The Myths of the Flatland - A documentation on Kangra Miniature Paintings

K a n g r a

M i n i a t u r e

P a i n t i n g s

Ankita Laraee Anushree Palkhiwala Nivedita Parihar Nikita Mishra Tushar Rajan Sharma Fashion Communication [2013-17] National Institute of Fashion Technology

The Myths of the Flatland This chronicle book describes the evergreen, aesthetically alluring, magnificent “Kangra miniature paintings”. These paintings evolved from the land of uneven horizon of hills, mountains and dense valleys. It embraces with itself the delineated mythical stories of lord Krishna and the traditional natural technique of intricacy. The title of the book “Myths of the flat land” is been used as witticism as the denotation of the word myth is a traditional story which concerns the early history of people and typical involvement of supernatural beings or events just as the miniature paintings involves stories and being of lord Krishna. And the “flat land” because this genre of painting does not follow the art of perspective and is foreground oriented, yet these paintings do not fail to baffle and inspire be it the art fanatics or the common layman. Embrace yourself and enter the flat intricate world of paintings and change your perspective.

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Acknowledgement We would like to express special gratitude towards our college, NIFT Gandhinagar for giving us an opportunity of a life time. Mr. Ravi Joshi, for motivating us and making the craft cluster intervention pragmatically possible. Renowned Mr. B.N.Gosawmi, for giving us his time,expertise and insightful guidance. Mrs Ritu, (Curator of Dharmshala Museum) without whom we possibly would have failed to start the intervention and meet the saviours of the extinct Kangra miniature paintings. Mrs Smiti Chada, (active member of KAPS, Kangra Arts Promotional Society) to give us the privilege to get in touch with the few artists and master artists of this beautiful art and also giving us an opportunity, to help KAPS with promotional materials for the art. We would like to be thankful to all the master artisans and artisans for their cooperation and precious time. Also the local people of Kangra who did not fail to baffle us with their warmth and love. We would also like to thank Mr.Lokesh Ghai, for guiding us before and after the craft cluster intervention and lastly, Mrs. Rashida Tayabjee for helping us in making our experience physically present in a document.

Chapters Chapter I The call of the hills 1 Chapter II An epoch of miniature paintings 11 Chapter III The intricacy of making 21 Chapter IV Rendezvous with the genius old hands 33 Chapter V An archival excursion 53 Chapter VI Kangra Art Promotion Society 69 B.N. Goswamy References Glossary

Copyright © Ankita Laree, Anushree Palkhiwala, Tushar Rajan Sharma, Nivedita Parihar, Nikita Mishra 2015 All rights reserved.

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Chapter 1

The Call of the Hills 1

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painting, a painted picture, colours on a paper. Colours that transform a blank space into a piece of art. That can add value to any non existent element. A painting, expression of an artist which is admired by those who can see. With their eyes and further. A painting, which tells a story. Famous or Infamous. Happy or Sad. Simple or Intense. There was a strong reason for us to be attracted to this art so much. The legends of Pahari Paintings were faintly remembered by the NCERT books they taught us in the Schools. The process, the technique, the style, the characters, the stories, the colours- everything had a purpose. Our curiosity for this art magnetised us towards the hills. And on 1st June 2015 we found ourselves breathing the natural breeze of Himachal Pradesh. A state known for its natural beauty and scenic serenity welcomed us with open hands. We met the near extinction artists who perform the art of Pahari Paintings in Kangra Style. We did not want to do all the things at once. So, we thought of going into the depth of one style only and learn all about that style from the artisans. As we kept on digging more and more inside this Art, more and more questions were born. Well, we did not return unsatisfied, as all the questions were answered in a very wholesome way by all we encountered during this exploration. This is an art which is slowly loosing its charm. The problems that these artisans and the art are facing needs genuine help. So that, this art and be preserved for the centuries to come. Our major concern while working on this intervention project was to save the spirit of the art. After all, an art is not an art without soul.

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Our journey started from Gandhinagar, where we study. We took a trip via New Delhi and Chandigarh. Chandigarh being a home to one of the Major Pahari Paintings Collection served us with basic knowledge about this Art. Then the Road Trip from Chandigarh till Kangra was a long but exciting trip. The scenic beauty of the route kept our eyes out of the car windows. Due to traffic we reached our Hotel late in the evening. Due to some confusion, the Hotel we booked turned out to be in Mcleodganj. But as soon as we entered Mcleodganj, we thanked our fate for that confusion. A beautiful place full of creative Street Stores, Magnificent Cafes, Crowded lanes, was a hub for foreign and Indian tourists. Being a crowded place it was difficult to travel in a vehicle. So, the most convenient way was to travel on foot. And that is the best way one gets to know about a place better. We stayed at a Hotel on Bhakshunath Road. The road is named after Bhakshunath Temple which is a great tourist attraction because of the Bhakshunath Waterfall. We were a little at a distant from the tourist crowd and the hustle

of the main markets. We could see the glorious Himalayan Peaks from the windows of our rooms we were staying. And from the other balcony we could see the whole Mcleodganj suburbs and Dharamshala. Being on such an altitude, we could clearly admire the beauty of Himachal from every direction we looked into. We trekked for an hour to reach Dharamkot. It is a paradise for nature lovers. Also it has extra ordinary cafes and joints that serve mouth watering delicacies. The patch connecting these two places is heavenly. You would want to get lost in the area and would wish to never go back from there. The dense greenery and beautiful roads. Miraculously shaped rocks covered with ferns, long thick trees, the chirping of the birds, and everything that was there was so perfect, as if some designer has deliberately placed those things in that way. It was no less than a fairytale land. We were telling each other that Peter Jackson could have shot Hobbit here. Stunned by this divine beauty we remained numb to listen to the faint voice of water falling on the bare rocks as we reached near a small town, where we could only find Hippies enjoying their lives to the fullest. As we had already seen some Miniature Paintings in the Museums we visited before, we found out places which reminded us of the backgrounds of many paintings. No wonder, the artists were so inspired by the grandeur of that region. As we travelled more and more everyday, we found more and more inspirations. Like the

trees depicted in the paintings, the hills, the streams and birds and rocks. All this was very exciting to experience. In Dharamshala, as planned, we visited the Kangra Museum. It is a home to Chitera School. A school born under Kangra Arts Promotion Society, teaches interested ones to learn Kangra Miniature Painting. Many of artists practice the paintings there. We stayed with the artists for a day and tried to learn as much as we could from the very basics. From how they source the material to how they sell the paintings, we tried to extract all. The view from the Museum is something that requires a mention. From the windows of the Chitera School Artist Room we could see the grey and white mighty clouds kissing the snowy peaks of the Great Himalayas. Enveloping the peaks like a crazy lover safeguarding his love. Working in that environment is not working but enjoying.

