An art exhibition and book launch were organised to pay tribute to the legendary sculptor and painter, Ramkinkar Baij, at Nazrul Tirtha in New Town. The event showcased Baij’s original paintings and sculptures celebrating his contributions to modern Indian art. The two-day exhibition, ‘Exploring Ideas of Progress’, was held on March 29 and 30
Photos: Amit DattaCelebrated artists, critics and dignitaries visited the exhibition. Among the guests were Lalu Prasad Shaw, Niranjan Pradhan, Suktisubhra Pradhan, Sanjeev Kishore Gautam, Chandranath Das, Kamaldeep Dhar, Vimal Chand, Amit Kalla, Radhey Shyam, Partha Shaw, Shashikala Singh and Japani Shyam
The chief guest was Sanjeev Kishore Gautam, director general, National Gallery of Modern Art, who highlighted Baij’s revolutionary artistic vision. Rittika Chanda Parruck, MBE, director of education at the British Council, New Delhi, was the guest of honour. Sahitya Akademi award winner, Prayag Shukla, eminent Hindi poet, author and art critic, was also present at the occasion
The exhibition showcased a collection of Baij’s original works. Alongside those, the exhibition also featured masterpieces from artists like MF Husain, Abdur Rahman Chughtai, Prodosh Dasgupta, KG Subramanian, Tyeb Mehta, Jangarh Singh Shyam, Lalu Prasad Shaw and Niranjan Prasad
The book, ‘The Unseen Life of Ramkinkar Baij’, authored by Chandranath Das and co-authored by Chandrima Das, was launched at the event. The book provides a close look at Baij’s life, creative journey and artistic contributions, revealing lesser-known aspects of his personality and evolution as an artist
The inaugural day also witnessed an array of cultural programmes, including a poetry recital by Kabi Swayam Shivastava and a sitar recital by Srimonta Mazumdar, accompanied by Samir Ray Choudhury on tabla
Visitors are dignitaries at the event