CHINAR SHADE: SOM NATH BUTT VERSATILE ARTIST AND VINCENT VAN GOGH OF KASHMIR

“I vividly remember Miss Mehmooda Ahmed Ali shah ( The then Principal of Women college Srinagar ) coming to our house on 9th December1973 , throwing her shawl to the ground and sitting on the floor with us to mourn the death of my father She wept bitterly like a child hugging my mother for more than 15 minutes at a stretch. Wiping her tears ,she said to my mother in chaste Kashmiri

Jaya ji Metti Chhu Dahan Dohunn Dokhuss Beuhun. Su Auss Me Boayy.

(Jaya ji I have to also sit for the 10 day mourning . He was my brother .)

I was informed by my mother that Dr Naseer Ahmed Shah , Dr Tahir Mirza , Members of Sadiq Sahib’s family ,Sh Abdul Haq Barq and my father's childhood friend Sheikh Ghulam Mohd Frequented our house during the mourning period. Syed Mir Qasim, who was the chief Minister at that time sent a message to us that he had decided to send me to Baroda for proper Training in Art absolutely free on a Government scholarship.Possibly my father had conveyed my interest in Art and painting to his close friends like Sadiq Sahib , Syed Mir Qasim , Poet Dina Nath Naadim and D P Dhar. Support and sympathy poured in from all quarters .We were poor and incompetent to handle this wave of support and sympathy .Consequently My mother had to keep the struggle continued for survival of the family and education of her children. We clung to her like infants for emotional and material support.”

Said Ramesh Ji wiping his tears . I could make out his Artistic nature from his handwriting , delicate but long fingers , facial expressions and above all his lovely handwriting . I had seen some paintings of this colleague of mine and that created my interest in his Background . And Lo !He turned out to be the son of the unsung VINCENT VAN GOGH ( 1853-1890) of Kashmir whom the Artist Fraternity still remembers as Som Nath Butt or S N Butt .

.” My father would also sing K L Saigal songs . Dilip Kumar was his favourite actor . He must have seen Dilip Kumar's Daag 30 times.He was greatly touched by Dilip Kumar"s role as Devdass. Naadim Sahib was a frequent visitor to our house .In fact my father had designed the Sets for Naadim sahib immortal opera “Bombur Ta Yemberzal ” Apart from this ,he enjoyed listening to Sufiana Music , Lal Vaakhs and Shams Faquir ‘s compositions . My sisters Asha ji and Veena ji were quite attached to him . They are married since and live happily with their families .I can say that by thought he appeared to be a Marxist yet at heart he was a Dervesh in true sense . He was full of compassions and yes a little careless about his own self . He gave some of the priceless painting to his friends free. He would easily believe anybody and was instantly moved to see any pain and suffering forgetting his own self.” Added Ramesh ji with a sigh .

Som Nath Butt was born in 1925 at Badyar Bala Locality in Srinagar City in the neighbourhood of Naadim Sahib’s Lal Ded Girls School..He too volunteered to serve the refugees from Baramulla town who had been housed in the school building after the tribal raid of 1947 , The pain and suffering he witnessed in this camp drifted him temporarily to Marxism though he never belonged to any political party nor happened to be an atheist. I am informed by the family that in fact he would visit the shrines of Dastgeer sahib, Maqdoom Sahib and Reshi Peer as and when he found time . He always kept a photograph of Swami Ram Tirath in his pocket .Incidentally I may mention that Allama Iqbal was a great admirer of Swami Ram Tirath. Allama also remarked that if Swami Tirath was mad( as people used to call him ) then there was no sane person in the world.Allama also wrote a poem on Swami Ji and his spirituality .

After completing his F.Sc. from S P College Srinagar som Nath Butt went to Gulmarg (to live with his elder sister ) where his Brother in Law Pandit Radha Krishen Koul worked in a Hotel owned by a European .It was here that the young sensitive boy who had lost his mother in his infancy , came in direct contact with nature enabling him to express himself through a select medium using paper and pencils . .An Artist was thus born at Gulmarg only.

