REMEMBERING STALWART SCULPTOR VIDYA RATAN KHAJURIA

                                                                  

                                                                                   

                                                         ( Bawa Jitto sculpture near Katra)

                                                                       ( After winning an award.New Delhi 1978)

VIDYA RATAN KHAJURIA...(1934-1990)..LET US NOT FORGET HIM......

5th December proved important in his life. He was born and died on this day and date. Hailing from village Gurah Slathia (Near Vijaypur Jammu), a village that produced stalwart modern Dogri poet Kehri Singh Madhukar, Vidya Ratan did his graduation in geology from Jammu. A childhood interest in sculpture and painting drove him to MS University, Baroda where he did another graduation in fine arts. His teacher at Baroda was Sankho Chaudhury, the renowned sculptor of the country.

Amrit Lal Sharma (Khajuria), father of Vidya Ratan had been a Subedar in the Maharaja’s army that saw action in the Second World War. His mother Atma Devi belonged to a wealthy Zaildar family from Arnia.  His Younger brother Janak Khajuria is a well-known Dogri theatre artist of Jammu. Vidya Ratan’s uncle Pandit Ram Lal Sharma (Khajuria) was also a well-known artist in Jammu. From childhood, Vidya Ratan was fond of hunting ( Shikaar ), good clothes and good food. As he turned 18, his father purchased a gun for his hunting and the cartridges for the same would come to him from Chennai ( Madras at that time ). 

 

The information about V R Khajuria at Shodhganga reads this:-

 “In the 1950’s Apurab Somnath decided to hold the Industrial Exhibition in Parade Ground. At that time there used to be numerous stalls in the exhibition, but one of the stalls was kept reserved for artists so that they could display their paintings. In this industrial exhibition there were also the paintings of Kashmiri artists, which was a main attraction for the public. One of the visitors to the exhibition was V.R.Khajuria. In 1950s. V.R.Khajuria used to do watercolours and portraits etc. But in 1953 when he went to Kashmir as a Govt. employee in the Agricultural department, he came into contact with artist Nissar and G.R.Santosh, who were connected with the people who had initiated a modern movement viz. S.N.Bhat, and Triloke Kaul. The above two wereunder the tutelage of Bhatt and Triloke Kaul, V.R.Khajuria was highly inspired by his interaction with Sh. Santosh and Nissar. During that period Khajuria did commissioned work at Premier Hotel, Kashmir, which was in tune with the modern style. In the year 1957, a spring festival was held in Kashmir in which Khajuria and a few artists from Kashmir participated. This exhibition had a great effect on Khajuria and this moment was a beginning towards modernism. Khajuria wanted to go to Baroda because that was the place where he could learn something away from traditionalism. He did not want to confine himself to water colours and portraits, but he remained in contact with Santosh and Kaul. Khajuria went to Baroda in 1960’s and there he was a student of Sankho Choudhary. There he got his degree of BFA in sculpture. He was known as the key modern sculptor of Jammu province."

 

He inspired and trained so many students at the Institute of Music And Fine Arts Jammu. He was also posted at Srinagar where so many students received training from him. He served as H.O.D Department of Sculpture at the Institute of Music and  Fine Arts, Jammu.

Late Gobind Kaur, a talented sculptor of the state was his student. So is the well-known sculptor Ravinder Jamwal. Ganesh Kumar Sharma is another sculptor trained by him. Ganesh Sharma and Ravindra Jamwal are now being recognised as sculptors on the national scene.

 

                                             

                    ( Left ..VR Khajuria .. Mumbai Exhibition. Photo Source..Sculptor  Ganesh Sharma)

So many awards. So many prizes. More than 200 sculptures on display at various museums and galleries in India and abroad or with private collectors. In india, these are prominently displayed at National Art Gallery Of Modern Art, Lalit Kala Akademi,New Delhi and Government Museum Chandhigarh etc. He was the first sculptor who used Sheesham wood and black  marble from Kashmir as his medium .

An imposing 18-foot sculpture of Baba Jitto Near Katra (Vaishno Devi) has been done by him.The tall and monumental statue of Bawa Jitto looks synonymous with   Kumarjeeva's ( Mahayana Buddhist teacher from Kashmir ) statue in front of the Kizil caves in  Kuqa valley of China .

Apart from being a member of the General Council of Lalit Kala Akademi, he was a member of so many committees and groups working for the development of Art in our state and the country.

His support to Sansar Chand Baru in setting up the Dogra Art Gallery is monumental. 

                                          

                                                              Photo source.. Ganesh Sharma sculptor ,Jammu)

Vidya Ratan loved Kashmir. He remained in Kashmir for some years as faculty at the IMFA. He painted some exceptionally beautiful Kashmir landscapes. People still remember his Kashmir watercolours. He also did some portraits including the famous portrait of the son of the then Governor Bhagwan Sahay. The Kashmir watercolour landscapes done by him were procured by people like G M Sadiq, Pandit Trilochan Datt, Dr Tahir Mirza, Dr Girija Dhar and many more individuals. Among the plentiful admirers of his work, one can include artists like Sansar Chand Baru, Triloke Kaul, P N Kachru, S N Butt, G R Santosh, Nissar Aziz, A R John and Gokul Dembi. Dr Karan Singh and Santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma have been great admirers of his work.The noted composer T K Jalali, playwright Ali Mohammad Lone and broadcaster Qaiser Qalandhar can also be included in the long list of admirers of his work. A self-portrait done in 1969 is also worth mentioning. I saw this portrait in the house of his son Kanchan Kumar Khajuria. He admired Bansi Parimu's art who happened to be his close friend. When Vidya Ratan died, Parimu wrote an emotional tribute to the great artist and sculptor that was published by the Kashmir Times newspaper in 1990 .In 1991, Parimu followed him to his heavenly abode. Both died young. Both had much to do.

