The Man Who Transformed the Constitution Of India as Work of Art
Did you know that the original Constitution of India which was adopted on 26 January 1950, was not a printed document? Yes, the original copy of Constitution of India has a wonderful story to tell to the world.
The original constitution was entirely handcrafted by the artists of Shantiniketan under the guidance of world-renowned artist Nandalal Bose, with the calligraphy texts done by Prem Behari Narain Raizada in Delhi. This document is now preserved in a special helium-filled case in the library of the Parliament of India.
Artist Nandalal Bose was born on 3rd December 1882 in Kharagpur, Munger, Bengal Presidency, British India
Nandalal was one of those painters who fought against all odds in order to pursue his passion. Unlike many other Indian painters, Bose did not have the support of his family.
As a young artist, Bose was deeply influenced by the murals of Ajanta Caves. In the backdrop of the Indian freedom struggle, Bose along with other artists of the Bengal School (including his mentor Abanindranath Tagore) worked towards reviving the Indian style of art, moving away from European techniques that had become prevalent in art-schools at the time.
Nandalal became the principal of Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan in 1922. He was influenced by the Tagore family and the murals of Ajanta. His classic works contain paintings of scenes from Indian mythologies, women, and village life. Nandalal’s contribution towards Indian art is immense, for which he was honored with the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India. Today Nandalal Bose is considered as one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism.
About the author: Shantala Palat is a Delhi based, new generation contemporary artist whose work has recently gained popularity after participating in series of international and national exhibitions and winning the prestigious Nippon art award (2011) from School of Art Institute of Chicago, USA. In 2013, she had her first solo exhibition at Hamra Centre, City of West Torrens Auditorium Gallery, Adelaide, Australia. Shantala’s artworks were appreciated for their vibrant and vivid colours and the interesting ability to beautify the negative and positive spaces of the interlocked figures and for portraying the curious nature of the modern human being.
