Sunday, April 3, 2016

RATAN PARIMOO: A RENOWNED ARTIST AND ART HISTORIAN FROM KASHMIR


                                                                                                                                                          
             
                                                     ( Kashmiri Tonga by Ratan Parimoo )
                                                                               

                                                                             

 
 RATAN PARIMOO: A RENOWNED ARTIST AND ART HISTORIAN FROM KASHMIR

He dared to study art when back in his native Kashmir, people would generally say,” fine, art is okay, but let us know what you are going to do in your life to earn a living. “Every type of art was looked down upon in orthodox Kashmiri society. It applied to theatre, painting, music and dance.  However determined and resolute, at a young age of 15, Ratan Parimoo left Kashmir for Baroda to study painting. He left Kashmir when the wounds of the Tribal Invasion by Pakistan had just healed up and people had started breathing fresh air .It was 1951 and he was certainly not sure what future lay in store for him .Luckily, he came under the tutelage and mentorship of Prof N S Bendre, a renowned artist of the country who worked for more than 16 years at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara (1950-1966) as HOD painting. Bendre had a special liking for the people of the J&K state. He had worked as journalist and painter in the state for about 3 years (1936 to 1939).  Triloke Kaul, well-known artist informs that for some time, Bendre stayed in the Nawa Bazaar house of Dr Shiv Ji .And Bendre would go out of his way to help budding artists from the state who came to Baroda. At Baroda , apart from Ratan Parimoo, two more prominent artist from Kashmir namely G R Santosh and Triloke Kaul   were also trained by   N S Bendre .Bendre had also done a series of Kashmir  landscapes .

                                                                       After completing his graduation in Fine Arts from the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda in 1955, Parimoo did M A in (Fine) Creative Painting, Post Graduate Diploma in Museology from M.S. University, Baroda in 1957. He also obtained his graduate degree in History of Art from London University in 1963 and Ph.D. in Art history from M.S. University, Baroda in 1972. He received Commonwealth Scholarship to study Art History at the Courtauld Institute of the University of London from 1961 to 1963. In 1974, he was granted the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation Scholarship for his work on Buddhist Art. He has decorated  the esteemed posts of- Lecturer in Art History, Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda 1959; Reader and Head, Department of Art History and Aesthetics 1966; Professor in Art History and Aesthetics from the years 1966 to 1978; and also the Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda from the years 1975 to 1981. He served as the Director of the L D Museum and N C Mehta Gallery in Ahmedabad from 2007 to 2019. Apart from being a teacher and a trained painter, Ratan Parimoo happens to be a highly respected art historian of the country. Having written hundreds of articles for national and international journals and delivered similar number of lectures on art and history of art, Dr. Parimoo has published more than 20 scholarly books on art and history of art. Some books authored by him can be listed as under:-

 1.Paintings of the three Tagores, Abanindranath, Gaganendranath, Rabindranath – Chronology and Comparative Study (PhD Thesis), MS University of Baroda, Vadodara,1973.

2. Studies in Modern Indian Art, Kanak Publications-Books India, New Delhi, 1975.

3. Life of Buddha in Indian Sculpture, Kanak Publications, New Delhi, 1982. Enlarged edition, DK Printworld, Delhi, 2009. 

4. Sculptures of Sheshashayi Vishnu, MS University of Baroda, Vadodara, 1983.

5. The Pictorial World of Gaganendranath Tagore, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, 1995.

6.Studies in Indian Sculptures, Essays in New Art History, Books & Books, New Delhi, 2000.

7. Studies on the Art of Raja Ravi Varma, Thrissur (Kerala), 2006.

8. NC Mehta Collection Vol I, Gujarati School and Jaina Manuscript Paintings, Ahmedabad, 2010.

9. The Art of Three Tagores, From Revival to Modernity, Kumar Gallery, New Delhi, 2011.

10. NC Mehta Collection Vol II, Rajasthani, Central Indian, Pahari and Mughal Paintings, Ahmedabad, 2013

11. Treasures from the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum], Ahmedabad, 2013.

12.Gaganendranath Tagore, A Retrospective, an Exhibition Catalogue, Victoria Memorial Hall in collaboration with Rabindra Bharati Society, Kolkata, 2014.

13. From the Earthly World to the Realm of Gods, Kasturbhai Lalbhai Collection of Indian Drawings. Ahmedabad, 2019.

 Apart from authoring above books, Parimoo has also edited some scholarly books on art and history of art which are considered as reference material for research and further elucidation. Some books falling in this category could be listed as, ‘Vaiṣhnavism in Indian Art and Culture’, ‘Ellora Caves – Sculptures and Architecture’, ‘The Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore,( For Lalit Kala Akademi)’,   ‘The Arts of Ajanta – New Perspectives’,’ Creative Arts in Modern India’,  ‘The Legacy of Raja Ravi Varma – The Painter’, ‘Ellora Caves – Sculptures and Architecture’ and ‘Calligraphy and Art of Writing in Jain Manuscripts’.

 He has also presented more than 140 research based papers in various seminars across the length and breadth of the country and also written  critical essays and articles on art and history of art that stand published on various magazines and journals within the country and outside . And Ratan Parimoo is one of the pioneering art historians of post-independence India whose work is internationally known and recognised for its deep research and honesty.

 Early art historians emphasized the European tradition, celebrating its Greek and Roman origins and the ideals of academic art. By the mid-20th century, a standard narrative for “Western art” was established that traced its development from the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval Mediterranean to modern Europe and the United States. Art from the rest of the world, labeled “non-Western art,” was typically treated only marginally and from a colonialist perspective. However, the immense sociocultural changes that took place in the 20th century led art historians to amend these narratives. Accounts of Western art that once featured only white males were revised to include artists of color and women. Interest in non-Western art increased, accelerating dramatically in recent years when Asia, with its abundant art treasure emerged as the focus. This led to the development of Art History as serious subject that had power to transform lives and build understanding across cultures. The Indian art historians in this changed scenario remained broadly confined to study and decimation of ancient and mediaeval art without studying the same in global context. Ratan Parimoo is the lone scholar artist who used the European procedural framework with Indian aesthetic theories of Rasa and Alamkara for the investigation and analysis of Indian art. A deep study of Buddhist, Puranic and regional texts enabled him to interpret and conduct serious study of   Indian sculpture and painting.

