Embellishing the Constitution of India

Nandalal Bose (1882-1966) is one of the Nine Gems of Indian Art (the list was given final shape in the 1970s), whose works are considered national treasures and therefore, cannot be taken out of the country, though those can be bought and sold. The other eight are: Raja Ravi Varma, Amrita Sher-Gil, Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Nicholas Roerich and Sailoz Mookherjea. The list is highly debatable, not for those included in it, but more for those excluded from it (and best dealt with on another platform)

Hailing from Munger in Bihar, Nandalal Bose came to Calcutta at the age of 15. He enrolled at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, where he was groomed by Abanindranath Tagore; the latter was the pioneer of the Bengal 'school' of art that discarded European academic realism taught at art schools and sought inspiration from ancient Indian art of the Ajanta caves and Japanese art. Close continued association with the Tagore family imbued a young Bose with nationalistic ideals and a special empathy for the country's folk and tribal arts — elements that would inspire his art and figure liberally in his renditions. The artwork in the Constitution, thus, is as distinctly Indian as it should have been

January 26 in India is one of the significant national days, whose primary importance - to celebrate the foundation of India as a thriving, all-embracing republic that it has become over the decades - is perhaps, getting more seminal with each passing year. Not many of us realise how fortunate we are to be the citizens of a free country; not many of us would, perhaps, realise ever, because we start valuing freedom only once we lose it, or when we get a taste of its loss for a short period of time. For many in India, the imposition of Emergency is already a distant memory, and the British rule much further back in time to have any direct bearing on our contemporary life. Well, that story is part of another realm.

However, January 26, in the world of art, is a reminder of how one of India's most important artists, Nandalal Bose, is inextricably linked to the Republic Day. Those who care to know are aware that the intricate drawings on the pages of the original copy of the Constitution of India were made by Nandalal Bose and his students at Santiniketan, with calligraphy by Prem Behari Narain Raizada. But those who don't, it would be worthwhile to know the art behind the signature of Nandalal Bose.

A Gem of Indian Art

Nandalal Bose (1882-1966) is one of the Nine Gems of Indian Art (the list was given final shape in the 1970s), whose works are considered national treasures and therefore, cannot be taken out of the country, though those can be bought and sold. The other eight are: Raja Ravi Varma, Amrita Sher-Gil, Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Nicholas Roerich and Sailoz Mookherjea. The list is highly debatable, not for those included in it, but more for those excluded from it (and best dealt with on another platform).

The greatness of Nandalal Bose, however, was never in doubt, not now, not when he was chosen to illustrate the first copy of the Constitution. He was actively involved with the freedom movement in his early years, painting extensive pandals (tents) for the annual session of the Indian National Congress at Haripura in 1938, which was a great exercise undertaken by the leaders at the helm of the party then to connect with the masses and get them involved with the country's history and future. Though he would dissociate from active hobnobbing with the political leaders later on, his contribution to shaping the modern idiom of Indian art continued and its importance was realised in his lifetime. Hence, the commission to illustrate the Constitution of India was not a surprise.

Illustrating the Constitution

The Constitution of India is the only one in the world with elaborate art decorating its various sections. The art is comprehensive with great thought going behind it as it traces the 5000-year-old history of India, chapter by chapter. Beginning with the bull seal of the Indus Valley Civilisation, the art progresses through important landmarks of Indian history chronologically, ending with the winning of Independence. Scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharat, Buddha's enlightenment, Lord Mahavira in meditation, Nalanda, Nataraj Chola bronze, Akbar's court, Shivaji Maharaj, Guru Gobind Singh, and several other luminaries and highlights of Indian history figure on the pages of the guiding book on whose principles the country is run. It took five years to finish this project and the original copy is preserved in the Parliament Museum.

Those who are familiar with Bose's signature clean lines and stylisation can instantly recognise the artwork in the Constitution. It is these lines and stylisation that made Bose's art distinct, and important for a generation that was choosing to break away from the overarching influence of European and British academic training in colonised India's art schools.

Hailing from Munger in Bihar, Nandalal Bose came to Calcutta at the age of 15. He enrolled at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, where he was groomed by Abanindranath Tagore; the latter was the pioneer of the Bengal 'school' of art that discarded European academic realism taught at art schools and sought inspiration from ancient Indian art of the Ajanta caves and Japanese art. Close continued association with the Tagore family imbued a young Bose with nationalistic ideals and a special empathy for the country's folk and tribal arts — elements that would inspire his art and figure liberally in his renditions. The artwork in the Constitution, thus, is as distinctly Indian as it should have been.

Bose and the market

Given his status in the canon of Indian modern art, serious collectors don't easily part with Nandalal Bose works that they may have. More importantly, a large body of Bose's art is part of the National Gallery of Modern Art's collection - the NGMA holds 6,800 works by Bose such as paintings, prints, drawings, sketches, and the suite of tempera works that Bose painted for the 1938 Haripura session of the Indian National Congress, upon a commission by Mahatma Gandhi (known as Haripura Posters).

Therefore, Bose's art does not come by easily on the auction market. But whenever it does, it sees keen interest from collectors for obvious reasons. Yet, his art is never a market sensation like that of V S Gaitonde, F N Souza, S H Raza or M F Husain for various different reasons.

Bose's place lies on the elevated pedestal of the evolution of India's indigenous identity in the world of art and is more significant for the impact it had on his contemporary artists and the generations that followed - who felt brave enough to create their own individual styles. He taught Indians to look around themselves and seek inspiration from the aesthetics that have survived in different regions of this country for thousands of years. That was the only mantra required by many to not only carve a distinct identity for themselves but also push forward the wagon of modern Indian art and ultimately make it a globally recognised entity as it has become today.

(The author is a New Delhi-based editor, writer and arts consultant. She blogs at www.archanakhareghose.com)