The 'Museum Night' in the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) has received a commendable response from art lovers. The twilight walk in the sculpture garden and the galleries of 'Kshetragya' with Adwait Gadanayak, Director General, NGMA were delightful. The participants interacted with the Director-General and he said that creative interactions with artists and art lovers will widen the horizons. He also said that the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi's relentless efforts in preserving art forms and bringing back precious antiquities infuses a new life to existing art in our culture.
Later on, Satyajit Ray's documentary on Berode Behari Mukherjee was screened, for which there was the presence of a captive audience. The walkthrough in the section of Nicholas Roerich of 'Kshetragya' (an ongoing exhibition) with historian and curator Vladimir Zaitsev enlightened the visitors with the interesting aspects of Nicholas' relationship with the country. People from various age groups also joined the sketching masterclass in the reimagined Amrita Sher-Gil studio space and did their best to present their thoughts.
The audience enjoyed visiting the gallery's two ongoing exhibitions - 'Hastantaran' ('In Transmission') and 'Kshetragya' ('The Illumined').
NGMA is privileged to hold the biggest collection of his works under one roof, several of which are on display here. The artist spearheaded a cultural renaissance that was aligned with Gandhian ideas. The 'pièce de rèsistance' is his rendition of Bapu, an image carved on linoleum that immortalised the 'Salt Satyagraha'. On display are also his legendary 1938 'Haripura Posters', commissioned by the Mahatma. The significance of his contribution to the movement for India's Independence was acknowledged when he was asked to illustrate the pages of the Constitution of India.
'Jaipur House' is now open to visitors. Currently on view is 'Kshetragya: The Illumined', a seminal exhibition that celebrates the extraordinary oeuvre of 10 renowned national treasures who were the torchbearer of distinct Indian modernism: Abanindranath Tagore, Raja Ravi Varma, Jamini Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Benode Behari Mukherjee, Nicholas Roerich, Amrita Sher-Gil, Ramkinkar Baij and Sailoz Mukherjea. Their practice was a distil of their cross-cultural encounters, their colonial experience, the prevailing nationalist sentiment and the desire to respond to their own environment. Through their unparalleled virtuosity, they infused new meaning into Indian art.