Parimoo was also one of the founder members of Baroda Group and has been instrumental in molding careers and languages of many would-be artists as well as showing liberalism in art whenever needed. His training in painting and emphasis on the inter-relationship of the arts, history, theories and research made his teaching incomparable. Parimoo was one of the youngest painters to respond to the 'abstract style' of the first modernist movements of the country after independence.

.EXHIBITIONS


It would fill many pages to list all the solo or group exhibitions that he attended in India and abroad. This journey began with his joining the National Exhibition of Lalit Kala Akademi in 1955 at a young age of 19. Therafter some important exihbitions in which he participated are as under:-

(1)   1956,57,58,59 …Baroda Group of Artists Exhibitions in Bombay.

(2)   1958 …First one-man show, Srinagar.

(3)   1962 …South Asian Artists, Durham, U.K.

(4)   1964, 65 and 75 …Joint shows with wife Naina Dalal, at Bombay, Delhi and I.P.C.L., Baroda.

(5)   1972 …Retrospective Exhibition at Delhi, Rabindra Bhawan.

(6)   1975, 1976 …Alumni Exhibition, Faculty of Fine Arts, Silver Jubilee, Bombay, and Baroda.

(7)   1973, 75 …One-man shows at Bombay.

(8)   1976 …One-man show in Delhi.

(9)   1979 …One-man show in Ahmedabad.

(10)1990 … Eight Baroda Artists Exhibition, New Delhi

(11)1991-1992 …Artists Against Communalism, Delhi

(12) 1992 …Birla Akademi of Art, Calcutta, Silver Jubilee Exhibition, West Zone.

(13)1995 …Bharat Bhavan Biennale, Bhopal.1995

(14)1996 …Contemporary Indian Painting, Bombay Art Society, Bombay.

(15) 1997…Major Trends in Indian Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

(16) 1999 …Retrospective Exhibitions, Jehangir Art Gallery, Cymroza Art Gallery (Bombay).

(17) 2000 …Retrospective Exhibitions, Natarani Theatre, Ahmedabad & Welcome Hotel, Baroda.

(18) 2002 …Allahabad Museum, Allahabad. Exhibitions-Auctions of OSIAN'S, Mumbai, curated by Shri Neville Tuli

(19) 2001, February… India: The Passionate Detachment

(20) 2002, July … India in Making, 1757-1950

(21) 2002, November…    Masterpieces and Museum Quality Indian Modern and Contemporary Paintings.

(22) 2005, February… Masterpieces and Museum Quality Indian Modern and Contemporary Paintings.

(23) 2004 …Art for Vision (For Shankara Netralaya) LKA, New Delhi.

(24) 2006… Parimini Shakla, Fifty years of Ratan Parimoo's Paintings (1956-2006), Baroda, Delhi.

(25) 2008… Parimoo’s Chaurapanchashika: Iconography of A Nayika, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai.

(26) 2009 Parimoo’s Chaurapanchashika: Iconography of A Nayika, Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

(27) 2010-11… Ratan Parimoo’s Early Phase, (1956-1960), Sponsored by Marvel Gallery, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Mumbai.

(28) 2018… CONCOURSE, 9th Annual Contemporary Art Show Exhibition of Kashmiri Muslim and Pandit Artists Srinagar (Kashmir)

He has also passed on his knowledge, expertise and skills to so many young and upcoming artists through various Art Camps that he attended within the country.

 AWARDS AND HONOURS

For him, no award is greater than,’ love, respect and regard’ that he received all along his life from students, art lovers and artist community within his country. When he thinks about it, he feels satisfied and happy. However, as a recognition to his outstanding talent, many awards and honours have been conferred upon Ratan Parimoo. Some amongst these can be listed as under:-

 

(1)     Cultural Scholarship for Painting, Govt. of India 1957-59.

(2)     Commonwealth Scholarship to study in London for the years 1960-63.

(3)     First prize in Painting, Annual Exhibition, J & K. Cultural Academy in 1966

(4)      Rockefeller 3rd Grant to study and travel to USA in 1974

(5)     Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship 1991-1993.

(6)     2000 Gaurav Puraskar, Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi.

(7)     2016 Raja Ravi Varma Chitrakar Sanman award, Megh Mandal Sansthan Mumbai.

(8)     2019    ‘Rabindranath Tagore Birth Centenary Medal’ by Asiatic Society in Kolkata at 235th Annual Meet for Contribution to Human Culture (2018).

 He has also been invited as Guest Speaker in seminars within and outside the country. As Guest Speaker or on merit scholarship, he has visited Russia, Australia, France Germany, USA, UK and many other countries. His lectures in various seminars were reproduced in the shape of booklets and distributed to libraries and art institutions within the country and abroad. Specific mention needs to be made of his below lecture series:--

(1)    1980 – Radhakamal Mukherji Memorial Lecture, U.P. State Lalit Kala Akademi, Lucknow.

(2)    1983 – UGC National Lectures at Chandigarh, Santiniketan & Madurai.

(3)    1989 – Hindi Sahitya Parishad, Ahmedabad.

(4)    1990 – Somashekhar Memorial Lecture, Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad.

(5)    1999 – Abanindranath Memorial Lecture, Calcutta.

(6)  2005 – Raja Ravi Varma Death Centenary Lecture, Cochin.

 Parimoo has also been associated with many committees and institutions set up by government for promotion of art in the country. Some important assignment that he discharged with honesty, dedication and transparency could be listed as under:-

(1)                 1981-1984 – Member, Executive Board, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi.

(2)                 1982 – Member, UGC Panel Art History / Museology.

(3)                 1982-1988 – Executive Secretary, Indian Association of Art Historians.

(4)                 1985 – Member, UGC Pay Scale Revision committee.

(5)                 1987 – Member, Central Advisory Board of Museums, Govt. of India.

(6)                 1993-1995 – Member, History of Science Panel, Indian National Science Akademi, New Delhi.

(7)                 1994-1997 – Member, UGC Panel for Art History / Fine Arts.

(8)                 1998-2000 – Art Purchase Committee, NGMA, Delhi.

(9)                 2003-2005 – Programme Advisory Committee, NGMA, Mumbai.