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he Kangra Valley, a piece of heaven for human access, glorifies the Himachal Pradesh state of India. In the lap of the great Himalayas, Kangra Valley is a visual treat for the visitors and well as the inhabitants. Its inevitable beauty served as ink for many writers, as colour for many artists, and has inspired great work.

We also made a visit to the Kangra Fort. The Sansar Chand Museum was small, but an interesting visit. Maharaja Sansar Chand who promoted the art of Miniature Paintings when he was in power served as a saviour for this art. His museum shows the kind of life the Kings used to be amused about at that time. We visited the Army Cantonment Area where we found interesting variations or should I call them contemporarised form of Kangra Miniature on huge size Canvases. They were never done on such big Canvas ever before. That was really something fascinating to encounter. |7

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Chapter II

An Epoch of Miniature Paintings 11

he art of Pahari miniature Paintings developed during the 17th century and flourished down to the 19th century. This art found patronage under the Rajput princedoms of the punjab and Garhwal hills (now Himachal Pradesh). The main centres of Pahari paintings were Basohli, Jammu, Guler, Kangra, Mandi, and Kullu. Scholarly research says that this style of miniature painting is a hybrid, a distinctive composite of the elements from the Gujarati manuscripts, Mughal style and the Rajasthani school of the early 17th century.

How did the art of painting reach the punjab hills? It all started with several rajput families coming from Rajasthan and central India to settle down in the remote northern region. Compared to the courts of Rajasthan, the area remained relatively untouched by the strong Mughal power. In 1618, Jahangir tried to establish control over the Himalayan foothills by subjugating the ruler of Kangra successfully. And later in 1656, Prithipat Shah of Garhwal finally submitted to the Mughals. Besides paying the levy, he sent his son to serve at the court.

Ancient Map of Kangra Valley

and a little later Kangra in 1806. Sansar Chand was thus left with no option but to approach Ranjit Singh for assistance. After expelling the Gurkhas, the Sikhs assumed direct control over the hill states by 1822. The Mughal hold over the Kangra fortress persisted till the death of the last kilahdadr Saif Ali Khan in 1781. In 1786, the fort came under the control of Raja Sansar Chand (1775-1823).

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At this point Mughal Miniature Painters were evidently not invited to the hills to share their skills or impart their technical knowledge to the local artists (the Tarkhan or the Tarkhan Chiteras). The Tarkhan who worked in the Pahari ateliers belonged traditionally to the carpenter class. The young children of the Tarkhan family were always eager to become a Chitera and serve at the court atelier. They learnt the art from their father who imparted lessons , made corrections and kept a stern demanding eye on the work of the pupil. Alongside the training, they were also familiarised with the ancient hindu myths, and fables. Collection of already existing drawings in the family were copied at times, with changes being introduced perceptively in the compositions as well as in the colour scheme. When a Chitera (painter) accepted a commission under a new patron or if he moved from his family centre, he had to update or modify his expression.

The mid 18th century led to political changes in the region which followed a development in Pahari paintings. By 1798, Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1792-1839) consolidated Sikh power and expanded his territory, making lahore his capital. The Gurkhas invaded Garhwal in 1803 |13

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The creed of Vaishnavism inspired the Sanskrit and Hindi poets of the twelfth to the sixteenth century and utilmately it was their poetry which inspired the artists of the hills. The earliest miniatures go back to the eleventh century, and are to be found in books written on palm leaves, the paintings either integrated into the text scripted on loose leaves, or made on the inside of the wooden covers that held the book together. The tales of Krishna as recorded in the book of Bhagavata was interpreted variously at different courts of Pahari painting. The Bhagavata Purana series, datable to the first half of the sixteenth century is known for its remarkable quality; the verve, the spirit, the devotion, the emotional feeling, the glow of the painters belief that what they were visualising is the only way things must have happened in the past. Each leaf celebrates the life of Krishna with accompanied original text of Purana on its verso. Among the later poetic narratives based on the Radha Krishna theme, one can turn to a leaf from a celebrated eighteenth century - Jaydevas Gita Govinda, where his poetic text is famous for the celebration of the love of Radha Krishna and the theme of Baramasa, poems about the twelve months of the year. Indian love poetry also takes us back to the 1st century B.C when heroes (nayakas) and heroins (nayikas) were represented on the basis of Sanskrit prototypes.

How does one identify a scene of these paintings? Except for the language, the paintings are easy to decipher. These flamboyant paintings are identifiable because of the bold distinctive figures, sharp profiles, large eyes, heroic chests for men and gestures that come from a poetry. Painters freely render the dresses, furnishings and architectural details; while the nature is depicted in an imaginary way. At these Rajput courts - in Rajasthan and Pahari region, the atmosphere was such that were no workshops of a kind where no stern ustads sat presiding over all that happening, work was done within families of painters, in family workshops. Here too, there were seniors and juniors, authority and obedience, but the relationship was that of members of a family. Painting was a hereditary profession here. Painters grow up with the view of time. His dramatic reflection of time lies in his continuous pictorial rendering, he presents the same frame, the same set of figures more than once, establishing a sequence. In cases, where the narration is long, the painter renders similar identical scenes with small variations, like the change of objects around or showing day and night, showing that much time has passed by.

