DSAM
The Doon School Art Magazine 2010
Editorial First and foremost, the Doon School Art Magazine would like to extend a warm welcome to all students and their families, Ex-Doscos and visitors on the year of the school’s 75th Founders’ Celebrations. The campus has changed much over the years, and looks as beautiful as ever. Defining art is impractical; and is perhaps one of the few things left better undefined. In a world full of turmoil and disharmony, art may take a greater importance than ever before. Art is expression: an expression of feeling, an expression of thought, and an expression of love. We are proud to unveil a brand new art school that possesses state-of-the-art facilities. Although art has never been as popular as other activities such as sports and music, it plays an integral part in all Doscos lives. We do hope that the new Art School will encourage all Doscos to embrace their creativity, and hone the true artist inside of them. In modern-era, art isn’t merely limited to paintings and oil pastels. It has broadened its scope to include Media, Animation, sketches, and much more. With the support of a number of new art masters, the quality of art in Doon is reaching new heights. As for this edition, it features a number of new articles covering an eclectic range of issues. There are a few special articles written this year, including some by Old Boys, Art Masters, and the Headmaster as well. Though it has taken many hours to shape, it has been a pleasure to publish this issue; which would have been impossible without the support of the Doon School Community. We sincerely hope that you enjoy this issue and have a wonderful Founders’ Day Celebration.
Shivam Katyal & Devansh Khaitan Editors-In Chief
Contents The Artist, the society & the Art teacher Art at DS - 75 Down the memory lane The Taj Mahal – A Hindu Temple, not a piece of Mughal Architecture The Burj Khalifa controversy From Crayons
Today we are passing through a phase of pluralism. Our ar t arena has extended so far that it is really difficult to gauge its boundary. At this moment the ar tist enjoys the freedom of ‘knowledge expression’. Unlike Plato, ar t is no more imitation but a complex cooking of thoughts and experiences and reminiscences. Our post-modern world has become so complex and diversified that to decipher an ar tist’s actual responsibility in the social structure is not clearly discernible. But then, a question arises; and that is ‘Does ar t comes first or the society?’ Yes, the society comes first. But is the society rational enough to justify all its deeds and performances? Perhaps elections will justify the answer in a democratic structure. But have we ever thought that what survives in ar t for ages is basically determined by the time and that becomes history.
The ar tist is an onlooker and is an offshoot of the society. He (or She) has every right (after the medieval age has gone) to interpret the social functions and can document the truth involved in those functions. But what happens when an ar tistic expression hinders the so called social stability of the society? There I think, the ar tist has to make a compromise with the ‘poetic justice’, being a socially dependent being. Or, in a more modest way one has to balance with the prevailing situations and the ar tistic expression. Most of the ar tists go by the words of their patrons. Yet, Leonardo had used pictorial codes, so did Michelangelo. Today, things are quite lenient, thus facilitating the freedom of ar tistic expression. So, as an ar tist, we must also take responsibility to maintain the level of freedom, because we know that society cannot assimilate the ‘naked truth’ in an easy way or society requires time to appreciate the results of creation as it needs some training in the audio- visual term. The Time gives the training. The ar tist, though indifferent to these factors when he is deeply involved in creation, faces social thrust when cer tain works are exhibited.
The society does not understand (or perhaps not being able to understand) the impulse or emotion or intellect behind the creation and criticizes them on the basis of morality and concept of beauty that is prevailing there. The ar tist becomes a loner or a refugee But one thing he ( she) must introspect that if there is a falsity in thestructure of the society and that falsity has contributed in maintaining cer tain peacefulness, then that falsity gradually metamorphoses into truth once it becomes ‘Time tested’. We are introspecting carefully andbalancing. In the due course the paradox between the ar tist and the viewer prevails. Whatever may the ‘poetic justice’ say; the work of an ar t teacher in a public school is somewhat different. An ar t teacher deals with the tender brains and guides them to a more ‘beautiful’ perceptions and expressions. Now this concept of ‘beauty’ at the school level is somewhat very sophisticated and hence devoid of cer tain distor tions and deformations. The duty of an ar t teacher (especially in school) is to embellish the general concept of ‘beauty’ among the students so that the immature minds of the students do not take a deviated potion which may misguide them. Here we are to work with subjects like landscapes, still-life, composition from daily life, designs etc. rather than going into the complex ar tistic discourses involving nudity, deformation, ugliness and deconstruction. These things along with their history can be taken care of in the ar t colleges. Being an ar t teacher I think that we share a moral duty also which perhaps an ar tist may surpass. We work for the society first and then the subject.