(10)             2003- 2005 – Board of Studies, Jawahar Nehru University, New Delhi. Board of Studies, National Council of Educational Research and Teaching, New Delhi.

(11)             2011 – Authentication Committee appointed by Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, to access the exhibition of 20 fake paintings of Rabindranath Tagore held at College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata.

(12)             2012-2014 – Member, Board of Studies, School of Art and Aesthetics, JNU.

(13)             2014-2016 – Member, Acquisition Committee, NGMA, New Delhi.

(14)             2015-2020 – Chief Advisor, Textbooks in Fine Arts for class XI and Class XII, National Council of Educational Research and Training.

 He was invited to lead the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai(LD) Museum in Ahmedabad (2007-2019) where he successfully reorganised the galleries of the LD Museum, the NC Mehta Collection and published three groundbreaking collection catalogues on Jain, Rajasthani, Pahari and Mughal paintings including the Kasturbha Lalbhai collection of Indian drawings originally from the world famous Tagore family collection. They are well acclaimed examples of Catalogue Raisonne on Indian Miniature Paintings.


THE BARODA GROUP

Also known as the Baroda Group of Artists, the Baroda School is an artist group founded in 1956 by NS Bendre, comprising artists associated with the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Baroda (now Vadodara). The School marked a move away from the Revivalist inclinations of groups such as the Bengal School as well as the academic realism practised by European schools. Formation of Baroda Group of Artists was a historically significant moment for Modern Art in India. Prof N S Bendre played pivotal role in bringing a core group of artists together in 1956 for what came to be known as Baroda Group or Baroda School. Ratan Parimoo happens to be the founder member of  the Baroda Group .It was in the Bombay exhibition of this Group  that Ratan Parimoo exhibited his well known painting ‘Habba Kadal’.About the formation of Baroda Art Group in 1956, Ratan Parimoo writes this :-

 

“The first Baroda Group of Artists formed in 1956, had a great emotional significance for my career as a young painter.It was some sort of  a spontaneous announcement by the group to declare to the Modern Indian art movement ,’here we come ‘.  Our meetings with Prof N S Bendre quite often at his university flat, were occasions for discussionon on art including many inquisitive questions our young minds were puzzled about. When the first exhibition of this group was held on 21st April ,  1956, at the small gallery of Artists Aid Centre ,Rampart Row , only a small two page folder had been circulated about 13 painters and their 31 paintings .The pocket book size folder listed the following names :-

(1)    G R Santosh

(2)    Ratan Parimoo

(3)    K G Subramanyan

(4)    Prabha Dongre

(5)    Kumud Patel

(6)    Triloke Kaul

(7)    Shanti Dave

(8)    Vinay Trivedi

(9)    N S Bendre

(10) Balakrishna

(11) Jyoti Bhatt

(12) Prafful Dave

(13) Ramesh Pandya

It had briefest introduction, “ You have been meetings us individually in different exhibition all over the country .We, who stay and work in Baroda now, present herewith our recent works’.The exhibition was inaugurated by  the then famous novelist and campaigner for Modern Art, Mulk Raj Anand. The second exhibition was much larger, held in the main hall of Jahangir Art Gallery during April 1957, and inaugurated by *Walter LanghammerThe Times of India review of the first Exhibition in Bombay had hailed Prof. Bendre as the ‘moving spirit’ behind the serious though loosely termed Baroda Group. The distinguished critic Sham Lal (later editor Times of India) made his famous remark about our Bombay exhibition that some artists are ‘Bacon-ian, Braqie-ish, Gris-ly and merely Klee-ver ’. The third exhibition held at the Alliance Franchise during October 1958 was inaugurated by the then Director of USIS. The number of artists rose to 20 with inclusion of Vinod Shah, Haku Shah, Farookh Contractor, Bhupendra Desai and the two women artists, Kishori Kaul and Padmini Manerikar. Exhibitions were also organised at Ahmedabad in 1957 and in 1960 at Srinagar, J&K Akademi and at Bhavnagar. The fourth exhibition held at the Jehangir Art Gallery during 1959 comprised of the works of 29 artists with inclusion of Narendra Amin and Naina Dalal. The fifth exhibition was held in Jan 1961 at Roopa Art Gallery, Taj Mahal Hotel with inclusion of Jayant Parikh and Jeram Patel.

LOVE FOR KASHMIR

“For me, painting Kashmir more specifically its culture and life has always been satisfying. It fills the heart with a different charm and satisfaction”

While being felicitated by the J&K Academy of Art Culture and Languages, he said this:-

“No man forgets his roots; my paintings like Maej Kashir, Kashmiri Dancers, Habba Kadal, Fish Selling Women, Dal Lake, Kashmiri Family and Tongas reflect my inner emotions and nostalgia.”

Born and brought up in Habba Kadal locality of Srinagar city, Ratan Parimoo has always remained connected with his roots. In 2022, along with Gauri Parimoo Krishnan, his daughter, he visited Kashmir and went to Habba Kadal locality to see his old family house on the banks of River Jhelum. He also visited Kheer Bhawani Temple, Tulamula and Martand Sun Temple during this visit. After this visit, he read a scholarly paper, “Revisiting the Martand Sun Temple of Kashmir“at the 6th Dr Devangana Desai Endowment Lecture Series. This paper was published in research journal ‘Neelamatam’ (Vol 14, Issue No 02, April-June 2022) published from New Delhi. He has drawn innumerable nostalgic sketches portraying life in Kashmir as he saw it during his childhood and youth. Sketches like , “A Kashmiri Balloon Seller“, “ The Fish selling Women “, Lunch Time in A Kashmiri Family “ , “ Kashmiri Women Husking Paddy “, “ Maar Canal ”, “Dal Lake “,”My Mohalla ( Purshyar Ghat )”,”Kashmiri Women At River Bank”and many more became quite popular. A popular book on art written by Dr Parimoo bears Badam-wadi or Badam-Waari as its title. Badam-wari is the name of the famous almond garden near Hari Parbat in Srinagar city.This garden is a part of Kashmiri culture and life .The spring festival (with full blooming almond trees) attracts Kashmiris of all shades to this garden.