The month of Jyestha (Summer) - Kangra [Baramasa- Twelve Months]

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The month of Phalguna (Spring)- Kangra [Baramasa- Twelve Months]

The month of Chaitra (Spring)- Kangra [Baramasa- Twelve Months]

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“Sensitive, reticent and tender, it perfectly reflects the self control and sweet serenity of Indian life, and the definitely theocratic and aristocratic organisation of indian society. It lands itself to the utterance of serene passion and expression of unmixed emotions!” Co omaraswamy

The works of the Pahari masters provide inscriptions on the paintings which mention the artist, patron, the date and place of execution. Also, the records registered with information about the families of Pahari painters maintained at places of pilgrimage, such as Haridwar, Kurukshetra, and Pehowa, provide with valuable biographic details to reconstruct the genealogies of some painter families. This in particular highlights the movement of artists from one state to the other and pinpoints the role of the artist families in the evolution of the Pahari style.

Maharaja Sansar Chand was the greatest patron of painting in the Punjab hills. Patronage slackened in Guler when the state was under control by Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra. He invited the painters of Pandit Seu’s family by extending generous patronage to them. Painters took up employment in the royal court, where they were paid in different ways. By granting of a small piece of land for building their homestead, in the situation where the painter was not only offered employment and attached to the court, but his successor also stayed ins service, as heredity artists running a family workshop. From records kept in the registers of By salary, By being given rations priests at pilgrimage centres, with in kind, in the nature of a daily nearly everyone continuing to paint, allowance where painters lived in there is an example of the history their own homes, and were time to of the family of Pandit Seu. Pandit present at the court, when required. Seu (c. 1680-1740) about whom very little is known, was the head of a painter family based in Guler. Supposedly, he travelled from the hills to some flourishing centre of Mughal painting in the plains, in all likelihood Delhi or Lahore, and received instruction in the Mughal manner of painting. His expression was much influenced by the archaistic phase of Basohli painting. Among his two sons, Manaku (1700-60), the elder one appears to have been trained in his father’s earlier style, while Nainsukh (170078) the younger one, assimilated the stylistic modifications inclined towards Mughal naturalism. Patrons continued to patronise the family and the tree kept being watered. Manaku’s two sons Fattu and Khushala, were painters as were all four of Nainsukh’s sons - Kama, Gaudhu, Nikka, and Ranjha.

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Chapter III

The Intricacy of Making |21

“Fineness of feeling is all.” ( B.N. GoswamiThe Spirit of Indian Painting )

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The natural pigments that are used in the paintings are procured from varied naturally available objects. They are now obtained from Jaipur. These color/ pigments procurement objects are either stones or plants/ vegetation of a certain type. The shades of the colors obtained from the natural materials appear as pure as the air we breathe in between and around the Himalaya’s. Earlier the colors were made differently; pure water was taken to boil at high temperature. In the boiling hot water, the powder obtained from the natural materials was mixed gradually by continuous stirring to prevent it from solidifying. After the gradual rising of temperature at regular intervals the color was ready. In the olden times the preparation of the colors was a secret and stayed within the families. Starting from thinner and the lighter pigment these pigments are now formed just by suffice addition of water and gum, which is commonly known as “Babul Gum” to the natural object and by fine mixing. After the mixing the artist passes it through a (screen) cloth to remove and sieve the impurities from the pigments. The gum improvises the brilliance of the pigment (natural color) and enhances its hold on the paper. The finest paint brushes that are used were - are made curvaceous from the front for a better flow of the line, it is commonly made from animal tail hair, mostly squirrel’s tail. Earlier each hair was interested one at a time, gently tapped through the thin, hollow tube of a birds feather which led to its coming out on top. It was utilized due to their superior ability to absorb and hold water. This art demands fine and flexible lines, as this is one of many reasons of its exclusivity.

The use of seashells as a color container depicts the serenity and importance of nature in this style of painting. The generic use of the seashells as containers is that it maintains the shade and luster of the color as it is for a long duration. Most artists prefer to work from top downwards on a page. The pigments are applied in stages, layer after layer and after each coat is applied the painting is placed down on a flat surface and burnished with the help of agate stone. The colored lines used in the water bodies in the paintings in order to depict the mood of “Lord Krishna”, if his mood is clam the fine lines painted are straight and static and if aggressive there are swirls painted in it. There is use of real gold and silver to depict the subject of emphasis and also to give additional aesthetic value. The utilization of real gold and silver

increases the importance of this beautiful painting inspired from its yet so breath taking surroundings. While coming towards the end of the painting and beginning of detailing, the final step, first being Khulai, literally “opening up”.Every outline turns crisp, every detail comes to life. The application of gold and silver, requires great patience and skills, clearly been known and mastered since the very early times. The artist rubs the agate stone again at the back of the handmade paper for flattening it before the finishing. The color applied on the border of the painting depends on the Kalaam Style) of the Pahari painting. The painting slowly starts coming into existence and it seems like it is unfolding its mystery and its hidden meaning, like that of the mysterious mountains.

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his magnificent nature driven art starts with just few red and saffron fine strokes on the naturally obtained, handmade paper which is made from creating structural skeleton of the painting, which is locally known as Sialkoti which is named after a place in Punjab “Sialkot”, where this handmade paper was manufactured, it is gummed together to attain its required thickness that then leads to the very colorful intricate art. These artists used a takti, wooden slate to practice. These detailed paintings have always been foreground oriented. All the principle figures or the main subjects of the painting are placed more or less in the foreground of the composition except in some. There is always equal division of the space with the horizon often in a curve line. The coating of a white pigment filling the void spaces of the paper, which is also known as Kadhiya Mud that is inclusive of Zinc oxide, they work as the base and also for protection (Contains: 80% -Zinc and 20%Khadiya) is formed by grinding and adding talcum powder, which is one of the new ways to attain the white pigment color. The main purpose/ objective of this coat is to to save the handmade paper from the termites and other insects (as it works as poison) due to its anti bacterial properties, and also for the lustrous long lasting visual appearance of the painting. After the application of the white pigment the paper is garnished by rubbing an agate stone, commonly known as Akik stone for attainment of a smooth surface to carry forward the painting conveniently because of its high polishing and smooth surface. Then again darker fine lines are used to build the foundation to begin with the coloring.