Ar t is expression, no doubt, but expression which reforms and makes a statement that may be personal as well as social. Our society is multi-stratified intellectually. It is really very difficult to cater all the stratas. We have seen that Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflower’ is so simple, Tintoretto’s females are voluptuous, Paul Gainsborough’s couples are tinted with the worship for aristocracy, Edward Munch’s works are so deformed, Nandalal Bose’s figures are so naïve, Raja Ravi Verma’s characters are so royal, Tyeb Mehta’s compositions are so unimpressive, M.F. Hussain’s works are so simply illustrative and so on. Public reactions are plenty and diversified. Thanks to the Royal Academy and other notable galleries that they have not published any ‘made easy’ to understand ar t. Everywhere the mass and the class are apar t. So, it becomes a role for the ar tist to cater either of them. But a question still remains. Is there something called ‘profound’ in ar t? Perhaps there is. A profound ar tistic expression should have elements ingrained for different stratas of the society. The real and the abstract phenomena blended in such a way that you feel like touching it, hearing it and seeing it from different perspectives. Every ar tist searches and those who gain are called Master by Time. Aloke Tir tha Bhowmick Head of Ar t & Media school
Art at DS-75 A New Vision for the Art & Media School
The seventy- fifth anniversary of The Doon School is an auspicious year for Art at Chandbagh, not least because of the inauguration of the new Art & Media school. Art has always played a central role in a Doon School education. Arthur Foot’s justly famous commentaries on the stages of a boy’s education observed that by the time a Dosco reached seventeen, he should have developed taste and a refined aesthetic sense. Nothing has changed. I have long believed that, in an increasingly ugly and damaged world, environmental education is as much about an aesthetic sensibility as it is about knowing the origins and effects of carbon emissions. People with the eyes of artists and the souls of poets are less likely to create and tolerate ugliness and to collude in the destruction of our natural world than those who have had no education in aesthetics and who have no spiritual sense of beauty.
The Chandbagh estate and those unspoilt vistas of the far ranges of the Himalaya are the perfect setting for the education of creative, original minds and souls. The new building, designed by Dosco architect Sandeep Khosla, with its beautiful, soaring stone walls redolent of the mountains, its red brick resonating with the Main Building, and its olive green cladding dappled with shadow and sunshine in glorification of the trees surrounding us, is for me what the temple, church, mosque, gurdwara or similar religious buildings are to the spiritual life of human communities across the globe. It is a place of creation, a celebration of life in all its many guises, a vessel for the human spirit on a voyage of self- discovery.
I also have a vision of the Art & Media School becoming a centre of innovation and creativity across all disciplines. It is my hope that it will become a hub linking all activity in every subject. Those who have listened to my presentations and lectures on what we need to do to redeem twenty- first century education, will know that I do not believe that there is any distinction between what goes on in the classroom and outside it; I want to abolish the words ‘extra- curricular’ and ‘co- curricular’. To me, everything we do at The Doon School is ‘curriculum’, a seamless experience of intellectual, artistic, spiritual, cultural, physical and outdoor teaching and learning that will produce some the most rounded, cultured and broadly educated minds you will find anywhere in the world. So, where does Art fit in? Like music and poetry, the arts of drawing, painting, sculpting and fashioning images and objects through other crafts and skills, are a direct expression of the soul. They also encourage creativity and originality in the exercise of the mind.
Science and mathematics are as creative as art and music, but in the modern world we often forget that, and see them as dry skills to be acquired for pragmatic purposes. We need scientists who can think and express new ways of seeing the universe, who are innovative and imaginative; we need mathematicians who can think in multiple dimensions, whose spatial awareness is highly refined; we need engineers who have the imagination to offer elegant solutions to difficult problems; architects who will not blight our landscapes; planners who will respect and protect our natural heritage; industrialists who will balance development with the preservation of all that is beautiful; product designers who create lovely objects and machines. And we need artists, musicians and poets who appreciate the work of the ‘hard’ disciplines that have shaped the modern world.
