R.K. LAXMAN
R. K. Laxman was born in Mysore. His father was a headmaster and Laxman was the youngest of six sons;[4] an older brother is the novelist, R. K. Narayan.
Laxman was engrossed by the illustrations in magazines such as The Strand Magazine,Punch, Bystander, Wide World and Tit-Bits, even before he could read.[5] Soon he was drawing on his own, on the floors, walls and doors of his house and doodling caricatures of his teachers at school; praised by a teacher for his drawing of a peepal leaf, he began to think of himself as an artist in the making.[6] Another early influence
ninfluence on Laxman were the cartoons of the world-renowned British cartoonist, Sir David Low (whose signature he misread as "cow" for a long time) that appeared now and then in The Hindu.[7] Laxman notes in his autobiography, The Tunnel of Time:
| “ | I drew objects that caught my eye outside the window of my room - the dry twigs, leaves and lizard-like creatures crawling about, the servant chopping firewood and, of course, and number of crows in various postures on the rooftops of the buildings opposite | ” |
Laxman was the captain of his local "Rough and Tough and Jolly" cricket team and his antics inspired the stories "Dodu the money maker" and "The Regal Cricket Club" written by his brother, Narayan.[9] Laxman's idyllic childhood was shaken for a while when his father suffered a paralytic stroke and died around a year later, but the elders at home bore most of the increased responsibility, while Laxman continued with his schooling.[10]
After high school, Laxman applied to the J. J. School of Art, Bombay hoping to concentrate on his lifelong interests of drawing and painting, but the dean of the school wrote to him that his drawings lacked, "the kind of talent to qualify for enrollment in our institution as a student", and refused admission.[11] He finally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mysore. In the meantime he continued his freelance artistic activities and contributed cartoons to Swarajya and an animated film based on the mythological character, Narada.[12]
[edit]Career
[edit]Beginning
Laxman's earliest work was for newspapers and magazines such as Swarajya and Blitz. While still at the Maharaja College of 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 theSwatantra. Laxman also drew cartoons, for the Kannada humour magazine, Koravanji. Incidentally, Koravanji was founded in 1942 by Dr M Shivaram who was a allopath and had a clinic around Majestic area in Bangalore. He started this monthly magazine, dedicating it to hilarious/satirical articles and cartoons. Dr Shivaram himself was an eminent humourist in Kannada. He encouraged Laxman quite a lot. He held a summer job at the Gemini Studios, Madras. His first full-time job was as a political cartoonist for the The Free Press Journal inMumbai, Bal Thackeray, was his colleague. Laxman later joined The Times of India, beginning a career that has spanned for over fifty years.
[edit]Other creations
He also created a popular mascot for the Asian Paints group called Gattu in 1954. [13][14]. Laxman has also penned a few novels. His cartoons have appeared in Hindi films such as Mr. and Mrs. 55 and a Tamil Film "KAMARAJ". His creations also include the sketches drawn for the television adaptation of Malgudi Days which was written by his elder brother R K Narayan and directed by Shankar Nag.
[edit]R K Laxman Chair at Symbiosis International University
There is a chair named after R. K. Laxman at Symbiosis International University.[15]
[edit]Personal life
He was first married to Bharatanatyam dancer and movie actress Kamala Laxman (also known before marriage as Baby Kamala and Kumari Kamala). After a divorce, he married again and his second wife's (a children's book writer) name was also Kamala. He lives both in Mumbai andPune. In a cartoon series named "The star I never met" in film magazine Filmfare he painted a cartoon of Kamala Laxman, with the title "The star I only met!".
In September 2003, Laxman was affected by a stroke which left him paralysed on his left side. He has partly recovered from its effects. On the evening of 20 June 2010, Laxman was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai after being transported by an air ambulance fromPune. His condition was said to be stable.[16]
[edit]Awards
- B.D. Goenka Award - The Indian Express
- Durga Ratan Gold Medal - Hindustan Times
- Padma Bhushan - Govt. of India
- Padma Vibhushan - Govt. of India
- Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts - 1984
- Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalism - CNN IBN TV18, 29 January 2008
- 'Pune Pandit' Award (Scholar of Pune Award)by the Art & Music Foundation for excellence in 'Creative Communication' - 2012
[edit]Bibliography
- The Eloquent Brush: A Selection of Cartoons from Nehru to Rajiv
- 50 Years of Independence through the eyes of R.K.Laxman
- The Best of Laxman series
- Hotel Riviera
- The Messenger
- Servants of India
- The Tunnel of Time (autobiography)
- His autobiography Lakshmanrekha is published in Marathi.