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Making of the powder grinded stones/plants

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Adding drops of water to the powder

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Preparation of Khadiya anti bacterial base coat

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Applying Khadiya to Sialkoti - handmade paper

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Applying second coat of Khadiya to Sialkoti

The Inception of the Painting

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The 3 apparatus of the Painting

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Marble slabs used to grind colours from stones

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Brushes of different sixes, majorly made from squirrel hair

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Shells preserving and maintaing the hue of colours

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Agate stone for garnishing Sialkoti handmade paper

The apparatus of the Painting

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The Performance of the Artist

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Starting with red and saffron fine strokes.

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The final outline.

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Later fills colour in the foreground.

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The intricate detailing is done after filling the foreground and background.

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Final strokes with darker pigment (notice the use of left index finger to wipe off the extra pigment)

The artist begins filling colour in the background.

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The Culmination of the Artist 1

The main subject of the painting (Radha Krishna), filled with colour and silver/gold ornaments garnished with agate

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Towards the end, borders are delineated clearly, framing the paitning.

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Lastly, the artist embosses their signature in the end to leave a mark signifying their identity.

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Chapter IV

Rendezvous with the Genius Old Hands

The Entrance of the Chitera Scho ol of Arts

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ur journey continued to the Dharamshala Museum which was one of the only centre’s known for Pahari miniature paintings.The school teaching this art is ‘Chitera School of Arts’, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. This school was associated with KAPS (Kangra Arts Promotion Society). This school occupied its space at the Dharmashala Museum. When we entered the huge four stonewalls of knowledge, we were baffled but the scenic location of the museum. The space Chitera School occupied wasn’t really a huge space. It was just one room with 5 working desks for the artists of the school who taught the students as well as made paintings on orders to keep the art strong and existing. These paintings made by the artists of the museum were then sold via the museum and KAPS to the buyers. Our very first encounter was with the artist Mr. Kamal Jeet. At our

first glance; he was engrossed making the last detailing of intricate miniature painting. It was time to engage in a conversation with the artist. He was a local from Dharamshala. He always had great interest in art since he was a kid and he kept it as a hobby till his class 10. He always use to paint walls of different local houses at Dharmshala. Then later, he started making his hobby his career of interest. However he also had great interests in writing and continues to write in his free time. Kamal Jeet joint Chitera School of Arts in 2007 under the Guru- Shishya Parampara under Shri Dhani Ram Jee the master of all the artists for a year, at Kangra Pancheswari Temple. After taking training from Shree Dhani Ram Jee, he took one year training under Master artist Mukesh Dimag at Chamunda Mandir in Kangra. Its been 7 years since 2008 for Kamal Jeet to be paintings as a

painter. He became a professional artist working for Chitera School. However he maintained his side profession of writing and also he worked as a freelancer. We continued our conversation with him and got further insights into his life as a Kangra miniature painter. We learnt various facts that being outsiders we would have never thought about. It was shocking to know that such intricate art was not being recognised by the people there as well as outside Kangra. Hence the paintings were not enough to sustain the family. This forced him to do other outside work to sustain livelihood like working as a freelance writer and free lance painter. In order to earn a good livelihood out of this art he is required to finish 4 paintings in one month, which would make him 6000/- via the museum. Apart from that he also works as a teacher at the Chitera School of arts, teaching the new batch of

students who join in every year to learn the art. Also teaches tourists and other visitors the art for a month as vocational training. He was a family man, with a wife and a 2 year old daughter who lived in Dharamshala. He then gave us a list of exhibitions he had visited to present himself and his work as a Kangra miniature painter. He went to 2015- Shimla Exhibition, 2013- Jaipur Art festival, 2013Jammu art workshop, 2012Kolkata Durga Puja (ulta tanga), 2009- Chandigarh (kala gram), Delhi- Himachal Exhibition, Chandigarh – Kurkshetra, 2012Chamba Mueseum workshop, Bhasha Sanskriti Bhivag. Being a Kangra miniature painter for 7 years now we asked him what were his observations, and there were pretty interesting things he pointed out like; “Visitors of the museum are drawn to the paintings mostly when they see us working live, that’s the only time

Mr. Kamal Jeet wotking on one of his miniatures.

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they are curious to know the process and what it is really about, but then sometimes we get to see genuine art lovers, people with the knowledge related to this field, they take serious interests in knowing more about this art, and also contribute by buying the paintings.” There are various instances of outsiders who have only come across modern art and not something this intricate and detailed like the Kangra Miniature paintings. This always leaves them perplexed and shocked simultaneously as the whole process and beauty of this art is something they have never seen before. He further added “These are the instances we feel proud and truly rewarded for our work, when people recognise us and our work.” When we further inquired about the current situation of the Kangra Miniature paintings,he said that

themselves, this made the process even longer because preparing the colours and the paper itself took around a month’s time. They had to start from scratch; nothing was ready made available to them. But now the artists have everything ready made and readily available to them, they don’t have to waste a lot of time in the preparation of the raw materials. The artists back then worked under the king, hence they were under immense pressure to give their 100% and obtain outstanding results. The reason behind the beauty and intricacy of the paintings were painted then. Now the artists are not under any higher authorities’ pressure to produce their best work, neither are they inspired enough to work to their full potential, hence the lack to inspiration and dedication towards the paintings leads to inferior quality degrading the quality of this art. Their work in comparison to the original paintings of the past made by the master artists have a 60% match rate, its not 100% however we try our best to get the closest we possibly can. Also there was hardly any mention of the names of the artists / painters who made the paintings in the 17th19th century Kangra, there is no recognition given to them in the books of history.” When we asked him how we could help them, he just said that he has a few appeals and he wants to get their voices heard, there are messages that need to be conveyed like the government should support/promote these artists, send them for workshops all over the country to make people aware that Kangra paintings exist. The government should also take steps to involve the Kangra miniature paintings in all the different exhibitions that take place

all over the country. The Himachal State government should start more art schools teaching the subject of Kangra miniature paintings, so as to guide and teach the prospective art students well. There should be no discrimination made on the basis of arts especially between modern art and these regional arts like Kangra miniature paintings.Just like modern art even Kangra miniature paintings should get equal attention and encouragement to move forward and expand. Finally we concluded our conversation with this highly talented artist by asking him one last question about his future prospects to which he replied that his love for art is unending and has decided to dedicate his life to working as a Kangra miniature painter, whatever changes may come.

