A Good Laugh

“It is all about the humour of life. Nobody has a perfect life but if we grumble about every little thing,life is going to be miserable for us. This is why humour is as essential as sleep and nutrition,” says Laxman,who is fondly known as Bapu Ghaore. He started his career as a cartoonist without any formal training in the art in 1989,when one of his cartoons was published in Mohini,a Diwali ank. Laxman draws inspiration from situations in his life,including the experiences in the classroom when he was a teacher of Marathi,Sanskrit and Fine Arts at Pune Jilha Shikshan Mandal,Paud Road. “Children are the most carefree beings on earth because they have a very simple and practical approach towards everything. One moment they cry about something but the next minute they find something to amuse themselves. Their technique is to always look at the funny side,” says Laxman.

His cartoons deal with public transport,traffic police,college students,classroom humour,social problems,television,technology,cricket,and everything that Puneites come across in their daily lives. “Everyone who visits my exhibition can connect with the cartoons as I depict what I see around me,” he says,adding,“I wonder about how women tie a scarf over their face and still slip in a straw from somewhere in between the cloth to sip a cold-drink,or how people on two-wheelers break a traffic signal with as much vigour and pride as if to say they are breaking a world record!”

The visitors at the exhibition seem truly amused with the way in which Laxman teaches them to look at life through the lens of humour. Most of the youngsters come up to the reception desk and inquire for workshops on this art form,but Laxman offers his guidance and imparts his knowledge without charging a penny. “If you have the urge to express something,you will do it on your own. I learnt this art without any training so I really don’t know how to train people when they ask me to conduct workshops and so on. I just guide and encourage them to find their own style,” he says.

(The exhibition is on till today at Balgandharva Rangmandir)