- The Reel World [cartoons]published by Marwah Studios
Shahabuddin Rathod
Shahabuddin Rathod is a well known and highly reputed Gujarati humorist and performing comedian artist. His comical style is highly respected for being quite intelligent, free of vulgarity and cheap humor and for inculcating social values and fostering communal harmony and deeper understanding of core concepts of various religions including, Hinduism, Buddhism,Islam, Jainism, etc. Recordings of his performances as CDs and cassettes have been selling in Gujarat for more than 20 years. One of his notable recordings is Vanechand No Varghodo. By putting another feather, authorities from 'SAB TV' will start new comic series named 'Paapad pol, Shahabuddin Rathod ki Rangeen Dunia' soon. Biography
Shahabuddin Rathod hails from Thangadh village in the Surendranagar district in Saurashtraregion of Gujarat State in India. He was born and raised in a Gujarati Muslim family. He has been working as a school principal. Despite his Islamic background and faith, he has a highly admirable knowledge of Sanskrit language and Hinduism.
[edit]Television Show
“PAPAD POL-Shahbuddin Rathod Ki Rangeen Duniya” is a show based on the story of the imaginary world of characters created by renowned writer Shahbuddin Rathod.It is based on these characters visualized by this legendary orator. SAB TV has attempted to create the dramatized presentation of his vision and the wonderful and intriguing characters. His characters are a very simple, relatable middle-class people living together in a POL (Moholla). Their honesty, unique outlook, simplicity, interesting quirks and loving nature will surely capture the viewers’ imagination.
[edit]Books
These are the books authored and co-authored by Shahabuddin Radhod. These books are inGujarati language.
| No | Name of the book |
|---|---|
| 1 | શાહબુદ્દીન રાઠોડનો હાસ્યવૈભવ (સંપા. ડૉ. જગદીશ ત્રિવેદી) |
| 2 | શાહબુદ્દીન રાઠોડનો ચિંતનવૈભવ (સંપા. ડૉ. જગદીશ ત્રિવેદી) |
| 3 | શાહબુદ્દીન રાઠોડનો હાસ્યખજાનો (સંપા. ડૉ. જગદીશ ત્રિવેદી) |
| 4 | શાહબુદ્દીન રાઠોડનો ચિંતનખજાનો (સંપા. ડૉ. જગદીશ ત્રિવેદી) |
| 5 | મારે ક્યાં લખવું હતુ ? |
| 6 | હસતાં-હસાવતાં |
| 7 | અણમોલ આતિથ્ય |
| 8 | સજ્જન મિત્રોનાં સંગાથે |
| 9 | દુઃખી થવાની કળા |
| 10 | શૉ મસ્ટ ગો ઓન |
| 11 | લાખ રૂપિયાની વાત |
| 12 | દેવુ તો મર્દ કરે |
| 13 | મારો ગધેડો ક્યાય દેખાય છે ? |
| 14 | હાસ્યનો વરઘોડો |
| 15 | दर्पण जुठ न बोले (हिन्दी) |
| 16 | તુમ હસોગે તો હસેગી દુનિયા (પૂ. મોરારિબાપૂની ઉપસ્થિતીમાં થાનગઢ ખાતે શાહબુદ્દીન રાઠોડનો ભવ્ય સન્માન વખતે વિવિધ ક્ષેત્રનાં પચાસ જેટલા મહાનુભાવોએ શાહબુદ્દીન રાઠોડ વિશે લખેલા લેખોનું ડૉ. નીતિન વડગામાએ કરેલું સંપાદન) |
Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat (born 22 April 1974), is anIndian author, columnist, and speaker. Bhagat is the author of five bestselling novels, Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ the Call Center(2005), The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), 2 States (2009) & Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition (2011). All five books have remained bestsellers since their release and two have inspired Bollywood films (including the hit film 3 Idiots). In 2008, The New York Timescalled Bhagat "the biggest selling English language novelist in India's history".[1][2] Bhagat, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)Delhi and Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, is seen more as a youth icon than as an author.[3] Time magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.[4] Bhagat writes op-ed columns for English and Hindi newspapers, including The Guardian, The Times of India and Dainik Bhaskar, focusing on youth, career[5] and issues based on national development.[6][7] Bhagat voices his opinion frequently at leading events.[8][9][10] He quit his investment bankingcareer in 2009, to devote his entire time to writing.