The Myths of the Flatland

One of Mr. Kalam Jeet’s painting from the Baramasa Series.

“Kangra miniature painting artists are very few, the princely state of Kangra should help to keep this art alive and the temples should employ more and more kangra painters. The locals of kangra itself aren’t aware of the art of Kangra miniature paintings; they need to be made aware about its existence and importance. Schools and colleges should incorporate the subject of Kangra Miniature paintings as a part of their syllabus, to help spread awareness amongst the youth of today. Many people aren’t aware about this but the art of kangra miniature paintings was drowning and only the remaining few 8-10 artists have kept it alive, otherwise it was almost at the verge of extinction.”. Our questions kept on getting more and more interesting, we asked him next that did the paintings they made today were similar to the historic Kangra Miniatures.With a smile on his face, he said “ As an artist and being completely honest about it I would say no. But there are reasons to that as well. The colours in the historic paintings still have their natural shine also the work was extremely fine and intricate”. Today even though the artists try their best to match up to the level of the master artists of the past centuries, they believe that they can never match up to the legendary master artists of the past. Before the artists would take 4-6 months to complete one painting. Hence they would put in a lot of time and effort into one piece of art they were working on but today these artists don’t have the time to dedicate to one painting,they have to complete at least 4 paintings in a month so that they can earn enough livelihood to sustain their lives.Since historic times the raw materials were prepared by the painters

The next artist we spoke too was Mr Rajeev Kumar, he was sitting two tables from Kamal Jeet working on four similar paintings simultaneously. It was really surprising to see how one man with two hands could work on 4 intricate miniature paintings at the same time.We sat down in front of him amazed at his skill as he put away his paintings to talk to us. He too was a childhood artist who loved painting and then left school to pursue his career as a commercial artist. In 2007 he joint the Chitera School of Art under KAPS at the Dharamshala museum; he proudly claimed how there were 150 entries for admission at the Chitera School of arts, out of which only 15 were chosen after an entrance test of their skills, and he was one of them. He then took training under Master Artist Dhani Ram Jee for the time span of 1 year under the Guru Shishya Paramapara. After which he took training under Mukesh Diman Jee another Master Artist |37

The Myths of the Flatland

Mr. Rajeev Kumar working on paintings for the Kangra Society.

who would sit at the Chamunda mandir in Kangra. “However the learning hasn’t stopped” he says, he keeps going back to his teachers to learn further and expand his knowledge. Apart from working as a painter under KAPS, also teaches the new students who join the Chitera School of Arts. So his job at the Dharamshala museum under KAPS is full time apart from which he freelances sometimes when the opportunity is worth it. He is able to work on 3-4 paintings maximum in one month out of which he makes 6000/- per month. Talking about family, he is married with no kids, stays with wife in Kangra 25 kms away from his work place. His wife is a Kangra miniature painter too, who was a part of his batch at the Chitera School of Arts.However she doesn’t work under KAPS, but freelances from home.Apart from which she does stitching works to earn extra income to run the house. When asked to share his thoughts about the present situation of Kangra Miniature paintings, this is what he had to say “The biggest

issue that this art faces today is that no one understands how important this art is, how delicate, intricate and detailed it is, hence they feel that 3000/- which is not even half the actual worth of the painting is too much”. He explained though he is one of the few remaining Kangra miniature painters, he still has a family to run and looking at the current state of the paintings if he doesn’t get enough income out of the efforts he is putting in he will leave it and look for an alternative job to sustain livelihood, which is the truth with most of the artists, they are at the verge of leaving it if the situation continues to degrade. Just like Kamal Jeet even he had a few appeals to make like the government needs to realise that their support towards this art is extremely important, KAPS who is working towards the promotion and welfare of this art, has revived this art however they won’t be able to last for long if the government doesn’t intervene in it.“Once there is awareness about this art amongst the people, they will show interests

towards it, the painters will then get better earnings and hence a better livelihood out of it” says Rajeev. While we were interviewing these master artists there was the 3rd artist present in the room Mr. Deepak Bhandari who was busy showing the rest of the group members a live demo of the process of making. Which has been elaborately mentioned in the chapter of ‘ The intricacy of making’. We were eagerly waiting for him to finish so that we could speak to him and know his thoughts as an artist of this art, so we finally did. Just like all the other master artists we spoke too Deepak Bhandari had the similar story. He joined the Chitera School of Arts, and took one year of training under master artisan Dhani Ram jee.Later he went on to 6 years of training under master artist Mukesh Diman jee, after which he took his final one year of training from Vijay Sharmaji another very renowned master artist of this art. Now he works as a full time Kangra miniature painter at the Dharamshala museum

Deepak Bhandari

(10am to 5pm). He is able to finish showing us the technique of making a miniature around 5-6 paintings every month, however the number depends on the detailing of the painting. He also works on contemporary and customised pieces on the demand of the customers. Then back at home he works as a freelance painter and works with acrylic on canvas. Apart from freelancing he also attends “Money doesn’t various workshops for additional matter, name does”. income. He has a lot of expectations from the promotional material Deepak Bhandari published by KAPS, which is hardly a brochure. Also he expects that soon enough government will recognise their efforts and help them with aid, not only monetary but by opening up more schools in Himachal itself which will teach and promote these paintings and by also commercially start selling these paintings in larger markets. Advertisements on the local television channels also will be a great help and boost in the awareness of this craft. Finally he just said these words that really inspired us, “Money doesn’t matter, name does”. |39

One of Mr. Rajeev Kumar’s painting from the Baramasa Series.