One of my great heroes is that quintessential polymath, Rabindranath Tagore. For me it is great serendipity that our seventy- fifth year is the same year as his 150th birth anniversary. India’s great Nobel laureate was an artist, poet, musician, novelist, essayist, playwright, composer and philosopher, but he also had a deep interest in economics and science. In the years before his death in 1941, Tagore expressed his growing interest in science in a collection of essays, Visva - Parichay ( 1937). He also explored biology, physics, and astronomy, and this had a growing influence on his poetry, through which he expressed a respect for scientific laws. Increasingly, science and stories of scientists figured in his works, as in Se (1937), Tin Sangi (1940), and Galpasalpa (1941). I have a vision of the Chandbagh estate, with its fine buildings, great trees, huge Himalayan skies and misty vistas of the hills, as a new Shantiniketan, with the Art & Media School providing the soul and heartbeat of all our work, whether it is in the physics laboratory, the economics classroom, the painter’s studio, the music practice room, or on the stage, the cricket pitch and the mid- term trek in the hills. This is nothing new. I believe that Arthur Foot would be proud of our new building and its place in heart of the school, overlooking a restored South Garden and completing the perimeter of our great public school quadrangle in front of the Main Building. I also believe that he would be pleased that we are still taking seriously his own beliefs about the importance of art, culture and aesthetics in sending a complete Dosco out into the world, and that we are still trying to live out the ideals of our founders that made the Doon School a national treasure. Dr. Peter McLaughlin Headmaster
Down the memory lane Uttarakhand,-rightly referred to as ‘DEV BHUMI’ with the majestic Himalayas for a backdrop, from where the sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati emerge, art became closely linked with nature. The wood carved temples with floral motifs, and tinkling brass bells reflecting the morning sun; woven textile from sheep wool and embroidered foot wear, enriched the lives of these simple hill people, who were both local tribals and migrants from the plains. During the reign of The Moghul Emperor, Aurangzeb in the 17th Century A.D., Renaissance in the art of Uttarakhand took place, when Guru Ram Raya on being ex-communicated from this Sangh, was sheltered and helped by Aurangzeb to establish his centre and Gurudwara, in Dehradun. The fifth wife of Guru Ram Raya, Punjab Kaur of Panchkula Mani Majra, a highly cultured lady, engaged artists Tulsi Ram, his brother Mange Ram and others to decorate the Gurudwara with fresco paintings. The frescos were done in Moghul style, housing a portrait of Nur Jehan, the Moghul Queen. Soon afterwards many monuments in Gharwal came up, following the same syle. During the same period, artist Mula Ram wanting to escape the tyranny of Aurangzeb, hid in the hills of Kangra valley, and then proceeded to Gharwal and established himself in the court of the Raja Tehri, introducing Pahari style of miniature painting, (which was greatly influenced by Kangra art) to Uttarakhand. The Moghul, Pahari, and local folk art co-existed and flourished.
The modern awakening in the art and culture of Uttarakhand took place in the early 20th Century A.D., when British rule introduced English and Public School education to India. Dehradun, Mussoorie , Nainital etc. became their centres , and art education became an important part of their curriculam. In the 1930s Uday Shanker with his dance troupe,- and a group of artists from Shantineketan, established an Indian art and culture centre at Almora to prevent the total imitation of the West following the introduction of educational reform by Macaulay. Similar art centres sprouted all over India, greatly influencing the intellectuals of that era. In the 1950s, Rathindra Nath Tagore, son of the Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore came to Dehradun; along with another young artist, Devijen Sen of Shantiniketan, he tried to create a similar Shantiniketan in Dehradun at 1, Patel Road, christening it “Kala Kendra.” Divijen Sen’s massive bronze casting furnace was the only one then existing in Uttarakhand, where he sculpted many eminent personalities. He experimented in many art forms and medias and imparted his knowledge to his students, including myself. He was affectionately known as ‘Dada’, as he gave free consultation in Hopepathy and cure many chromic diseases. The D.A.V. College Dehradun, also started a vibrant Art Deptt. In the 1950s, headed by Prof. Ranvir Saxena, followed by his wife Dr. Sarla Raman.His son Rajiv Lochan is now Director of Modern Art Gallery, Delhi.
