SSC
'The Tunnel of Time' is the autobiography of which cartoonist?
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Answer: Option C — R. K. Laxman
Detailed Solution
- Laxman. "The Tunnel of Time" is the autobiography of Rasipuram Krishnaswami Laxman (R. K. Laxman), India's most famous cartoonist. It was published in 1998.
About the book:
It describes his childhood in Mysore (Mysuru), where he loved drawing from an early age, and his rejection by the J. J. School of Art in Bombay, which said his work lacked the talent needed.
It covers his early career at newspapers, his work at "The Times of India" for over 50 years, and his creation of "The Common Man".
About R. K. Laxman (1921-2015):
He was born in Mysore and was the younger brother of the novelist R. K. Narayan. He illustrated Narayan's "Malgudi Days".
His daily cartoon strip "You Said It" appeared on the front page of "The Times of India" from 1951.
His most famous creation, "The Common Man", is a silent, bewildered middle-aged man in a dhoti and checked coat who watches politicians, bureaucrats and social life with quiet confusion. He became a symbol of ordinary Indian citizens.
In 1988, India Post issued a stamp featuring the Common Man.
He also created "Gattu", the mascot of Asian Paints.
He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts (1984), the Padma Bhushan (1973) and the Padma Vibhushan (2005).
A statue of the Common Man stands in Pune, where Laxman lived in his later years.
Other famous Indian cartoonists:
- Shankar Pillai ("Shankar"): founded "Shankar's Weekly" (1948) and the Children's Book Trust; called the "Father of Indian political cartooning".
- Mario de Miranda: Goan cartoonist known for his lively drawings of Goan life; Padma Vibhushan (2012, posthumously).
- Abu Abraham: political cartoonist; his cartoon of President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signing the Emergency proclamation in a bathtub is famous.
- Sudhir Dar, Ajit Ninan and Kutty are other well-known cartoonists.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Mario de Miranda was a Goan cartoonist.
- ✗Abu Abraham was known for his Emergency-era cartoons.
- ✗Shankar founded "Shankar's Weekly".
Quick tip
Remember: "The Tunnel of Time" = R. K. Laxman (creator of "The Common Man" in "You Said It", Times of India, from 1951; brother of R. K. Narayan; Magsaysay 1984).
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Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.