                                                     

                                                              ( Habba Kadal by Ratan Parimoo)
                                                   ( Kashmiri Women by Ratan Parimoo )
                                                         ( Fish Selling Women by Ratan Parimoo)
                                                              ( Sketch My Mohalla by Ratan Parimoo)
                                                       ( Sketch Maar Canal by Ratan Parimoo)

Having written hundreds of articles for national and international journals and delivered similar number of lectures on art and history of art, Parimoo has published more than 20 scholarly books on art and history of art . Some books written by him can be listed as under:-

1. Paintings of the three Tagores, Abanindranath, Gaganendranath, Rabindranath - Chronology and Comparative Study (Ph. D. Thesis) M.S. University of Baroda 1973
2. Studies in Modern Indian Art
3. Life of Buddha in Indian Sculpture
4. Sculptures of Sheshashayi Vishnu
5. The Pictorial World of Gaganendranath Tagore
6. Studies in Indian Sculptures
7. Studies on the Art of Raja Ravi Varma
8 Vaishnavism in Indian Art and Culture
9. Ellora Caves - Sculptures and Architecture
10. The Arts of Ajanta - New Perspectives
11. Creative Arts in Modern India
12. The Legacy of Raja Ravi Varma -
13. Historical Development of Contemporary Indian Art 1800 – 1947.

  
                                                                        
                                                  ( Monkeys by Ratan Parimoo )
                                           (  Donkeys returning Home   by Ratan Parimoo)

As sensitive human being, he was privy to suffering and sorrows of women in the traditional Kashmiri society. These women were engaged in service, sacrifice and implementation of ruthless selflessness. They had to work from 6 a m till 11 p m. All these women cooked food, washed utensils, washed clothes, did house cleaning and other allied domestic work apart from maintaining family ties .They were the first to get up from sleep and the last to sleep in their families .Even if they were unwell, they followed this routine. A set of Pherans or Sarees, a sandal and a Dejhoor given by parents was their material possession in the family. They ate last of all and quite often there was little food left for them to eat. Their worry was to provide for all except their own self. They remembered Lal Vaaks and lyrical verses of Arinmal, Habba Khatoon and Rasool Mir. Tears trickled down their eyes when they sang some Leela of Krishen Joo Razdan or Parmanand. These women remembered everyone's birthday. They remembered the Shradha of every deceased member of their family. None knew when they were born. The conjugal bliss was unknown to them. For them, married life meant service, surrender, child bearing, sacrifice, compromise and self-neglect. They had no time to think beyond these things.Add to that, these hapless women faced perpetual hostility from their mothers in law.  This was a common story of every women during those days .Remembering his mother, Ratan Parimoo   writes this:-

 

“As a kid, I have heard my mother, the grandmother, Kakien or my father’s mother, reciting “Indrakshi Namsa Deevi “every morning. I also remember as a child during the late 1940s the highly emotional chants let out by elderly  Kashmiri women  at Chakreshawer Temple, Hari Parbat “ Maejji Maejji “ and uttering ardent prayers concerning troubles plaguing  their families at that point in time. I was named as Saeba. My mother was born as Kamla however she was named as Soomavati in her in law’s house. Remembering mother is impossible without bringing in the character of the elder mother (Kakien or my father’s mother) with whom she remained entangled through her married life. Kakien would often taunt Maej (my mother) for her parent’s family, what little they gave as dowry and what training she was given as a young girl to face the responsibilities after her marriage and assuming the role of a daughter in law. The heaps of humiliation flung at her, of which I am a witness, still haunt me. But she hardly complained, nor did it show on her beautiful face. It was in Baroda that my wife Naina  (  Naina  Dalal , a well-known artist  ) and I discovered that Maej ( mother ) had developed acute diabetes . Her legs had become rickety and deformed and it was difficult for her to walk. She would also get into what doctors called diabetic coma. On many occasions, I observed that she was talking to herself in an incoherent manner.  In the monologues, she would often repeat the taunts hurled on her by Kakien, something like, “That day you shouted at me for my dull headedness. … You accused me of being slow. You abused my parents, brothers and so forth.” Those days, the 1970s, acute diabetes could be managed by insulin injections. Thus we arranged a nurse to come in the morning and in the evening to administer insulin injections it was our second opportunity to live with my parents at Baroda, but under circumstances when both of them were sick.And once again father and mother expressed their keenness to return to Srinagar and stay with my bother Bhaijan. It was in 1978 that I received the news about Maej’s death.I reached Srinagar to join the mourning as well as the post cremation rites. The lady relatives gathered in our house were heard commenting that “Maej” had met with a fortunate death.  She died before her husband and had thus escaped the humiliating status of widowhood. I could not help thinking ; perhaps a lucky death for a  woman  who otherwise was unlucky for whole of her life .She must not have been more than 60 years old .My current obsession nervously makes me aware of my guilt feelings towards my mother  ( Maej ). She died so long ago and the thought pinches me so much that I hardly did anything for her as a grown up son with a good career to boast."

 

(“Remembering Maej – The Mother” by   Ratan Parimoo……. Miraas vol. IX,)
                                                     
                              ( Ratan Parimoo inside Kheer Bhawani Temple ,   Tulamula, Kashmir  in 2022) )

Ratan Parimoo is married to Naina Dalal (born 1935), a well known artist of the country. Trained by NS Bendre and K G Subramaniam and  from 1960-63, she studied lithography from Henry Trivik at London Poly-technique . In 1974, she also studied etching under Margot Love-Joy at Pratt Graphic Centre, New York. Her works are in private and public collections in India and abroad including eminent art collectors like Pheroza Godrej, Mumbai, Saryu Doshi, Mumbai, David and Penelope Dell, USA, Larsen and Toubro, New Delhi, IPCL/Reliance, Vadodara, Air India, Mumbai,  National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, USA, Museum of Oriental Art, UK, Museum of Indian Art, Berlin, Germany, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK and The Hermitage, Leningrad, Russia, Indian High Commission, Singapore, and Singapore Art Museum. She has  exhibited in several solo and group shows , Biennale at Bhopal ,Jammu ,Damascus, Pondicherry , Oakland , New York , Baroda and many other cities within the country and abroad .