                                             

                                                                 (Self-portrait 1969 )

                                                             ( Kashmir watercolour )

                                                               ( Kashmir watercolour )

                                                               ( Kashmir watercolour )

                                                                                               

( Kashmir watercolour )

About V R Khajuria, Lalit Gupta (noted art historian and writer)   said this:-

 “VR Khajuria was a phenomenon. He challenged social norms, broke conventions and trodden on uncharted paths. A hunter with a keen sense of observation of nature and surroundings, he took to the calling of his heart which ultimately etched his name on the firmament of Indian modern art. A convivial host, he attracted young and old. His house was always open to artists, especially the outside artists who came to attend art camps organized by J&K Cultural Academy or visited and passed by Jammu. After a hard day of stone carving, his students and guest artists eagerly awaited the evening soirees at his Jammu residence. Here the conversations often ranged from Khajuria’s take on the aesthetics of modern Indian art and its contemporary master artists, many of whom were his personal friends.

VR Khajuria played a significant part in Jammu’s cultural renaissance. From writing books on Jammu’s art and architectural heritage, designing sets for the Dogri dramas and embellishing public spaces with his creative sculptures. As a sculpture teacher at IMFAs of Jammu and Srinagar, he mentored numerous students many of whom went on to achieve national and international acclaim as sculptors. As a fitting tribute to the great modern artist, the Jammu Municipal Council needs to implement its previous decision to name Gandhinagar’s Apsara Road in his honour. “

The noted vocalist and a former principal of IMFA Jammu / Srinagar, Pandit T K Jalali said this about V R Khajuria:-

“Vidya Ratan Khajuria was a wonderful colleague, a phenomenal sculptor and a brilliant teacher. He worked under me in both the institutes at Jammu and Srinagar and endeared himself to everybody around in the field of art with his liberal and progressive outlook. A worthy student of the eminent sculptor Shankho Chaudhury, he was the father of sculpture training in Jammu where he trained a bunch of dedicated sculptors under his tutelage and watchful eye. I considered myself fortunate to have him head the sculpture department at IMFA during my tenure as head of the Institute. A warm-hearted individual, he was also a great human being.”

 The noted sculptor Ganesh Kumar Sharma said this about V R Khajuria, his teacher at IMFA Jammu:-

 “I am fortunate enough that I learnt sculpture from none other than the great master Vidya Ratan Khajuria. He was a painter, sculptor and lover of every type of fine art including poetry. To his students, he imparted the finest sculpture techniques that he had learnt at Baroda from Sankho Chaudhury, the doyen of sculpture. Khajuria Ji could work on stone, wood, metal and any other medium. And he had a heart of gold; always ready to help and transfer knowledge. In his early death, we lost a great teacher and an exceptionally talented sculptor and above all a great human being. Many leading sculptors in our state have been his students. To me, he had gifted some sketches/drawings.I hold them as extremely precious possessions.”

I was told by many artists in the UT that V R Khajuria was the only person in the artistic fraternity who could wield his pen, brush, chisel and hammer with equal ease. In 1990, he submitted an exhaustive report titled,’ Survey And Documentation of Contemporary Art in J&K State’ .This survey was a project entrusted to him by the Lalit Kala Akademi and it covered almost all the major artists of the state including G R Santosh, Bushen Kaul, Gokul Dembi, Gayoor Hassan, A R John, Bansi Parimu and many more. He was a writer as well. V R Khajuria's book in Dogri titled 'Sanbhal uss Kaley di' (Preserving our past) is the only book of its kind in Dogri.

He was associated with many committees and bodies connected with fine arts within the UT and outside. Some prominent names in this category are:-

(a)    Member, General Council of Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

(b)    Senior Fellow Ministry of Culture, GOI.

(c)     Director ,Survey and Documentation, J&K

(d)    Member Sub-committee, J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages 

V R Khajuria's book in Dogri titled 'Sanbhal uss Kaley di' (Preserving our past) is the only book of its kind in Dogri. He also wrote below listed two books:-

(      (1)Art Heritage of Dogras

      (2)Art Heritage of Jammu 

To his friends, Vidya Ratan would often sing Kehri Singh Madhukar's Dogri song that conveys the intense need for friends, well-wishers and communication in life.

' Keep visiting. Keep meeting. These breaths are unreliable. This life is not to be taken for granted. We nourish hopes. We have desires. '

"Aoundhe jandhe raina,
mildhey gildhey raina
Iney sahain da ke parbhasa jindey
Asain laggi de raini hai asha jindey
Aoundhe jandhe raina,
mildhey gildhey raina"

(Avtar Mota)

PS

Unless the source has been mentioned otherwise, all the photographs have been provided by Kanchan Kumar Khajuria son of V R Khajuria.

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