Early days
Bhagat was born in New Delhi to a middle-class family. His father was in the army and his mother was a government employee in the agricultural department.
Bhagat's education was mostly in Delhi. He attended the Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi (1978–1991). He studied Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute Of Technology (IIT) Delhi (1991–1995). He graduated from the Indian Institute of Management(1995–1997). After graduation he worked as an investment banker in Hong Kong. He had been working in Hong Kong for 11 years before shifting to Mumbai to pursue his passion for writing. He has written six books, all of which are bestsellers. His first three novels were written during his tenure as an investment banker.
[edit]Personal life
Bhagat met his wife, Anusha Suryanarayan at IIM Ahmedabad. They married in 1999. Later, they moved to Hong Kong and worked there. Now based in Mumbai, Bhagat is focusing on his writing career. Bhagat and Anusha are the parents of twin sons, Shyam and Ishaan. The love story of Anusha and Chetan Bhagat was the inspiration for the book 2 States: The Story of My Marriage.[11]
[edit]List of works
[edit]Books
[edit]Television
Bhagat was a judge on the Star News TV reality show Star Anchor Hunt.[12]
[edit]Speeches
- "SPARK" speech given at the orientation program for the new group of MBA students at Symbiosis, Pune.[13]
- "Becoming One With the World" speech given at the HT Leadership Summit Delhi.[14]
[edit]Speaker
Among his other activities, Bhagat is known to deliver speeches at programs organised by newspapers and media houses like Dainik Bhaskar, The Times of India and at other conclaves apart from writing columns for the same.[15]
[edit]Controversies
[edit]3 Idiots versus Five Point Someone
There was controversy when the film 3 Idiots was released in 2009. Bhagat was unhappy over not getting credit for the film's story, which was based upon Five Point Someone – What not to do at IIT!. According to him the film had taken more from the book than the filmmakers had led him to believe. Director Rajkumar Hirani said that Bhagat has been given his due credit according to contract.[16] Hirani threatened to take legal action against Bhagat. Bhagat also accused Hirani of not showing him final script as per contract, but Hirani denied that.[17]Protagonist of the film Aamir Khan initially said that the screenplay was original,[18] but later he kept himself away from this controversy.[19]
[edit]Movie adaptions
| Release year | Title of book | Film adaptation | Language | Cast | Production | Director | Year of Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | One Night @ the Call Center | Hello | Hindi | Salman Khan,Katrina Kaif, Gul Panag,Sharman Joshi | Vidhu Vinod Chopra | Atul Agnihotri | 2008 |
| 2009 | Five Point Someone | 3 Idiots | Hindi | Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan,Boman Irani,Kareena Kapoor,Sharman Joshi | Vidhu Vinod Chopra | Rajkumar Hirani | 2009 |
| 2012 | Five Point Someone | Nanban | Tamil | Vijay,Jeeva,Srikanth,Sathyaraj,Ileana D'Cruz | Gemini Film Circuit | Shankar | 2012 |
| 2012 | The 3 Mistakes of My Life | Kai Po Che! | Hindi | Sushant Singh Rajput,Raj Kumar Yadav,Amit Sadh | UTV Motion Pictures | Abhishek Kapoor | 2013[20] |
| 2013 | 2 States | 2 States | Hindi | Arjun Kapoor | Karan Johar | Karan Johar | 2013 |
[edit]Awards and recognition
- Society Young Achiever's award in 2004[21]
- Publisher’s Recognition award in 2005[21]
- Bhagat in Time magazine's list of World's 100 Most Influential People 2010