Gauri Parimoo Krishnan, daughter of Ratan Parimoo, is a well known art historian and curator. She has authored more than 6 books on art and art history out of which two books cover works of Ratan Parimoo and Neena Dalal, her father and mother respectively. She has been honoured by Govt of Singapore for her role as curator of 'The Asian Civilizations Museum'.  About influence of her parents, Gauri Parimoo Krishnan adds:

“My parents believe in creativity and they have never shied away from following their artistic calling and not be dictated by external forces. They are gentle but resolute, I guess I have followed in their footsteps somehow. “

                                     
                                         
                               
                               ( Ratan Parimoo with his wife and noted  artist Naina Dalal  )

                                                                             
                            ( 'Maa Mujhe Jeene  Do' or Mother allow me to Live ...A Painting by  Naina Dalal  )



About Habba Kadal locality of Srinagar, he sent a beautiful write -up to this author which is reproduced hereunder:-

I remember having been told that the name of our bridge was after Habba Khatoon, supposed to be the name of Yusuf Shah Chak’s queen. We may geographically identify east and west banks of Vitasta River and upstream (heri) and downstream (bona) localities.  Importantly, the white masjid (Agha Hamam Mosque) side in the photograph uploaded by you is east side. Habba Kadal Bridge is located Soomayar yarbal (of course, Kashmiri word for ghat).Coming from west side the broad steps of the ghat were located on the right hand side of the bridge. The building on this side on the main road housed a post office on the ground floor and first floor was the office of what was perhaps called Yuvak Sabha. This spot became the venue of significant events during the year 1948, soon after Pakistani Kabaili raid a few months earlier. The climax of the invasion was when we in Srinagar had prepared one ‘phutuj’ per person to run away as the barbaric invaders had reached outskirts of our city according to my worried father’s instructions one unfortunate winter morning. (I was eleven and half year old). Later, we heard about the arrival of Indian army and air force, etc. In order to maintain the spirit of courage and keep the panic under control, the Kashmiri Pandit Yuvak Sabha office bearers became active and putting up loud-speakers on the first floor veranda, in the manner of All India Radio, daily news was boldly broad-cast every evening. Detailed information was given of how the invaders have been pushed back including the decision of cease-fire etc. ordered by the United Nations. I remember thousands of us, both older people and youngsters would eagerly assemble, full of hope and relief. I was accompanied by my brother Girdhari Lal two years older to me (whose son is the T.V. and theater actor, Lalit Parimoo). What is important, strangely, most people did not realize at that point in time, was how the communal harmony remained undisturbed almost persistently. Many of the Pandit names you have listed began their activism at that stage. I recall names like (as they were spoken) Krishna Hokh, Tika Tapyul, etc. (subject to confirmation). Now with reference to ‘heri’ and ‘bona’, (upstream and downstream) localities, Ganpatyar, was the ‘heri’ side, almost the uppermost limit of Pandit population), nearer to the first bridge, Amira Kadal. Ganpatyar was a sacred spot where was located the Ganesh icon especially worshipped by most Pandits during the Ganesh Chaturthi to Chaturdashi period. Habba Kadal, the 2nd bridge, was like the middle area, so that the lower most limit was Raghunath Mandir Ghat, which was nearer to Fateh Kadal (third bridge). The well-known Church Mission Society School was located between Raghunath Mandir and Fateh Kadal, where I was a student between 1946 and 1950 and wherefrom I completed my matriculation. At that time, Master Samsarchand Kaul (Geography) and Ishwar Kaul (Mathematics) were senior teachers. I was their favourite who selected me ‘all round best boy’ in the final year. The west side of Habba Kadal that is opposite side of the Agha Hamam Masjid was located Purshayar Yarbal. My house was located in the nearest lane, unofficially known as Parim Kocha. A cluster of more than half a dozen houses were occupied by Parimoo families. (Later we, children, came to know that there were Parimoo families in Rainawari also). Prominent among Purshayar Parimoos was my father Dr Amarnath Parimoo, who became a popular doctor, practicing at Habba Kadal between 1946 and 1965 and known by abbreviated name Amba Parim. (In Kashmiri language, Amarnath is pronounced as Ambarnath that is how my grandmother, Kakini, also addressed him). Muslim patients also had great faith in him referring him as Ama Parim (Ama is a Muslim name). They claimed that Amaparim has ‘shafa’ in his hands. A medical shop owner, Madhusudan, had hired a first floor hall of a small building at the western edge of the Habba Kadal bridge adjacent to Purshayar, which was used as Dr Amarnath Parimoo’s clinic. Long queues of patients were formed at the footpath below this clinic. His consultation fee was a small amount. Some years later Gopinath Parimoo, from among our immediate neighbours, also started a medicine shop nearby, to cater to the expanding number of patients. He was not a qualified doctor. On the other hand he was known to be close to some of the Muslim leaders of the National Conference. (Shiekh Abdullah’s party). Here it may be mentioned that during those years, besides active National Conference members, there were also active members of Communist Party as well as RSS (Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh) cadre. As a schoolboy those days, I have witnessed Muslim members of National Conference physically beating Pandit men working for RSS, even outsides their own homes.

