Another great
influence S.N.Bhat had imbibed from, was the great poet, painter, writer and
art historian Percy Brown who had settled in Kashmir after having retired from
the Government school for Arts and Crafts, Calcutta. He had contributed a lot
to the development of The Technical College in Srinagar too. D. N. Wali too had
got his patronage in Calcutta from where he had started as a professional
painter after completing his training there. Dr. Percy Brown had married the
pretty daughter of the British Resident of Kashmir Col. Talbot, Muriel Talbot
rechristened Catherine. She had lived with her father and had got mesmerized
not only by the scenic beauty of Kashmir but also by the charm of the
simplicity of the people living here. This had turned her into a poet. She
later on brought out a poetic compilation too entitled Chinar Leaves. Percy brown
too had been fascinated by Kashmir and the marriage to Catherine brought him
closer to Kashmir. That is why he settled in Kashmir after his retirement and
spent rest of his days in a houseboat which he had named Catherine in the
memory of his wife, near the Srinagar Club till his death. He was even buried
here in the cemetery of Sheikh Bagh where his wife too had been laid to rest.
This digression from
talking about S.N. Bhat was important because Dr. Percy Brown played an important
role in S N Bhat’s grooming. Percy Brown had seen Bhat sitting on
the Bund facing the river and drawing on his sketch book. Percy Brown after
watching him silently, must have seen a spark in him.Because he drew Bhat’s
attention to him and then even talked to him. This encouraged Bhat to visit Dr.
Brown quite a few times and I presume it must have been he from whom Bhat had
learnt expressionism in landscape painting. And when he came in contact with
Syed Haider Raza, he got enlightened about impressionism, cubism, even
sur-realism. Raza introduced Bhat to great masters like Paul C’zzane, Gauguin,
Van Gauge and other great masters who had broken the old schools of painting and
had found new paths. It was not he alone but even Trilok Kaul, P.N. Kachroo and
to a great extent Santosh did get introduced to these experiments in painting
in their long meetings with Raza. Cézanne being the father of Cubism became a
great influence on S.N. Bhat.
S H Raza motivated S.N.Bhat and Triloke Kaul to move out of Kashmir and have
an exhibition in the main centre of art, Bombay ,which they did. We kept
eagerly waiting for the news about their exhibition because we felt it was our own
exhibition. I am again reliving the moment of joy while writing these memoirs about what we felt when the press reviews appeared in the National Press from Bombay.
S.N.Bhat had been hailed by the critics as “A new star born on the horizon of
Indian Paintings”. After this successful exhibition in Bombay Trilok Kaul
returned to Kashmir while Bhat was detained by some affluent connoisseur of art
and given space to live and to paint with all the facility he needed included a
couple of drinks to relax. That made S.N.Bhat a known figure in the social
circles of Bombay. It was during that sojourn in Bombay that Bhat came into
contact with Balraj Sahni who belonged
more to Kashmir than Bombay. This Bombay life continued for some time for Bhat.
When S.N.Bhat returned from Bombay, he was being held in high esteem especially
by the intellectuals. So all the painters of the younger generation became
conscious that though the gift of painting had been given to them by the
Almighty God but professional training too was important. It was S.N.Bhat who
was now like a godfather for them. He meanwhile had got introduced to some Army
Officers who were interested in fine arts. The vibrant colours and the new technique
of S.N.Bhat that he used in his paintings, influenced by modern painters of
Europe like Cézanne and Paul Klee,
fascinated them. They purchased some of his paintings too for their mess. This encouraged
him to join some of their parties too. It drove him towards the pleasure of
having a couple of drinks. That gradually started his journey through alcohol.
But he continued painting and we loved him for that. Not only for that, but
also for his affection he had for everyone and the love he showered on his
friends.
It was in that scenario that the popular bar
of Laba Kaul came up in Regal Chowk that turned soon into the ‘Moulin Rogue’
for the painters, writers and intellectuals where they started meeting and
relax over a drink and sizzling kebabs. S.N.Bhat, became a favourite of Laba
Kaulthe owner of the joint. G R Santosh,
Trilok Kaul, P N Kachru too would
assemble there. Great meetings, great discussions,
petty quarrels and heated arguments. That was the evening scene at Laba Kaul’s
‘Moulin Rouge.’
It was during that
period that under the Government Of India scheme a School of Design was started
to revive the fast fading out cottage industry in the state and to introduce
new designs especially in textiles and carpets, to meet the demands of the
modern markets. Naturally this organisation needed painters and designers. So
the natural choice to approach was S.N.Bhat, Santosh, Trilok Kaul, and others.
Santosh did not want to tie himself to a fixed job. The Government motivated
Trilok Kaul and S.N.Bhat to join .They agreed. Trilok Kaul because of his high
academic attainment was appointed as the Director and S.N.Bhat, P.N. Kachroo
and few others as specialists for designing.
