What do we do when the raw excitements and vicissitudes of a managerial career sap our energy and excitement of life? With impossible deadlines looming large, a key team member suddenly disappearing on a furlough and the better half turning into a bitter half because of our indifference to attending the Parent Teacher Meeting in the kid’s school, we are just left gasping for some fresh air.
What could possibly perk us up on such a day? Browsing through the incisive and witty cartoons of someone like R K Laxman can surely help us to beat our blues. For decades, he has kept the sanity of our denizens intact by bringing us a daily dose of the travails of the ‘Common Man’. He has also produced some of the best management cartoons with messages for employees, CEOs and business owners alike.
There is a tongue-in-cheek quality in his cartoons which gently prods the reader to introspect on a wide range of managerial challenges. The issues could range anywhere from late coming in office to the tendency to carry work home, to indulging in nepotism, to working under a very difficult boss, and the like.
Here is a very small sample from the vast repertoire of his works:
The Torture of Getting Hired
Getting Work Done
Late Coming
The Perils of Marrying Your Secretary
Nepotism
Working Under a Tough Boss
Carrying Work Home
In these days of technical gizmos and 24×7 connectivity, the office settings in these cartoons may look a little dated. But the messages are as hard-hitting and relevant as ever.
The works of Mario Miranda (who can forget the inimitable Miss Fonseca?!) are also delightful. Dilbert is another series which can educate and entertain us. But R K Laxman has created a unique world for managers of all hues with such sunlit perfection that we can just sit back and bask in its splendor and warmth.
(Source: The Management of Management by R K Laxman, ISBN 81-7094-497-X)
(Related Posts:
https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/the-inimitable-r-k-laxman-2-0
https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2015/11/01/of-secretaries-and-the-inimitable-miss-fonseca)
ashokbhatia 
Dear Bhatia sir,
I read your tribute with immense interest. It is the most fitting one to the great genius of Laxman. It is a well-written, well-worded and most expertly managed article. The sample cartoons are the wittiest ones. Thanks for sharing the article.
Yesterday I read an intimate portrayal of Laxman by his grand nephew Mr. Chetan Krishnaswamy via the below given link. A few unpublished doodles and illustrations by the Inimitable Laxman are also provided for viewing under this article. They are superb.
With Regards,
H.Krishnamoorthy
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Dear Mr Krishnamoorthy,
Thank you so much for your kind comments and the fabulous link. I have posted a comment there as well and have requested consent to re-blog the lovely post.
What an illustrious family, to have sprouted works like Malgudi Days, The Guide and to have led to the creation of the Common Man!
Warm regards,
Ashok Bhatia
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https://therearesomanypeopleintheworld.wordpress.com commented thus:
Excellent. Very succintly written. The management lessons are very clear.
For the discerning there is a lot to be learnt here.
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Kind of you to say so, Lopamudra Mitra. Mr R K Laxman’s work continues to regale all of us – it captures lessons which are timeless in nature!
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Dear Bhatia sir,
I re-read your article with great relish. Thanks for posting it again. Here are some cartoons with notes which I hope you will find interesting.
H.Krishnamoorthy
http://trak.in/tags/business/2015/01/30/9-hard-hitting-cartoons-by-r-k-laxman/
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Thank you, sir, for sharing this piece with me. Warm regards, Ashok Bhatia
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Simply superbly written
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Thank you. The credit goes to his inspiring cartoons!
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kindly read my new post on habits
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Reblogged this on ashokbhatia.
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