On one side of Purshayar Yarbal was located a temple. The Ghat of this temple was filled with Pandits reciting Gayatri Mantra and performing ritual bath. The sunrise took place from the opposite riverbank, i.e., east side, so that everyone having a dip in the river would be facing this side. The children also followed this practice. The prominent issue of Kashmir problem was a burning issue among the adult Pandits, nick-named Bhatta – Gazette. Almost every Pandit blamed Jawa Nohr (Jawaharlal Nehru) for his unpardonable blunder. We had been told that Purshayar Yarbal was the most important Ghat after Ganpatyar right upto Fateh Kadal. However, no particular Hindu festival was ritually performed here. I remember, 10th and 12th day after-death rituals were performed at the Ghat after my father’s death in 1980. Purshayar was recognised Ghat for distribution of Government Ration Scheme, i.e.Dhanya (rice-grain or Shali). Purshayar, Habba Kadal became the postal address of my father and many other families in the vicinity of the Ghat and the temple. A row of shops (baazar) was in the lane along the temple compound, which included the famous Masala and Kiriyana shop of Prasad Kaul. Further down the baazar was a butcher shop where the Pandits would invariably halt after completing Puja at the temple. I was often assigned to buy mutton for my home at this shop. Some of the adult men would continue reciting Sanskrit Shlokas while the meat ordered by them was being cut by the butcher.From Habba Kadal, during those days, many Pandit and Panditani devotees walked early in the morning for as much as two hours to carry out the Parikrama (circumambulation) of Hari Parbat. Even though the route was via Muslim residential areas, the whole circuit was completed without any untoward incidents. My mother would often quite confidently take the river route to go to her parent’s / brother’s house, hiring a Shikara (Naav driven by a Muslim ‘haenz’, boatman) from Purshayar to Zaina Kadal and walk towards Maharaj Ganj. Occasionally when I accompanied her, I remember the Boatwala would stop the Naav near the ‘Kaeli hoond’, if we wish to offer Puja at the spot marked by Sindoor on the river side wall of Khanakah Maula (Shahamadan) located on east side of Vitasta between Fateh Kadal and Zaina Kadal. Going to Zaina Kadal was ‘bon vasun’ (descending) and returning to Habba Kadal was‘hyor khasun’ (ascending). So was going toward Ganpatyar and Amira Kadal. Most government offices were located on this side of Srinagar city. So, attending office was ascending to the office. Within Purshayar area were also located the homes of Dinanath Bhan ,Senior Journalist of Indian Express, father of Pankaj Bhan, editor MIRAAS, Chaman Lal Sapru (scholar of Hindi literature), and Motilal Kaul. The latter became prestigeous professor of English literature at Chandigarh. Due to his dark complexion, he was known by the nickname, ‘Mooti negative’. The hinterland of Purshyar area was known as Potbaazar, where lived my relative Trilokinath Vaishnavi, who wrote dramas and songs, now an obscure figure. (father of Shekhar Vaishnavi of Delhi). Trilokinath was given a chance to sing his songs during the interval period at the dramas staged at Sheetalnath. On the opposite side of Habba Kadal, that is the Masjid side, a lane alongside it was called Barbuzya Kocha. If one walked and passed some distance, one would locate the house of Pushkar Bhan, the playwnight of Machama and Zoona Dab. Kishori Kaul’s (the Kashmiri woman artist) home was a few houses before Ganpatyar (upstream from Habba Kadal).

As kids of C.M.S. School, Fateh Kadal, we would cross the Habba Kadal bridge and walk via Sathoo Barbar Shah, pass by Sheetalnath, then along S.P. College campus reach the play grounds of Hedow Memorial School, where sports and games tournaments were held several times during a year for all the C.M.S. Schools of the Valley. I took the same route to attend 1st year classes at S.P. College during 1950-51, where I met Shashishekhar Toshakhani. (His father was professor of Philosophy). During those days, the most exciting news was recitation of Madhu Shala by Harivansh Rai Bacchan at a private house along the Sathoo road. And of course the many dramatic performances being held at Sheetalnath, were very stimulating. It was one of the centres of social and cultural awakening among the members of the Pandit community during those days.

The earlier mentioned Soomayar Ghat situated diagonally opposite Purshayar (across Vitasta) and located on the east side of the bridge, was the venue of the annual Soomavati Amavasya festival, when married Pandit women would take ritual bath in the Vitasta river, for which a huge Shamiyana was set up under the east side of the bridge to provide privacy. Diametrically opposite this Ghat on the west side of the river, was a Ghat used by Muslims and nearby stood a Masjid, called Rishi Saebun. It was constructed in the traditional design of wooden architecture similar to the roofs of Shahamadan. Again, on our side of Habba Kadal but upstream were the houses of social reformer and musician Pandit Ved Lal Dhar Vakil (nickname Veda Vakil, whose son, Vish Pran Dhar was my schoolmate) and Motilal Kemu (theatre person). My elder brother Girdharilal and I were childhood buddies of Motilal Kemu. Nearer to Kani Kadal was the house of Triloke Kaul (painter). As a social reformer, I presume Ved Lal Dhar Vakil was also associated with the idea of Kahmiri Pandit ladies adjusting to Indian Saree as the routine dress replacing the traditional Kashmiri Pheran and Taranga.This movement was started by Pandit Kashyap Bandhu, a social reformer. In early 1948, when the Yagnyopavit ceremony of we three brothers was arranged during the peak season of emergency marraiges of girls (simultaneously with the Kabaili raid), in an old photograph, my mother is clad in Saree whereas my grandmother and other elderly ladies are dressed in the traditional Pheran and Taranga.

                                                        Going back from Purshyar side to the east side, i.e. the white Masjid side of Habba Kadal, and walking on way downstream towards Fateh Kadal, one passed by Chinkral Mohalla, where existed the house of the painter, Ghulam Rasool Santosh. Further down was Bana Mohalla, a dense residential area of Pandit families. My relative Upendra Ambardar’s ancestral home was there. My father Dr Amarnath Parimoo’s mother’s (my grandmother Siddha Lakshmi) parental home was also in this locality. She used to worship the photograph of her father, Swami Kailas Kaul, who was known as an accomplished Yogi.Strangely, my father was usually reticent about him. I am for the first time mentioning this saintly name, but we never met his close relatives or a Shishya/ follower. Perhaps this announcement may attract some one’s attention.”


THE ART OF RATAN PARIMOO


Known as a post-World War II art movement, Abstract Expressionism was the first exclusively American genre of painting to reach worldwide influence. Forming in the 1940s in New York City, Abstract Expressionism artists helped turn the city into the new Western centre of the art world, which effectively went on to replace Paris. 

Abstract Expressionism was characteristically denoted by the great dedication to self-expression that artists communicated via their paintings. Emotions were evoked through gestural strokes and marks that were spontaneous and colorful in nature. These experimental techniques led Abstract Expressionism artists towards the development of action painting and colour field painting, as great areas of bright and pure colours were customarily used. Having been exposed to the work of artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko, Willhelm De Kooning, Lee Krasner, Norman Lewis and Joan Mitchell , Ratan  Parimoo was certainly  influenced by the new wave in  art known as Abstract Expressionism ; Abstract Expressionism ; he, however  found wide scope in this  new genre for  expressing  native subjects .  And looking at the history of Modern Art in our country, one can safely put Ratan Parimoo amongst the pioneers of Abstract Expressionism in India.