Padma Vibhushan, Binode Behari Mukherji, after retiring from Shantiniketan came to settle in Dehradun in the 70s. He wrote path breaking articles and books on Indian art, and I had the good fortune to share his knowledge. His wife Leela Mukherji was already The H.O.D. of Art at Welham Boy’s School, Dehradun, which I joined after her retirement. The Doon School was founded in 1935 and Sudhir Khastagir lovingly known by his students as “Khus Khus” for his amiable nature, was a prolific painter. He sang while he taught and my husband, Samarendra Nath Talukdar ( Kashmir House, 14 K, 43 Batch) found his classes, along with other students, extremely relaxing,- and the bonus was that they could sneak into his garden and steal green chillies, adding ‘masala’ to their tasteless food. Khastagir’s frescoes, murals of The Rose Bowl and tempera paintings, are well known. The school has made tremendous effort in preserving his works. Rathin Mitra of Govt. art college, Kolkata, taught from 19561980 at the Doon School .He introduced Batik.His pen and ink sketches are famous. Nikhil Biswas taught clay modeling and sculpture.
Mr. John Martin, Headmaster and a talented painter, encouraged art in a big way and in the 1960’s, The Doon School gave shape to eminent artists like Anish Kapoor,(residing in U.K) whose installation based sculptures brought new dimensions to the art world. Vivan Sundaram another eminent artist, combined photography with painting; Tarun Taheliani, the fashion designer and many others contributed handsomely to Indian Art. From 1981-198, A.Z Khan and his wife Ranjit Kaur Khan of Shantiniketan developed the Art School still further. Furnaces for clay and ceramic works were built and pottery was introduced in a big way Mr. Shoumi Das was the Headmaster and his wife Ratna took keen interest in art. In 1991 when Mr. Shoumi Das was the Headmaster, I founded the “Shwalik Art Society” in Dehradun, with the support of Shoumi Das and his artist wife Pheroze, I established the first art gallery in Dehradun at Hotel Aketa in 1992.
The same year I organized an art workshop at the Doon School to which I invited eminent artists like Prof.B.C Sanyal (ex-chairman, L.K.A .Delhi),the sculptor Balbir Katt and others. The 3 day workshop is worth remembering. Prof.B.C. Sanyal at the age of 92 painted 2 canvases minus his spectacles, as it had fallen into the stream while climbing the rocks of Tapakeshwar in order to sketch. Balbir Katt who came from Benaras fired his clay and ceramic sculptures throughout the night, with the head boys and teachers participating in the process, while the Headmaster and his wife gave us company by providing us with drinks, snacks and encouraging us, all through the night. Mr. and Mrs. Khan made the art school accessible to all schools and artists of Dehradun. Jatin Das, Dwijen Senrother artists came and interacted freely and the art department was humming with life and creativity. The slide shows and lavish tea laid out by the school was unforgettable. At this point I must also mention the dedication and hard work of 2 helpers in the art school- Lallu Ram and Kishan Lal whose presence is indispensible to this day.
In 2000 Aloke Thirtha Bhowmick and Mohua Bhowmick of Shantiniketan joined the Doon School. A T. Bhowmick H.O.D, introduced many innovative methods in art, especially mixed media, acrylic, glass painting and metal sculpture and from2004 Mohua looked after pottery and craft. On the request of the Headmaster John Mason, I joined the art department. Mr. Mason and his wife Anju were a very positive force in the art school,-and he art department forged ahead. There were art workshops by eminent artists, exhibitions and innumerable discussions on art education. I was insistent on a children’s art gallery which could have access to International children’s art. Mr. Mason was open to all ideas and gave us the freedom of expression and experimentation. When I left the Doon School in 2003 to join ONGC Oil Museum as an art consultant, I missed the buzz of the old art school. But A.T. Bhowmick always kept the doors of the art school open to all art lovers, teachers and students alike and when the next Headmaster Kanti Bajpai took over, the same liveliness persisted.