Another painting from the Baramasa Series done by Mr. Rajeev Kumar.

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Mr. Rajeev Kumar’s painting from the Baramasa Series. (right) Another painting from the Baramasa Series done by a KAPS artist- Mr. Pawan Deep Bansal

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paintings.He then gained all his knowledge from his father who had a lot of interest towards it. Apart from his father he also received training from Shri Chandu Lal Raina during the period of 19881992. After finishing training Mr. Dhani Ram was free for two years working in other odd jobs, after which he shifted to Delhi to work for 3 months until which the Deputy Commissioner of Himachal Pradesh Ms. Manisha Suther contacted him so as to bring him back to the state and then appointed him as an artist at the Kangra temple. This is where Dhani Ram Jee met Mukesh Diman jee, yet another master artist of this art, as they were allotted cabins at the temple. In 2002 the government launched the Handicrafts and handloom department in the state, through which they sent 15 students to Dhani Raam jee for training. Later in 2007 KAPS was formed, who started the Chitera School of Arts, where Dhani Ram jee was appointed as the teacher.

The Myths of the Flatland

That was the end of the first day of our encounter with the genius old hands. Next morning we headed towards Chamunda Devi Mandir in Kangra to meet the master artist of all these artists Mr. Dhani Ram. We were really looking forward to this meeting because we were curious to see the man who has trained the future of Kangra Miniature paintings. When we entered the temple we were told that Mr. Dhani Ram sat in his cabin inside the temple. We were welcomed warmly as we entered his small humble cabin, which was also his workspace. As we went in we saw that he was already working on a painting which was lying with his tools on the desk, we looked around scanning the working environment of this artist then we notice that he was also working on an oil painting of the temple on a canvas.Later we began our conversation.He had a soft corner towards art since childhood, however did not know anything about Kangra miniature

Chamunda Devi Mandir Kangra

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One of the paintings that Mr. Dhani Ram was working on.

He continued teaching at the Chitera School and produced various defined Kangra miniature paintings, however he stopped in 2012.He does not have links with KAPS anymore, however all the paintings that are produced under KAPS by their painters are sent to Dhani Ram jee every month for inspection of the quality. He approves the paintings and then they go for sales. Presently his main source of income is Kangra miniature paintings,as a freelancer. He has been working in this field for the past 15 years and hence has managed to make contacts in the commercial sector like Reliance and the Harmony trust (Ambanis) give him frequent orders. “Its all about your contacts” says Dhani Ram jee, in today’s world it’s extremely hard to operate and survive if you don’t have strong contacts. As a freelancer he earns much more in comparison to working under the temple since most of the earning goes off to the temple funds. The major issues faced by him today is looking for customers,

its extremely difficult to reach out to the people, yes the internet is a great help however due to lack of knowledge he is unable to utilise this source efficiently. Also Internet is an expensive platform; his income isn’t enough to afford promotions through the Internet. Dhani ram jee has similar expectations from the government regarding aid, which is including the subject of Kangra miniature paintings in school syllabus, reviving the old time’s works, encouraging more and more artists to take up learning this art by opening up many centres. “Its important that the people realise the value of these paintings, they need to see the hard work and skill that goes behind each painting and only then will they agree to pay 5000/or more for these paintings until then there will be no progress” says Dhani Ram Jee. However at the end of the discussion he did mention his problems the major ones being that working under the temple does give them a fixed salary for their work, however that’s extremely minimal and they are asked to do other

small works of the temples like repainting the walls that are losing colour which is disrespectful to an artist of that skill level. We concluded that Dhani Ram jee needs help in promoting himself as an artist, he wants to be recognised and his work to be presented in front of the world through a viable platform.

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Chamunda Devi Mandir Kangra

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painting in 1973, working with the same old techniques, taking 10-15 days per painting”. He gets paid around Rs 5000 or Rs 8000 per painting. Thus, he faces the major issues in terms of marketing. Regular income is really less and museum salary is too less. The Zurich museum made a documentary, which was based on their family. Not only that the very privileged writer Mr.BN Goswami has worked with this family. Well Mr.Anil Raina was indeed very proud of the heritage he was taking forward, being one of the last descendants of the great artist. He did have responsibilities to keep the tradition alive however he did believe it would get more and more difficult in the near future.

The Myths of the Flatland

After our talk with Dhani Ram jee we had an interview planned with Anil Raina. Lets introduce you to Mr. Anil Raina, one of the last descendants of the great historic Miniature painter Nainsukh. He is a painter himself and also works as a curator at the Dharamshala museum. When young he had migrated to Guler and hence started practising Guler school of paintings. He used to do both Guler & Kangra paintings. After settling in Kangra, he worked on Basohli style of paintings. “I am the 8th generation of Nainsukh. Nainsukh’s sons worked under Raja Sansar Chand as painters” said Mr. Anil Raina. However, the golden period for these paintings was the 16th-17th century, it was the best generation under Chandulal Raina. Though, he hasn’t taken up painting full time, but works as an artist to keep the generation’s art going. Otherwise he works at the Dharamshala museum on the front desk; apart from curating, he guides the students of Chitera School. He said “I still remember I started

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Chapter V

An Archival Excursion

The Myths of the Flatland

N. C Mehta Museum Ahmedabad

Government Museum and Art Gallery Chandigarh

N.C Mehta museum in Ahmedabad is the gallery house of Ragmala paintings and some magnificent artworks dealing with the royalty. There are also some works that portray the society at large and it’s functioning. The paintings showcased are made on handmade paper and the delineate figuring’s on it were done with natural-mineral colors. The gallery also showcases renowned works from Western India and Sultanate Scholl. The glory of the Mughal era is also underlined in some works. The Jain School paintings at this collective museum are also worth noticing. Persian epics Hamza-Nama and Sikander Nama find proud space in the gallery. The Krishna Leela and life of the kings also are a part of the miniatures here. Works dealing with love and romance in times of yore also find space here. The truly highlighting feature of the NC Mehta Gallery is that it houses collections from all ages, regions and eras that the country has been witnessed to. This also makes it a source of information about the wonderful yet subtle differences in various styles and schools of painting. The experience at the N.C Mehta archives is aesthetically appealing and informative.

The Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh is an art gallery in the Indian Union Territory Chandigarh, located in the city of Chandigarh near the Rose Garden. Established in August 1947, the building was designed by acknowledged architect, Le Corbusier. The museum has a section for miniature paintings, which had a vast collection of the original authentic Rajasthani and Pahari miniature paintings of the 17th-19th century made under the king’s rule. Various famous pahari painting serious like ‘the barahmasa’, ‘the naynika series’, the gits govinda’ were displayed with their detailed descriptions along side each. The Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, owes its existence to the partition of the country in August 1947. It is one of the premier institutions of India with a very rich collection of Gandharan sculptures, Pahari and Rajasthani miniature paintings. Before the partition in 1947, the collection of art objects, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts, were housed in the Central Museum, Lahore the then capital of Punjab. On April 10, 1948, the division of collection took place by which sixty percent of objects were retained by Pakistan and the remaining forty percent collection consisting mainly of Gandharan sculptures and Indian miniature paintings (Mughal and Pahari schools) fell in the share of India. Received in the month of April,1949, this collection was first housed in Amritsar then Shimla, Patiala and finally shifted to Chandigarh. Of the various

multidimensional Museums in India, the Government Museum and Art Gallery at Chandigarh occupies a very distinctive position for not only its unique collection of the objects, but also for other reasons as well. Situated in the heart of the city planned by Le Corbusier, and very close to the city center in beautiful view of the Shivalik range of mountains, the Museum has a very sprawling and spread out campus at one side of which is located the Government College of Art. The Museum building is an attraction in view of the fact that Le Corbusier himself designed it. The Museum was inaugurated on the 6th May, 1968 under the initiative and active support of Late Dr. M.S. Randhawa, renowned connoisseur and patron of art, and the then Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh. Later a few other buildings were added in view of the growing need of the Museum’s expansion. The campus in which the Museum is situated is surrounded with selective trees adding grandeur to the campus. The vast expanse of the courtyard of the Museum is dotted with some contemporary sculptures suitable for environmental display. The Museum has four wings of which the largest and the most imposing is doubtless the building of the Art Gallery. Another wing constitutes the Natural History Museum, Chandigarh Architecture Museum and National Gallery of Portraits. The Chandigarh Architecture Museum documents the different stages of development from the inception to the present stage of the city of Chandigarh.

An installation at The Chandigarh Art Museum.

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The Chandigarh Art Museum.

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Abhisandhita Nayika Series (19th Century) archived at Chandigarh Art Museum.

Vipralabdha Nayika Series (1850) archived at Chandigarh Art Museum.

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A Princess with a Parrot (18th Century A.D.) archived at Chandigarh Art Museum. Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra (1810 A.D.) archived at Chandigarh Art Museum.

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The view

Museum of Kangra Art Dharamshala

Chitera School of Arts started by KAPS, under which various artists are trained and turned into polished kangra miniature painter. What was very fascinating was how in such a small room allotted to the Chitera School of arts, students are trained and the trained artists sit and work further on their paintings.

The Myths of the Flatland

Museum of Kangra Art was opened on 17 January, 1990 to preserve, conserve and revive the rich cultural heritage of Kangra region. Museum is a treasure house of rich heritage of the valleys art and culture, located near Kotwali Bazaar at Dharmshala. Museum is still in infancy but now the collection is increased to 1500 art object comprising miniature paintings, textiles, sculptures, jewelry, coins and objects of cultural anthropology. Also known as the Dharamshala Museum this is the birthplace and present place of the

The Entrance of the Museum of Kangra Art

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The view of Old Kangra Fort from the Museum

Maharaja Sansarchand Museum

texts and almost everything that could showcase the royal lifestyle. The walls inside the museum were painted by artists especially brought from Rajasthan, disclosed the staff at the museum. This museum has used miniature painting for decorative purpose.

The Myths of the Flatland

Kangra

Museum showcases legacy of Katoch dynasty As Published in The Tribune - 21st November 2011 Close to the old Kangra Fort, Maharaja Sansar Chand Museum owned by the Royal family of Kangra has been opened for the public this month. A chart showing the complete Katoch dynasty has been displayed with pictures at the entrance of the museum that exhibits the items owned by the royal family like crystal and silver utensils, clothes, coins, a silver bed, swords, telescopes, some written

The Entrance of the Maharaja Sansar Chand Museum

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The display at Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Mumbai

The Myths of the Flatland

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales museum of Western India is one of the premium art and history museums in India. The museum had a special section on Indian Miniature paintings with the original paintings of historic times as well as the present time paintings by Master artist Mr. Vijay Sharmaji on display. Apart from which it had extensive information

regarding all the various types of pahari paintings and various types of miniature paintings that were born in India some of which include the; the deccan style, the mughal style, the eastern zone, the central zone, the pahari style and a few more.

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Chapter VI

Kangra Art Promotion Society The Myths of the Flatland

KAPS

The Myths of the Flatland

Kangra Art Promotion Society Mcleodganj, Dharamshala

K

angra Arts Promotion Society (KAPS), is an NGO registered with District Magistrate-Registrar Societies Kangra at Dharamshala (HP) started on the 5th of June 2007, registered under the number 4247 working for the promotion of arts of the greater Kangra region which comprises the current district of Kangra and surrounding areas that once formed part of the Kangra tradition. KAPS operates from its headquarters at Mcleodganj, where we were staying. KAPS is working actively for the upliftment and preservation of the arts in Kangra. They are mainly focusing on the dying art of Kangra Miniature Painting and they are working on the principles of “Guru-Shishya Parampara”. KAPS is the nodal agency to acquire a Geographical Indicator (GI) for Kangra miniatures and has been authorized to certify Kangra Paintings on authenticity under the Geographical Indications Goods (Registration and Protection) Act1999. The purpose of KAPS is to ensure that the tradition of Kangra. Paintings, is enlivened and nurtured by a new generation of Artists and passed on to the future generations.