A careful look at Ratan Parimoo’s work reveals the influence of Willem De Kooning (1904-1997), the well-known Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist. The presence of geometric or biomorphic shapes and strong colours that give vent to raw emotions remained hallmark of his abstract expressionism. One can safely say that Parimoo’s fingers were correctly positioned to feel the pulse of Modern Abstract Expressionism that he almost pioneered in India. This form he adopted at a time when most of his contemporaries were preoccupied with figurative art. The skill in him made something impossible in this field. And he is the only artist who retained native sensibilities while dealing with form and colours .By mixing eloquent action painting procedures with his meticulous goal of perfection, Parimoo’s artworks were known for their superb originality and great intensity of feelings. As artist, Parimoo has managed to stitch on his canvas the contemporary aesthetic ideas with the rich Indian artistic heritage.  For him, human form is not a priority to work upon .He worked on fusing key elements of Cubism, Surrealism, and Expressionism within his works.

Sometime one feels that Parimoo’s work fully embodies the definition of Action Painting, as it appears to be a result of the encounter that occurred between himself and his materials. He is not bothered about marketing his work or even exhibiting it when he paints .That makes his work truthful, raw and honest.That is the reason for his paintings like, “The Vegetable Vendor “,”Kashmiri Tonga “,Monkeys “,”Donkeys returning Home”, “ Donkeys on The Hill “, “Habba Kadal “, “Kashmiri Folk Dance“, “Harni Mela “, Kashmiri Women Husking Paddy “ and many more becoming popular and  well notices in the art circles .

Some prominent  creations of Parimoo include-- Woman with Matka, oil on board (Exhibited, National Exhibition of Art, LKA, New Delhi); Habba Kadal, oil on board, 1957 (Exhibited, Baroda Group of Artists, Mumbai); Lotus Valley, digital print (original with Air India, oil on board); Baroda Station I, oil on board; Marriage Procession, oil on canvas; Baroda Station II, oil on canvas; Still life with Kashmiri objects, oil on canvas; Kashmiri Family, oil on canvas; Rice Fields, oil on canvas; Kingdom of Cards, oil on canvas; Dal Lake, oil on canvas; Baroda Station III, oil on canvas; Baroda Zoo, oil on canvas; Tongas, oil on board; Composition (Scarlet Pearls), oil, sand, encaustic on board; Composition, encaustic on canvas; Bio-morphic Forms, oil on canvas; Fear, Despair, Death (Fear: Dragon's Visit), oil on canvas; Self Portrait as Icarus Transformed, oil on canvas; Sea of Eyes, oil on canvas; Dromedary as Nemesis, oil on canvas; Dromedary as Nemesis, oil on canvas; Penumbra, oil on canvas; Road of Nirvana, oil on canvas; Water Buffaloes, oil on canvas; Dance of Death II, oil on canvas; Mahishasuramardini, oil on canvas; Encounter with Nothingness, oil on canvas. 

                                                                         
                                            
                                                          ( Vegetable Market by Ratan Parimoo)
                                                             ( Harni Mela by Ratan Parimoo)

                                                         ( Chabutara by Ratan Parimoo)

( At Baroda with G R Santosh, Triloke Kaul and other artists )     
( At Baroda with G R Santosh, Triloke Kaul and other artists )
( Untitled   by Ratan Parimoo )
( The Labourers by Ratan Parimoo) 
(The Grass Cutters by Ratan Parimoo)

                                                                                    
(Death’s Arena, Self Portrait Under Banyan Tree 1972 by Ratan Parimoo…Photo Source…Gauri Krishnan Parimoo)

 Some prominent paintings of 1970s done by Parimoo could be listed as,’Sea Of Eyes’, ‘Self Portrait with Sea Monster’, Self Portrait As Icarus Transformed‘,’Self Portrait As Wingless Pegasus’, ‘Dromedary As Nemesis’, ‘Road To Nirvana ‘, ‘Mahishasurmardini‘. ’Little bird and the big Bicycle‘, ‘Dance of Death’, ‘Collage on Whiteley’s Carrybag’ and many more while 1960s remained a period of his experimentation with pure abstracts.


PARIMOO’S CHAURAPANCHASHIKA: ICONOGRAPHY OF A NAYIKA

                                                                                                  

In a group of paintings exhibited in 2008 at the Jahangir Art Gallery in Mumbai, Ratan Parimoo unveiled Aishwarya Rai, the beautiful actress in various thesmes and variations as Nayika in the Indian tradition. The theme of “Parimoo's Chaurapanchashika: Iconography of a Nayika”, represented Parimoo’s adaptation  of Leonardo da Vinci's Monalisa  to view Aishwarya Rai as the the archetypal female who could also be compared metaphorically with well-known or familiar female characters from both European Art History and Indian Art History. Thus there was the juxtaposition with the image of Venus, of Apsara, of Radha, and also the personages of the paintings of the famous painter of of Kerala, Raja Ravi Varma, such as his Saraswati and portrait of Maharani. In this group, there are paintings wherein the   artist shows himself gazing at Aishwarya Rai painted as Mona Lisa or Nayika in variations. About this series that was seen by thousands of art connoisseurs, Ratan Parimoo says this:-

 “While replacing Mona Lisa’s face with that of Aishwarya Rai, another train of thoughts was triggered in my mind . Aishwarya is an acknowledged beauty. Aishwarya could be placed in the role of different women characters in famous paintings. The comparisons that occurred to me were Aishwarya as Botticelli’s Venus (Italian Rennaissance painting), Aishwarya as Venus de Melos (the proverbial Greek Aphrodite). The Indian comparisons also kept emerging , Aishwarya as Banithani of Kishangarh, Aishwarya as the awaiting Nayika ( Radha ) of Kangra paintings , Aishwarya as Khajurahu Apsara , Aishwarya as Raja Ravi Verma’s Sarasvati and so forth.”


The creations  of Ratan Parimoo decorate places like-- Hermitage, Leningrad, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Punjab University, Chandigarh, Air India, Mumbai, Shyamal Builders, Vadodara, Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi, Ahmedabad, Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi, Madhavan Nair Foundation, Cochin, Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai, Welcome Group of Hotel, Vadodara, J&K Academy of art , Culture and Languages ( Srinagar )   and are in possession of  many private collectors within the country and outside .Parimoo’s work commands excellent price in the art market. Many leading art auctioneers sell his work to buyers  within the country or located in various cities and towns  the world over .His work,” Untitled (Rice Fields in Kashmir) oil on canvas” was listed by Christie’s for sale .Again his painting,’ Donkeys On The Hill’ was put for an auction of 11.50 lakh by a leading art trading house  .