As they had to prove
their worth at designing, most of their time was taken by the pressures of the
job. This left them little time to paint and since G R Santosh had all the time he kept on painting
and experimenting. Rest is history as far as G R Santosh’s progress in the world of painting is
concerned. But Trilok Kaul and S N Bhat
too would participate in different exhibitions. Though the job at the School of
Design turned as that of any other Government Job for S.N.Bhat yet his
faculties did not lax. He did create some designs which spoke of the genius in
him. But the painter in him was fading out slowly. We thought it was a phase of
hibernation and Goliath would wake up and strike back. But unfortunately that
was not happening.
During that sluggish
period he met me one day on the bund walking towards Sonawar. He hugged me which
was his trait whenever we met. After usual greetings he asked me where was I
going. I told him,
“ Home . Come
let us have a cup of tea there. It is just across the bridge.”
“ I know. Some other
time.”
When I pressed him,
he agreed and we started crossing the Old Zero bridge. He stopped midway and looked
upstream and then down the flow. Then turned to me and asked,
“Doesn’t Jhelum look
like a long lake from here.”
It did. It was the
same question which the old lovable Col. Dickey asked me one day when he had
met me when I was crossing the bridge while going to office. Col. Dickey had
settled down in a house boat anchored near the Lloyd’s Bank after his retirement
and used to present Western Music programme from our Radio Station. Col. Dickey
had fallen so much in love with the waters of Kashmir that he, like the poet
Shelley, finally drowned himself in the waters of Dal lake.
Coming back to S.N.Bhat.
looking at the water wit the towering Shankaracharya hill and the mountain
range behind he suddenly became serious and told me,
“Let us sit
somewhere. No not at your place.”
I could feel that he
wanted to talk and confide something. So we walked down to Ahdoo’s Hotel.Sipping
tea there he opened up. When I broached the subject of his stopping painting he
said,
“ No I have not
stopped it. I am confused. Didn’t you see today standing there in the centre of
the bridge what over awing magnificence wrapped us around, our entire existence
for a few moments. We struggle to create. Create what? Can anything be created
beyond what has already been created. Destroy and then re-create ? I am lost.
You may try to escape. But then you can’t escape from yourself. That is the confusion.”
He then smiled and
holding my hand said,
“Don’t worry I can’t
help it. I have to paint. If for nothing else but to protect my existence
amongst you all who have given me love, in spite of my weaknesses.”
He suddenly got up
and said,
“ I must go now. Sorry I had forgotten that I
have to meet somebody.”
I too got up and left with him. He accompanied
me up to the Zero Bridge and then huggedme and walked up the bund towards
Sonawar. From Ahdoo’s Hotel to Zero Bridge he kept quiet and I too was lost in
his thoughts.
After that day I
must have met him a couple of times since the pressure of work in the Radio did
not give me much time to meet friends except Ghulam Rasool Santosh and Ali
Mohammad Lone and some writers who wroter Radio Plays for me, like Som Nath
Zutshi and others. I talked to G R
Santosh about my meeting with Som Nath Bhat. He was pained and said that in
spite of promises Bhat had not left drinking. Even Trilok Kaul, P N Kachroo who were his friends and colleagues and
his other friends had tried but of no avail. Tragedy was that they all loved
him.
Among his admirers
were persons like Dr. Naseer, the great educationalist Prof. Mahmooda Ahmad Ali
Shah, D.P.Dhar even Khwaja Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq. It was because their efforts
and coaxing of Som Nath Zutshi that I heard that S.N.Bhat had started painting
again. Zutshi who used to visit him told me one day that Bhat had given up
drinking and was drowned in painting. He in fact wanted to have a one man
exhibition soon. It was the best news we could have .
And finally the
Goliath had woken up. The date of his one man exhibition was announced and it
was because of the efforts of Som Nath Zutshi that Sadiq Sahib had agreed to
inaugurate the exhibition. It was a great event. Bhat’s friends and well
wishers had assembled in The Tourist Centre Hall. The paintings had been
displayed in the opposite smaller hall. And when Sadiq Sahib cut the ribbon and
threw the exhibition open a world of colour was there to see. Everyone became
emotional to see the rebirth of the ‘New Star, that had risen’ years back ‘ on
the Horizon of Indian Painting’. Every painting was a feast of colour. Every
frame had captured different moods of the land that had given the artist his birth
and now a reincarnation. It was a day when history was created in the field of
art in Kashmir. The entire exhibition was declared by Sadiq Sahib as sold.
Thanks to the patronage of Mahmooda ji a genuine lover of art and literature.
These paintings were purchased by the government and distributed to different
offices for display. And I hope they are still there. Everyone was very happy
for Bhat. But as every one of that era knows that this exhibition of Som Nath
Bhat was his ‘Swan Song’. Because after some time this talented artist again
set himself on a path of self destruction.
He again hit the
bottle stopped painting and that was his finale.”
CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
