R K Laxman was suffering from a prolonged illness.
R K Laxman immortalised the passive, hapless common man with an uncanny perception
'His Common Man, with his unforgettable bewildered look, will live on for a long time to come, as will so many of his cartoons. They captured important moments in half a century of India's political and social development that no words could.'
Rediff.com reproduces the 1997 feature about Laxman, his passion for crows, and of course, his genius.