrong!�

No, nothing wrong my dear Kamala, in fact Laxman could not have done anything righter, because the great cartoonist could not have found a more appropriate partner. With his bent of mind, his kind of sensibility, his intellectualism, he is not exactly an easy person for most people to deal with. He can be and is most of the time so brutally honest, ordinary people would run miles away from him, if they got to know him even a bit.

I am among the privileged few who, it appears, Laxman does not mind having around. Which is why I got this interview in the first place, yet his reply to my very first query was, �what kind of a silly question is that!� Well, so much for liking me. Yet, it drives home my point, Mr Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman is a tough nut to crack and has very little patience with people. If I have to describe the constant expression that stays on his face I�d say it is exasperation. It�s very difficult to make him smile.

"The great cartoonist could not have found a more appropriate partner. With his bent of mind, his kind of sensibility, his intellectualism, he is not exactly an easy person for most people to deal with. He can be and is most of the time so brutally honest, ordinary people would run miles away from him, if they got to know him even a bit. But I like the man and I adore Kamala, who is the perfect foil to his nature."

But I like the man and I adore Kamala, who is the perfect foil to his nature. What he doesn�t know is its she who is the real boss. Particularly when it comes to controlling his food and diet. �I am strict in the sense that I don�t allow him to eat just anything. He never liked sweets, now he wants all the sweets and chocolates in the world�. Kamala gives him a concerned look. Laxman has had some rough weather health wise, which is why her worry. He was suffering from blood pressure, diabetes and creatin. �Today, touchwood he�s OK, with my TLC and devilish care also�, smiles Kamala.

Kamala, a devoted wife, offers food to Laxman with plenty of TLC.

Laxman had a prostrate surgery in April 2001, and suffered from frequent blackouts. One night after a party in their Poona house, where they now mostly live, poor Laxman fell in the bathroom. Kamala who was sleeping heard the noise and rushed to help. It was a stroke. Laxman said he felt no sensation in his left side. But doctors assured them that they need not worry, since there was sensation in him and he would get better. Undaunted, good old Laxman was signing autographs as he was being taken in for the MRI and other tests! Needless to add there were visitors galore. Right from the Vice President of India and CMs of various states and other politicians to friends and family.

"As we sat chatting in their apartment at Breach Candy in Bombay, alternating between the past and the present, Laxman was getting restless. The construction activity just outside their window was driving him mad. He thought Bombay was going to the dogs, it had lost it�s glamour, it was dirty, crowded, noisy and all his friends had left. He was glad he now lived in Poona most of the time."

As we sat chatting in their apartment at Breach Candy in Bombay, alternating between the past and the present, Laxman was getting restless. The construction activity just outside their window was driving him mad. He thought Bombay was going to the dogs, it had lost it�s glamour, it was dirty, crowded, noisy and all his friends had left. He was glad he now lived in Poona most of the time. Luckily for me before Laxman�s mood went off completely Kutila arrived and saved the day. Kutila, which literally means little girl, is the grand daughter, and the apple of Laxman�s eye. Only she can make him smile. His face softens when he talks to her.

The Laxmans with their daughter-in-law Usha Srinivas Laxman and grand-daughter Kutila.

Taking advantage I got him chatting, reminded him about the Japanese banquets we were invited to at a former Japanese Consul General�s house. It was Mr Tomoji Mutoh, and the beautiful house was Spiro Sparrow at Altamount Road.�Ah yes�, says the grand master, �horrible food. All raw. Better to eat those pretty containers, than the contents.� I remembered the time when I was once seated next to him at one such banquet. It was a riot, a scream. As each course would arrive, Laxman would flip open the lid of the beautiful, hand painted bowl, make a face, close it quickly and sit drumming the table, rolling his eyes. While I would be in peals of laughter. The only thing he ate, I remember most vividly, was the Tempura. And that after proclaiming, �Finally something sensible, bhajjias!� When the dinner got over, he whispered to me very conspirationally. �I say, it�s a good thing they have all those lids over each bowl, host wont know a thing, what?�

And I learnt from Kamala that Laxman always came home and �had his fill of curd-rice� after such disaster dinner nights.

Kamala poses with Kutila�s little baby doll.

Curd-rice is his staple food, he can eat it everyday. He is not a social animal, has never been one. The only parties he went for were the Consulate ones. He is not even the restaurant type. On their own they have never gone eating out. Like he states, deadpan, �I am not greatly interested in food. I can eat anything South Indian, rice and sambar, some sabzi�. Any favorite cuisine? �No, nothing in particular� and then adds, �yes, long ago it was Chinese, Egg Fuyong and Fried Rice, but vegetarian, I am very happy to be a vegetarian�. Has he ever cooked? �No, I have no idea about cooking, never stepped inside a kitchen�. Anything he hates? �Garam Masala, don�t even bring it near me, and tomatoes and salad, eeks!� What about drinks? �Oh yes, Black Label, Chivas Regal, three large, everyday for several years, then slowly it diminished. Like the cigarettes, cigars and pipe�. What did he last drink and with who? �Last have a drink? (again he gave me that look), beer with soda. I drank alone, who else!�

Kamala at this point came into the picture once again. When they traveled abroad they ate out. The trips were wonderful, Laxman was almost always a state guest and so the arrangements were immaculate. They�ve been all over the world, except South America. But they are �islanders�, they love Mauritius. And Maldives. Kamala finds Florence most charming, its art, architecture.