About Ratan Parimoo’s art, noted art critic Keshav Malik writes this:-

 “An artist’s function is not to lead the people out of the confusion in which they find themselves, nor is it to comfort them. His true function is to make his imagination their’s .This Painter too fulfills himself only as he sees his imagination beome a light in the minds of others .Parimoo does this well, and with him we recognise the strains or complexities in being human.”

 About Parimoo’s use of schemata and other techniques in drawing to exude spontaneity, well-known art critic Shivaji Panikker writes this:-

“Parimoo’s images have sophisticated classical quality, rather than naïve or primitive modes of stylization. They are hardly ever random, or graffiti like sketches, their definitive drawn quality comparable to calligraphic scribbles. Schemata, logically meant as a method and a result of wanting to capture it all, an anti illusionistic strategy. One of the first painting in this style was “Habba kadal, A View of My Childhood Locality (Mohalla)”, which enabled the artist to transverse the space in imagination .A painting such as “The Lotus Valley (1957) “, uses linearity, two dimensionality and isometric views with gay abandon and has profusely textured surface.The use of multiple perspective is functional, enabling the maping of the topography. Attempt in representation of life, whether a topographical view or an interior space is always with a sense of editing and addition.Writing his meomories of a Kashmiri childhood, Parimoo says” Thus virtually I have walked, run, swam and rowed through the topography drawn in the painting”.

 

This is what Gauri Parimoo Krishnan writes in the research journal Neelamatam (Issue 03-Volume 14- July –September 2023):-

 “ Seven decades ago Parimoo’s  creativity was fired by modernity as he entered the art school and joined the art scene in post independence India armed with modern art training .After studying masters such as Picasso, Matisse ,Kandinsky ,Degas , Magritte ,Gaugin and others , his passion for exploration of some key post impressionist styles can be seen in his evolution as a painter with an authentically personal style wholly his own.He was deeply inspired by Jain and Rajput miniature paintings ,Egyptian and Near Eastern art for their formalism and voraciously sketched realistic sculptural forms based on many monuments of ancient India such as Khajuraho,Ajanta ,Ellora and others .His artistic journey begins by exploring colour , line , form and linearity , slowly shifting his attention to pure abstraction . It is little-known fact that Parimoo was one of the earliest artists to explore conceptual abstraction in early 1950s in India. The last phase of Parimoo’s works is inspired by his psychoanalytical approach to conjuring images from his intellectual pursuits where he gave free reign to his imagination while exploring uniquely personal and curiously fascinating hybrid imageries ."

  Chaitya Dhanvi Shah has compiled a book on Ratan Parimoo. Titled, ‘The Conductor – A Symphony of Expressions and Colours',  the book compares art historian Ratan Parimoo to the conductor of a symphony and illustrates how he expresses his feelings through colours and brush strokes on the medium. The book gives an insight into Parimoo's life, his thought process, and also showcases 120+ artworks by the artist that have been collectively documented for the first time ever. This book is a tribute to Ratan Parimoo's courage as a painter, teacher, author, art historian, museum director, surveyor, a supportive husband and a devoted father.

 For being truthful, honest and bold, he may have been sidelined by the establishment. One fails to understand what more qualification and contribution is required to earn a Padma award which remains long overdue to him. Let me conclude this write-up with some lines from a poem of Nikola Vaptsarov , the well known poet from Bulgaria :-

 

‘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.

 

(Avtar Mota)

 

FOOTNOTE

Walter Langhammer, born in 1905 in the Austrian city of Graz, is considered one of the founding fathers of the most famous of India’s schools of modern oil painting, the “Bombay Progressives.” Founded after the partition of India in 1947, this group of young Indian artists had sought out Langhammer’s tutelage and drawn inspiration from the traditions of European oil painting to establish an independent artistic identity.When Langhammer fled for Bombay (known today as Mumbai) after the National Socialist annexation of Austria in 1938, he was already well-established as an artist. Among his teachers at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts had been Ferdinand Andri, Hans Tichy, and Josef Jungwirth. Unlike his wife Kathe Urbach, Langhammer was not Jewish, but his political leanings, which occasionally found expression in the form of caricatures, were decidedly anti-Nazi. An Indian former student of Langhammers in Vienna, Shirin Vimadala, urged the couple to move to India and convinced the publisher of the Times of India to offer Langhammer a job as the paper’s first art director.. The Langhammers built a studio in their apartment and accommodated young Indian artists who sought a place to work. On Sundays, Walter and Kathe hosted a salon for artists and intellectuals in their home. Together with Rudolf von Leyden and Emmanuel Schlesinger, Langhammer helped introduce a generation of artists to an aesthetic that was fundamentally different from that of the Royal Academy of Art, which controlled art education in Indian schools. The salons discussed the work of Picasso and other modern European artists. Sayed Haider Raza, Langhammer’s protégé and a key figure among the Progressives, recalled how Langhammer critiqued his work and introduced him to the work of European artists like Raphael, El Greco, Monet, and Cézanne as well as Persian and Indian Rajput miniature painting. Raza credited Langhammer with helping him develop an awareness of form through the analysis of paintings. “You have to practically dissect the paintings,” Raza recalled Langhammer saying. “You must be able to say exactly what differentiates a Matisse from a Picasso or a Monet from a Cézanne.”By sharing his own artistic training as well as his relative wealth, Langhammer nurtured the young artists that would go on to form the Progressive Artists Group. He also helped his students make connections with European émigré intellectuals, industrialists, and physicians who became early patrons or champions of the Progressives, including the Times of India art critic Rudolf von Leyden. Sayed Haider Raza speaks fondly of Langhammer in his autobiography. Following his patronage Raza became close to Langhammer and was given his studio.’ You can use my studio during the day,’ said Langhammer who became his mentor. Raza would paint during the day and show him his works during evening. In 1947 Raza joined JJ School of Art and had enough money to pay for his education. When Raza left for Paris Langhammer gave him his overcoat and a pair of shoes. Langhammer was indeed more than a mentor, a veritable Samaritan to the Progressives. As his health declined, Walter returned with Käthe to Europe in early 60s, where he died in 1977 at the age of 72.


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CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
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