After meeting with the cofounders we got to know that currently very few genuine “disciples” of old Kangra Schools (Gharana) survive. Many of them work in obscurity and live on meager earnings through associations with temples or sales to tourists with low remunerations. One of their ways of doing that is by Chitera School. This School actively performs this art at the first floor room of Dharamshala Museum. We met Mrs. Ritu, the Curator of the Museum, there. She helped us getting in touch with all the other people working in the same direction. At present, Chitera School has six active resident artists who practice this art. Initially when it started Mr. Agrawal took the initiative to save this ever dying traditional art. This foundation was initially working with small cluster also with the founder and co-founders private investments for 6 months. After that in 2007 on the 5th of June, the society received G.I. Status from the government. All the Members of KAPS: Dr. Akshay Ranchal (Founder of the society) , Mr. B.K Agrawal (Founder of the society), Mr. Bharat Kera (Vice president

of the society), Mr. Sanjeet Rana (C.A of the society), Mr. Varun Singh (Secretary of the society), Mrs. Smiti Chada (Active member of the society) are working towards the growth of this craft. They do promotions in the form of Exhibitions and work- shops. They arranged an exhibition in Wild flower hall, Shimla, Workshops for the government employees, Workshops in Schools, Jammu Workshop, Film Making workshop with live demonstra- tions to attract more people, International Exhibitions at Nehru Center, London and Milpitus, Cali- fornia. The students are trained under experts. And sometimes these students then become independent and start working separately. One artist completes around 4-5 paintings in a month. Each painting is sold for Rs.2,500 and Rs.3,000 for the framed ones. This foundation provides the students with all the

materials to perform this art. They procure their Raw material like Colours, Handmade Paper and Gold and Silver from jaipur, Rajasthan. The Master Artisan of this school is Mr. Dani Ram and Mr. Mukesh. They teach the new comers and also approve the final paintings. KAPS is moving forward and hoping to expand with a few objectives in mind. They wishes to preserve the arts of Kangra ,Identify the practicing Kangra artists and support them, encourage the existing artists to further evolve the arts of Kangra, set up a school to teach the arts of Kangra, build a treasure of old and new paintings for posterity and promote Kangra arts at National and International level.

A picture of the Craft Cluster team with the active team of KAPS. (Mrs. Smiti Chada holding her NIFT Calendar presented by our college as a souvenir)

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B.N. Goswamy

Chapter VII

B.N. Goswamy The Myths of the Flatland

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O

ur journey of researching and studying of the Kangra Miniature paintings had a meaningful end. We had a direct conversation with the “Cornucopia of miniature paintings” (as the title suggests), Mr. B. N Goswami. Unfortunately, we failed to meet him in person but we had a verbal dialect via email for the clarification of our doubts and proposing a list of questions. Before absorbing the dialect it is important to get familiar with Mr. Gosawmi and his brilliant works. Prof. B.N. Goswami is a distinguished art historian, and a leading authority on Indian art and is Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Punjab University, Chandigarh. His work covers a wide range profile and is regarded, especially in the area of Pahari painting, as having influenced serious critical thinking. He received many honors including the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship, the Rietberg Award from Switzerland

for Outstanding Research in Art History, the Padma Shri (1998) and the Padma Bhushan (2008) from the President of India. Prof. Goswamy has written extensively and has been responsible for major exhibitions of Indian art in Paris, San Francisco, Zurich, San Diego, and Frankfurt. As Visiting Professor, he has taught at Universities of Heidelberg, Pennsylvania, California (at Berkeley and Los Angeles), Zurich, and Texas (at Austin), and lectured extensively at museums and universities in Europe, the U.S. and India. One of Mr. B. N. Goswami’s renowned works is a book on Indian Painting with the title: “Themes, History and Interpretations”. The Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh on 18 October 2013 released another book on Indian painting which is titled as “The spirits of Indian Paintings” written by Prof. B.N. Goswami in New Delhi.

1. When did Kangra miniature painting catch your attention and how?  2. Do you think there has been any evolution/ change in the old traditional style in the Kangra painting? 3. In what ways and do you appreciate the change? 4. What are your views about; keeping the handicrafts in their true authenticated (authentic) form or would you appreciate stylized (or material) change and its contemporized use also? 5. We as design students and future communicators will work towards preserving (promoting) this craft to relevant audience. The youth of the country has a lot of potential. What do you expect can we as the future of India do to preserve the painting style? And if at all preservation should be the emphasis currently?

To all these questions Mr. Goswami gave an answer with barely few sentences, but these sentences held a lot of meaning and depth within them.

The Myths of the Flatland

We asked him few questions in order to clarify our generic doubts about the origin, development of the painting and its inevitable techniques to suffice the information available to us also informing him about our doings. List of questions:

He said, “ I do not believe in designations like “Kangra Miniatures ” for to equate a state with a style is not too logical in my way of thinking. Styles were formed within families of artists and my work has been along those lines for many, many years. He further added, “Contemporary work being done in the so-called Kangra style is essentially copying work, a faint imitation of what was done in the 18th and 19th centuries. Very little fresh thinking is going into it and there is no sense of conviction in it.” Though we couldn’t arrange a personal one-to-one meeting with Mr. Goswami but his guidance and viewpoint about the miniature painting (specifically Kangra) changed our way of approach to the same. It seemed like we were driven by the placebo effect of the miniature paintings and Mr. Goswami’s response made it a revival reality.

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References B.N. Goswami, (2014) The Spirit of Indian Paintings, Penguin Bo oks India M.S. Randhawa, 1(954) Kangra Valley Painting, Publications Division Anjan Chakravarty (2005) History of Pahari Painting, Lustre Press Edith Tomry 1(982) History of fine arts in India, Orient Longman

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