About more than 50 years ago, Padmavibhushan Mr. R K Laxman started giving
a face to the common man and relate to his problems in general. Over the past ...
NEWS ASIA
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Prof. Ajit Kelkar as The Common Man in the One Man show. News Asia .
Common Man's One Man Show a successful fundraiser for Arpan By Nidhi Singhal: IRVINE, CA: Is there a face to the common man? Is there a voice of the common man? When we think about a ‘common man', usually the picture of some poor, helpless, dumbstruck man comes to mind. About more than 50 years ago, Padmavibhushan Mr. R K Laxman started giving a face to the common man and relate to his problems in general. Over the past fifty years his cartoons of the common man under the banner of ‘You Said It' have been appearing in the Times Of India, showcasing the tales and woes of the common man as the country went through various political and social stages. Over the years the masses have related to this common man who just stands and looks on to what is happening around him taking a sarcastic dig at the socio-political scene or just giving a simple one liner leaving the reader intrigued. A few years ago, a voice was given to this common man in a play scripted by Shri Anil Joglekar and produced and directed by Prof. Ajit Kelkar. He prepared a One Man Show and researched on all of Laxman's cartoons to come up with an hour's show taking the audience through a journey of ups and downs in India 's social and political history. This is an extraordinary audio-visual show through the eyes of a very ordinary man full of anecdotes and sarcasm at various authorities. Arpan Foundation proudly presented the One Man Show at UC Irvine on 29 th April, 2008. First founded in 1984 in India , the organization opened its US chapter in 2006 and has till date raised more than $125,000 for the 20
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organizations it supports back in the homeland. Some of the main organizations include Maharogi Seva Samiti, Samaritan Help Mission , Pragati Andha Vidyalay, Helpers of the Handicapped, Parivaar Education Society among Volunteers Mrs Vidya Sapre and Mr Suren others. The foundations directors have Kapadia tell about organizations Arpan supports. News Asia. themselves visited these organizations in India and seen with their owneyes that with little and constant help how these organizations can do much better and help the humanitarian cause at large. “Last year when I visited India , I saw a small advertisement in the local newspaper about Prof Ajit Kelkar's One Man Show and I went to see that”, said Anand the main force behind Arpan's US chapter to News Asia . He added, “I liked the show a lot and met Prof Kelkar and asked him to definitely contact me whenever he plans a trip to the US . He came this year and contacted me on his own and asked how can I help?” Prof. Kelkar performed the show as a volunteer and truly supported the cause of Arpan. Stepping through a frame labeled “You Said It – By R K Laxman” Prof Kelkar explained the concept behind the common man through a song which went like – I am here, I am there, Anywhere, Everywhere! He said that the cartoon of the common man is a representative of the mute masses of India . He helps in projecting the problems faced in every house in every street of India . Be it electricity, phone bill lines, ration lines, forever unstable government or the potholes in the roads all over the country, it is the common man who suffers these problems while diplomats and politicians only smile, wave and give long speeches. In his depiction of these issues the cartoonist received a lot of praise from people who related well to these issues being the masses. On the other hand he also went through all sorts of problems right from threats to stop the cartoons to censorship of cartoons to banning of cartoons. These were political moves made by corrupt leaders of the time who looked upon the cartoons with suspicion. But with the constitution of India giving freedom of expression, the cartoons continued to be printed on the front page of the Times of India and in celebration of its 150 th year a stamp adorning the common man was also issued! “Giving a voice to the common man so that it infiltrates the depths of Indians all over the world is what inspired me to do this show”, said Prof. Kelkar to News Asia . Plus the show was for a wonderful cause which raised $12,000 on the spot. Completely put together by volunteers the show was a true delight to watch making the 300 strong audience laugh every now and then by the common man's simple truths. ©2008 NewsAsia. All rights reserved.
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