We felt welcomed to the art school-a place to unwind! Art in the contemporary world has come a long way, new dimensions have been added and now the old building was insufficient to house so many ideas snd activities Digital art, fashion designing, art preservation, advertising , weaving, etc have been added to this vast subject called ‘art’; Hence the inevitable has happened; the old art school has had to be demolished and a beautiful new eco-friendly structure has come up in its place, conceptualized by A.T. Bhowmick and the country’s best architects. I am sure the art department will be one of the finest in the world and become an international centre for the exchange of innovative ideas and thoughts with the help of the Headmaster, Dr Peter McLaughlin and the drive of A.T. Bhowmick. Dear Art School, I wish you all the best! With love Monica S. Talukdar
“The Taj Mahal – A Hindu Temple, not a piece of Mughal Architecture”
“Taj Mahal” –After hearing the name of this wonder of the world, the thoughts that occur to us are –“A Mughal emperor named Shahjahan built this white- marbled wonder.”, “This wonder is a part of Mughal Architecture which was made by the Mughal Emperor in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.” and might be “The Taj Mahal was named after Mumtaz Mahal.” But my dear readers, let me tell you something for a fact that whatever we are told about History is not all true, because the historians rely on various sources such as artefacts, inscriptions, manuscripts, art- works and various other sources, but is it not possible that these things could have been tampered with, or there could be too much of exaggeration in them? Before we are taught history, our teachers tell us that the court chronicles of various kings have a lot of exaggeration in them as the court poets do it to please their kings. The same way, I am going to now talk about something which might seem quite radical as an idea. Could the Taj Mahal have originally been a Hindu temple? Starting with the name of this famous construction, nowhere in the Muslim world from Afghanistan to Algeria has the term ‘Mahal’ been used for any building. In fact the two words – taj and mahal have their origin in Sanskrit. It is said that the building was made by Shahjahan in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal and it was named after her. This is somewhat illogical because it does not make sense that the first three letters of her name ‘Mum’ were removed without any apparent justification to derive the name ‘Taj Mahal’.
It has been admitted clearly and indisputably in Shahjahan’s own court chronicle “Badshahnama of Abdu” written by a paid courtier named Mulla Abdul Hamid Lahori that the Taj Mahal is a Hindu palace which was used as a Muslim tomb. It has been further admitted in the chronicle that the Hindu palace had been taken over for Mumtaz’s burial that the officials had been commanded by Shahjahan to bury Mumtaz Mahal away from the eyes of the world. The word “command” holds a lot of significance as such a command was unnecessary unless Mumtaz Mahal had to be buried in somebody else’s property. On page 192, Vol. II , of his memoirs emperor Babur tells us ,”On Thursday (May 10, 1526) afternoon I entered Agra and took up my residence at Sultan Ibrahim’s palace.” Later in page 251 Babur adds : “A few days after the Id we had a great feast (July 11, 1526) in the grand hall, which is adorned with the peristyle of stone pillars, under the dome in the centre of Sultan Ibrahim’s palace.” If we go back to early 16th century, we realize that Babur had conquered Delhi and Agra by defeating Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat. After that he occupied the Hindu palaces which Ibrahim Lodi was occupying during his reign. Babur therefore calls the palace at Agra which he occupied as Ibrahim’s palace. While describing it Babur says that the palace is adorned with the ‘peristyle of stone pillars’. This shows a clear reference to the four white ornamental towers at the corners of the Taj Mahal pedestal. After this a description of a “ground hall” has been given. This is the gigantic room which now houses the cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal and Shahjahan. It is known to us that there is a dome in the central cenotaph chamber. It is said to be centrally situated because it has ten rooms around it. Hence it is evident that Babur lived in the palace presently known as Taj Mahal from May 10,1526 till his death on December 26,1530. This proves the existence of the Taj Mahal at least 100 years prior to Mumtaz Mahal’s death.
Other than the 14 chapters of the holy Koran which have been inscribed on the walls of the Taj Mahal, there are some non- religious engravings which do not contain even the remotest allusion to Shahjahan’s authorship of the famous wonder of the world. Had Shahjahan really ordered the Taj Mahal, would he not have left behind for the world a clear record of his great and fabulous achievement in marble and red- stone? Shahjahan had got the several idols and the two elephants at the entrance of the palace (where tickets are sold now) demolished. The details of the Taj Mahal’s size, grandeur, majesty and beauty are practically the same as the many forts and palaces built by the Rajputs. The trident (Trishul) pinnacle on the dome of the Taj Mahal and the sacred, obscure Hindu word “OM” being carved on the exterior of the wall of the sanctum sanctorum now occupied by the cenotaphs is the evidence of the palace being built by the followers of Lord Shiva. The name of the palace “Taj Mahal” is the altered form of the Sanskrit term “Tejo- Mahalay” signifying a Shiva Temple. Carbon 14 testing of a wooden piece from the riverside doorway of the Taj Mahal was done by an American Laboratory which proved that the door was made 300 years before Shahjahan, although the doors were often broken by Muslim invaders from the 11th century onwards. The Taj building is predicted to have been built around 1155 A.D, which is almost 500 years before Shahjahan. These are some of the many facts which lend credibility to the rather iconoclastic proposition that the Taj Mahal might actually be a Hindu Temple and not a piece of Mughal Architecture. Difficult to believe??