When Renowned Artist S H Raza (An Alumni of J J School of Art Mumbai .His art is priceless at the moment as one of his lesser known painting SAURASHTRA was sold for a record price of 16.42 crores at a Christie's auction on 10th June 2010. This 88 ear old painter Syed Haider Raza lives in France currently) visited Kashmir sometime around the partition of the counry and met almost all local Artists , He picked up S N Butt as his student and taught him intensely for two months . This period exposed the young Artist to basic styles and forms of Art like Cubism ,Surrealism, Impressionism, Expressionism, Abstract Art , Portrait drawing and many other Indian forms of Folk Art. Raza also introduced a variety of European artists to Bhat and most significantly Vincent Van Gogh . Enough training for this genius who never looked back after this interaction.. Along with Triloke Kaul , S N Butt held a two Men Painting Exhibition at Mumai in 1950 . Noticing his fresh style ,.Many newspapers caried a lead story under the caption:

“ A New Star is born on Art Horizon of the country ”

After returning from Mumbai he kept painting with renewed vigour and in varied forms .He also won president’s Gold medal and a two year scholar ship for a project on Kashmir Shawl Designs.While Naadim sahib headed the Progresive writers Association , S N Butt became the founder of Progressive Artists Association in Kashmir . This Progresive movement in Kashmir was patronized by Balraj Sahni ,S H Raza and Percy Brown .Later P N Kachru another trained Artist from Rainawari joined them and the Trio as they came to be know heralded the modern Art movement in Kashmir.This trio later joined the School of Design opened by Jammu And Kashmir Government in different positions and capacities . Another Artist Mohan Raina residig in Badyar Bala locality ( father of my friend Sudesh Raina )also joined this School of Design later. While in Kashmir , M F Hussain would invariably come to meet S N Butt and other artists many times in this School of Design only. G R Santosh who was also trained at Baroda joined this group but shifted his base to New Delhi to work as full time painter .In fact prior to his formal training at Baroda, G R Santosh learnt Art from S N Butt only . So did he teach Kishori Kaul another renowned artist from Kashmir.

Though most of the paintings of S N Butt have disappeared and are in private possession yet a few still decorate the walls of prominent Art Galleries of the country . Some were also on display at Tourist Reception Centre Srinagar before being suddenly removed and shifted to some unknown destination . I am also informed by the family that some Paintings were in possession of Sadiq Sahib’s family .The artist"s family has none with them.. Some artist has also uploaded one of his Paintngs on Internet. Influence of Dutch Painter VAN GOGH is starkly visible in his form and style. Through colour schemes , powerful fusion of form and content and I can say emotional styles, this artist was able to explain either his struggle against the system and circumstances or his comprehension of the spiritual essence of man and nature .

His addiction to liquor cut short his life and his productive years ,forcing him to remain in Hospital for long durations , he continued to paint till end . His family informs me that 1970 , 1971 and 1972 were liquor free years for him .He held Many Exhibitions . In 1971 he held a one man exhibition inaugurated by Sadiq Sahib. Late Bhagwan Sahay the then governor of the state , who was bed ridden came with his plastered leg supported by his daughter to see his favourite Artist’s work.He was also elevated to membership of Lalit Kala Academy New Delhi. When Sadiq Sahib was admitted to PGI Chandigarh , he would call his friend S N Butt frequently or keep writing to him regularly confiding even some intimate family secrets to this Artist .

Something went wrong somewhere and Bobuji ( as he was called affectionately by his family ) again started drinking heavily after his visit to jammu in 1973 to attend an Artist conference.. He fell sick and had to be admitted to hospital in jammu.The family shifted him to Srinagar where he was Again admitted to SMHS hospital for about two months. On a wintry morning of 9th Dec 1973 this great Artist and human being bade good bye to this world ..Like modern Punjabi Poet Shiv Kumar Batalavi, he too died at a young age leaving friends weeping and his own family in grave crisis.

I have also uploaded a view of Jhelum Ghat near Lal Ded Girls School Badyar Bala Srinagar.I end this post with lines from a poem of my favourite Bulgarian poet Nikola Vaptsarov ( 1909 -1942 ).In early 1941 Nazi forces were allowed to enter Bulgaria and take control of the country as a prelude to the attack on the USSR.Vaptsarov joined the armed resistance movement. Arrested by Nazi forces in 1942 and subjected to inhuman torture, he was finally executed on 23rd July, 1942.

‘History, will you mention us

In your faded scroll?’
For the hardship and affliction

We do not seek rewards,
Nor do we want our pictures
In the calendar of years.
Just tell our story simply
To those we shall not see,
Tell those who will replace us –
We fought courageously.