Cartoonist R K Laxman’s Wife Kamla Passes Away

15 November, Pune

‘After my father passed away in January this year. I remember my mother whispering in his ears- ‘Dont worry I will join you soon’. This she said twice and when I heard about my mothers demise last night… the scene came back to me again,” said Srinivas Laxman, the son of cartoonist RK Laxman today whilespeaking about the demise of his mother Kamala Laxman.

Kamala Laxman (88) passed away at her Pune residence last night.

Born in Mysore, she was the second wife of the cartoonist and an accomplished writer of childrens books. Her book about Tenali Raman, the court jester of the Vijayanagara Kingdom, was made into a television series too.

Usha Srinivas, her daughter-in-law said that Kamala was suffering from respiratory track infection and was hospitalised since last month. We got her discharged on Friday and on Saturday, she breathed her last, she said.

Those who knew the family closely said that they owned a house in Aundh which the family used to frequent often. They had moved into this house in the early 2000s. Srinivas, a space journalist by profession, said that the decision to shift to Pune was dictated by health and other concerns of both his parents. “After my fathersdemise, my mother wanted to shift back to Mumbai. We were looking for a ground floor flat but were unable to find so,” he said.

Kamala always stood by her husbands side and acted as his interlocutor when needed. As news of her demise spread, relatives flocked to the Pune residence.