I asked Kamala what she liked best about Laxman. �His sense of humour. When he wants to he can be very cheerful. Now of course, it�s not easy for him to be like that. This sort of illness has taken away his cheer, but in spite of it, Laxman has managed to go on. He is hard working till today�.

Which he is. I knew that already. Laxman wakes up at 8.30 and works at his desk from 9 am till 2pm. He rests a while then again starts drawing at 4pm. And at night he reads. Fiction, mystery, politics, philosophy. He retires at 10.30 pm. So what does he draw apart from the daily pocket cartoon for Times of India? �Oh, crows, I have painted murders of them�. He sees my questioning look and explains: �Murder is the collective noun for crows, you should know that,� he kind of chides. Laxman�s crows have flown away to all parts of the world. One of them even hangs in faraway Iceland. �I have a childhood fascination for the crow. It attracted me because it was so alive on the landscape. In our garden it stood out against the blue sky, green trees and the red earth. I began to sketch crows from the age of three and my mother encouraged me when she saw my drawings. She did not mind that I drew on the walls like mothers today do. My mother was remarkable. She led a busy life. We had a retinue of servants including a cook but sometimes she did some cooking too, experimental kind. She would bake shortcakes and butter biscuits for us. Once, she followed a magazine recipe and made toothpowder.

"Oh, crows, I have painted murders of them. I have a childhood fascination for the crow. It attracted me because it was so alive on the landscape. In our garden it stood out against the blue sky, green trees and the red earth. I began to sketch crows from the age of three and my mother encouraged me when she saw my drawings. She did not mind that I drew on the walls like mothers today do."

In summer, she used to roll out papads at home, which dried on the terrace. She did not mind us coming in the way. She was not flustered and let us do what we liked.� Mrs Laxman senior, was indeed remarkable, I learnt. Apart from collecting litho prints of gods and human beings, she was the sporting kind, she played tennis, badminton, golf. She was the local chess champion and was good at bridge as well. She used to play carrom and card games with the children, bringing much life and laughter into their lives. What a happy atmosphere to grow up in! Though with Laxman�s father around things were different. He was a man who did not fuss about children openly and never sat around chatting with members of the family. He left for school on a bicycle, impeccably dressed in a tweed suit and tie, with a snow white turban on.

The artist�s nook: A peek into Laxman�s workstation at his home.

But his famous brother RK Narayan had great influence on young Laxman who hero worshipped him. �But,� says Laxman, �Narayan was a grim elder brother, constantly trying to make me a better child, teach me good manners and proper behaviour. He would order me to stop biting my nails or else�! He would scold me for using my shirt front to wipe my hand and face. He would forbid me to climb trees or ride the cycle crossbar. Tell me, can any boy obey such rules, madness!�

I also learnt something else about this celebrated artist which I found so human. He is a softie, very emotional, and cries easily. Says Kamala, �At the convocation?? at the Bombay University recently, when Kalam (The President of India) hugged him, Laxman just cried and cried, so Kalam said, �Laxman you make the world laugh every morning, how can you cry now?�

�I was worried the same thing would happen at the Padma Vibhushan ceremony two years ago. So I sat in the 4th row, where he couldn�t see me. But nothing like that happened thankfully. I then heaved a sigh of relief. But kept a safe distance from him. I thought one look at me and he might break down,� Kamala adds smilingly. That, I thought was an amazing revelation about Laxman.

I looked at him fondly as I was leaving and asked one parting question: �Tell me Laxman, do you believe in God?� �Is there an alternative?� he growled. Omigosh, we are back to square one, I grabbed my cameras and scooted.

Tracing The Footsteps Of RK Laxman

Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman, better known as R K Laxman was born on 23rd October 1924 in Mysore. His father was a headmaster and Laxman was the youngest of 8 children, including six boys. One of his elder brothers, R.K. Narayan, the creator Malgudi, went on to become one of India's best known English language novelists.

Laxman gradauated from the University of Mysore. His earliest work was for newspapers & magazines such as Swarajya and Blitz. Whilst still at the Maharaja's College, Mysore, he began to illustrate his elder brother R K Narayan's stories in The Hindu, and he drew political cartoons for the local newspapers and for the Swatantra. He held a summer job at the Gemini Studios, Madras. His first full-time job was as a political cartoonist for the Free Press Journal. He later joined The Times of India, where he continues to work, 60 years later.

Among his other works, Laxman is known for his distinctive illustrations in several books, most notably for the Malgudi stories written by his elder brother R.K. Narayan. He also created a popular mascot for the Asian Paints group called Gattu. He is the recipient of India's highest civilian honors and the Magsaysay award for journalism.

AWARDS that laxman has won

• The Padma Bhushan Award by the Government of India in 1973
• The Ramon Magsaysay Award, for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts in 1984
• The Yashwantrao Chavan National Award in 2004
• The Padma Vibhushan Award by the Government of India in 2005
• The Horniman Award
• Durga Ratan Gold Medal - Hindustan Times
• B.D. Goenka Award - Indian Express
• Venkateshwara University Award
• The Shankaracharya Award
• The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Karnataka Journalists' Association

Honorary titles of Doctor of Literature bestowed by:

• The University of Marathwada
• The University of Mysore
• The University of Delhi