- Aviral Gupta
The Burj Khalifa Controversy Controversy. This is what happens when you combine billions of dollars, world-class architecture, and oil magnates who just refuse to be realistic? Simply Dubai. What was once a bleak desert has now been transformed into a glitzy city of the future, boasting world-class hotels, malls, and sporting facilities. But one of the most anticipated attractions is that of the world’s new tallest building: the Burj Khalifa. And with a building full of surprises like the Burj Khalifa, what’s not there to boast about? It has the world’s highest swimming pool, fastest elevators, and even the worlds’ highest mosque. The Burj stands for more than just a pretty building; some feel that it shows the disregard of individuals towards poverty and oppression. The construction of the Burj Khalifa is laden with controversy as it epitomizes materialism; which our society is now based on. How else could such a structure be built in hard-hit financial times like these. The absolute irony lies in the fact that the Burj was constructed by South Asian Workers living in deplorable conditions working on minimum wages. What’s more – the developers, Emaar Properties lacked the money to even complete the building. Dubai’s affluent neighbor Abu Dhabi had to bail out Emaar, and the building which was originally called the Burj Dubai, was named after the President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE.
Society also must ask itself if a building like the Khalifa is
In spite of the local culture added to the Burj Khalifa structure
truly necessary in a world reeling out of debt, and into an
is styled as modern and chic. The Khalifa woos the
ecological disaster. The Burj may be many things, but eco-
connoisseur of art with its Venetian stucco walls, silver
friendly isn’t one of them. It pumps 250,000 gallons of water
travertine flooring, and hand-sewn rugs. Aesthetically, the
a day, and requires electricity equivalent to 500,000 100-watt
building seems to be something spun out of a post-modern
light bulbs. But if you can manage to temporarily forget all
Hollywood film, with the Burj spiraling skywards in a Y-
the facts and figures, you may just be able to appreciate the
structure. It is also home to one of the newest and most
magnificence of Dubai’s latest centerpiece. Designed by
extravagant hotels: The Armani Hotel; designed by the
Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the architecture and thought
legendary Giorgio Armani himself. Global acclaim is a gross
put into the Khalifa is unmatched. It contains 900 residences
understatement when it comes to describing the hype that the
spread out over 90 storeys. Modern themes are inculcated into
Burj Khalifa has received. At the rate man has progressed,
much of the rooms, and a majority of them offer breathtaking
who knows which new forms art shall take in future? All that
views of downtown Dubai. Hundreds of pieces of art adorn
can be said is that the Burj is now a symbol of the attitude of
the building, by a selection of Middle-East as well as
society today: dynamic, imaginative, and thriving. Perhaps
international artists. Global harmony is one of the central
thousands of years from now the Burj shall be the eighth
themes found throughout the artwork.
wonder of the world, but until then, it is merely one more thing I want to see before I die.
From Crayons... The first day I walked into the painting studio and looked up at the palettes, that ringed the studio, high on it's walls with names like Jai Shankar Kala, Vivan Sundaram, Shunil Rawlley, Umaraman Srivastava painted on them, I just knew this was home and my name was going to be on one of them... Resonance. That's the word I was looking for... That's what the art school did... it resonated art... that space just hummed a quiet serenity... there was magic in those walls. Walking in I was at peace... In it's quiet coolness Sudhir Khastagir's Buddha smiled serenely down from on high and the space resonated with Rathin Mitra's intensity, kindness and fineness and I resonated with it. Much has been written about Mitra's mastery over the pen, so I'll skip that and pay tribute to his sensitivity and generosity as a philosopher and guide. 'D' form, Art first stirred, stretched and sprang awake in me the way only a teacher that absolutely loves, eats and breathes it from every pore of his being can glow it out of you, an unspoken awakening/transfer of creative thinking and confidence by just being there and being himself. Limited to water colours and oil pastels I spent my time sneaking into the painting studio whenever I could to watch Umaraman paint hands.
