The Amrit Mahotsav, a significant celebration in India, recently made headlines with the introduction of Kala Kumbh, a scroll painting workshop. The project is an initiative jointly set up by the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Defence. Guiding these workshops were the Director General of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and several professors from eminent universities.
Kala Kumbh: Honoring India’s Unsung Heroes
The primary focus of the artwork created during these workshops highlights the unsung heroes who were instrumental in India’s freedom struggle. Many artists also drew inspiration from the illustrations found in the Indian Constitution, meticulously crafted by Nandalal Bose, a leading figure in modern Indian art from the Bengal School, and his team of renowned artists and calligraphers.
About National Gallery of Modern Art
Founded in 1954 by then Vice-President Dr. S Radhakrishnan in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s presence, the NGMA serves as the country’s cultural repository. It showcases the evolution of art forms over the past one hundred and fifty years starting from 1857 in the domain of Visual and Plastic arts. It operates under the Ministry of Culture’s administration and is headquartered in New Delhi.
Nandalal Bose: A Pioneer of Modern Indian Art
Born in Bihar’s Munger district on 3rd December, 1882, Nandalal Bose is recognised as one of modern Indian art’s pioneers and a prominent Contextual Modernism figure. He was mentored by Abanindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore’s nephew and the Indian Society of Oriental Art’s principal artist and creator, for five years until 1910.
His association with the Tagore family and the Ajanta murals shaped his idealization of national consciousness and devotion towards classic and folk art, and their inherent spirituality and symbolism. Bose’s iconic works primarily comprise paintings depicting Indian mythologies, women, and village life.
He incorporated elements from Mughal and Rajasthani traditions into his work while also integrating Sino-Japanese style and technique. Bose became the principal of Kala Bhavana (College of Arts) at Rabindranath Tagore’s International University Santiniketan in 1922.
Nandalal Bose and His Contribution to the Indian Constitution
When the Indian Constitution was being drafted, Bose was entrusted with the task of illustrating its pages by the Congress. Alongside his disciple Rammanohar, Bose enhanced the manuscript of the Constitution with his artistic decorations.
Bose died on 16th April, 1966, in Calcutta, but his legacy lives on. Today, many critics regard his paintings as some of India’s most significant modern art. In 1976, the Archaeological Survey of India declared his works, despite not being antiquities, as art treasures based on their artistic and aesthetic value.