This paper proposes a sociopolitical discourse on R K Laxman’s Common Man. The pocket cartoons featuring the ‘Common Man’ made their foray into the Indian consciousness in 1951 through a daily comic strip called “You Said It” in The Times of India. The comic strip was an earnest attempt to encapsulate the myriad images of post-independent India through the lens of the Common Man. This comic strip achieved iconic status as it effectively captured the changing psyche of Indians, and the simple dhoti-clad middle-aged Common Man turned out to be a representative figure echoing the dreams, fears, hopes, and frustrations of the ordinary Indian citizen. Moreover, as the mute spectator to all the social, political, and economic events around him, the Common Man’s silence mirrored the state of vulnerability of the world’s largest democracy. |