In 'C' form I learned Indian red was brownish, that I hated crimson lake and as I listened to Rathin speak I could see him sitting by Van Gogh's grave and the tube of yellow ochre he left behind when he walked away. By I now had two passions and if I wasn't to be found in the swimming pool I was at the Art School where I had graduated from water colour and was allowed to use Oil Paints!!!... By 'B' form I had my own set of keys tothe Art School and permission to miss rest hour, I'm not clear how the rest hour bit came about but one day there were the keys, it was after lunch and I was alone in the art school. In its cool, silent, peaceful, high ceiling-ed studio, I could dream about the magical green of new April leaves as they lit up in the morning sun. I once, completely captivated by the colours of a sunset, waxed eloquent on the sublime...etc. etc. to another teacher as we looked out on a truly glorious sunset during a “cycling midterm”,... half way through my rather purple description caught him looking at me like I was a worm in his Leechie, I learned very quickly that not everyone was Rathin Mitra and not everyone “got it” and actually they still don't.
'A' form, If ever I had a haven it was the art school. We discussed our work and ideas with Rathin, if he didn't agree with a composition or a concept he offered suggestions but never imposed himself or his ideas. I look back with amazement at the kindness and deep respect he showed his student's work and how tolerant he was of my, often extreme, temperament. As an example... I was asked to share the best artist prize in my last year at school, my best work was too large and not allowed in competition. I still remember my fury at the result of the competition and I walked to the art school straight from the prize distribution. Once there, I removed all my works from the walls and walked off with them to 'J' House, where I placed them under my bed. The Chief guest who arrived there after tea and was greeted by an empty wall where my work had been displayed. The placard read Best Artist Prize and there was an empty space above it. Well, as Conceptual Art was still to become the rage, obviously there was much embarrassment. I was sent for and I flatly refused to put my works back up. By this time my House Master, already sick to death of me, was baying for my blood but was told by Mitra "the boy is an artist, you know, give him some time!" Rathin then immediately called my mother and asked her to come to school, at once, and talk some sense into me.
The Blue Standard Herald drove up to the CDH, all my mother said was "Rahul, you're embarrassing Rathin, I think you ought to put those paintings back up"... That rung home, I hadn't quite thought of it that way. Up went the paintings and what do I say other than... this was just one incident and he was an inspired teacher. By the time the Saboo, Johar and I were in 'S' form our arts society was dynamic, if there was a great exhibition in Delhi, like the 2nd Triennale,Mitra took us. We were in touch with the Alliance Francaise, every few weeks we had interesting movies or Documentaries being screened, we had a couple of talks. All in all we set the bar for societies that year... It was Mitra's Art School, other Masters entered "his" art school by his leave. Guru of course was special, you could see Mitra was delighted whenever he came, there were other masters he liked, some who he tolerated and then there was a category that didn’t dare set foot in “his” art school. 35 years on I can’t stop chuckling as I can still hear himshout at some poor master who had made an insensitive remark about a boys workthat offended Rathin … god alone knows what that poor sap said but the next thing we knew there was Mitra raging… “Ghet out! You know! Ghet Out of My Art School” As I stand looking at where our beloved art school had stood, I know had he still been in school these philistines would never have been able to dismember and replace her with a pair of cuboid lumps... I close my eyes and I'm back 35 years, palette knife, oil paint and turpentine and in myheart I carry her silent peaceful space ... I console myself that the brick and mortar was only the body and this new space will be an Avtaar. What I have carried away from School that found a place in my heart and endures till today it is a love of free thinking and the courage of my convictions and those were placed in there in the Art School by Rathin Mitra and in the "K" House, House Master's Residence by B G Pitre. Rahul Kohli 81 J'A' 1975
Editorial Board of The Doon School Art Magazine Editors-in-chief: Shivam Katyal Devansh Khaitan Chief of Production: Saarthak Singh Editors: Neel Madhav, Vihan Khanna, Anshuman Bhargava, Apurv Agarwal Senior Editors: Chirag Ambedkar, Gursehej Oberoi, Vaibhav Gupta Associate Editors: Jaskrit Singh, Aviral Gupta Art Secretaries: Chandrachuda Shukla, Nipun Mohan Photo Credit: Orijit Chatterjee & Sparsh Batra Master-in-charge: Mr. Aloke Tirtha Bhowmick (HOD- Art and Media School)