Subrata Mukut Das displays a copy of the painting he and his brothers made for Bill Clinton. Picture by Pabitra Das

A labour of love by three Calcutta artists meant for Bill Clinton has been mysteriously mislaid.

Three brothers ? Subrata, Riban and Rinkan ? met Bill Clinton at Mother House during his 2001 visit and presented the former US president with a painting of him with Mother Teresa. Overjoyed by Clinton?s response, the trio created a series of paintings of the Taj Mahal just for him.

But despatched from the General Post Office (GPO) in December, there has been no sign of the consignment of artwork bound for Washington and New York since. The brothers have, however, received acknowledgement receipts bearing the signature of one Manuel Estepan, dated 1.12.05 at, apparently, both New York and Washington.

?Clinton saheb loved the painting and spent quite some time with us,? recalls Subrata Mukut Das, who, with his brothers, has received the Tagore award from former president R. Venkatraman and other plaudits, including one handed over by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

?He was overjoyed with the gift and wanted to see more of our work. He posed for a photograph with us and invited us for a free exhibition anywhere in the US,? he adds.

The brothers then got to work on the Taj series. ?Our paintings capture the monument in summer, winter and in the rains,? explains Subrata. One depicts Clinton and wife Hillary in front of the Agra landmark. Then began the hunt for Clinton?s address. ?We met US consul-general George Sibley, who helped us get Clinton saheb?s address in New York and Washington,? adds Subrata.

Last December, two packets were made with the Taj paintings and other works and posted by registered AD, along with a letter requesting help for an exhibition. The GPO was chosen over a courier service to save money.

But recently, when the brothers contacted Clinton?s office, they learnt the consignment had never reached. ?We got in touch with the GPO authorities, who gave us the acknowledgement slips,? said the distressed painter.

All that the GPO officials would say is they were now looking into the matter.