“One late afternoon in 2013, barely two years after his residence in India, I found S.H. Raza doing a canvas in subdued hues. I was intrigued since his usual geometrical shapes were not there. The painting in question was the first one which had the last words of Mahatma Gandhi as he fell down dead to the bullets of his assassin saying ‘Hey Ram’,” recollects Raza’s close poet-critic friend Ashok Vajpeyi.
“It is important to note,” he adds, saying, “that he was 91 then, but he was so determined to express his love and admiration for the Mahatma that he created a series paintings to pay him a rich tribute.”
This acrylic on canvas composition, ‘Hey Ram’, is one of the seven paintings from the solo show titled, ‘Gandhi in Raza’ that has been put together by Akar Prakar gallery, in collaboration with the Raza Foundation, to highlight Raza’s admiration for the Mahatma, and also to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the modernist master who passed away in July 2016.
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What is interesting about this exhibition is that viewers will find a new grammar and a new vocabulary that the master artist employed to show his love for the father of the nation. The use of subdued hues and motifs are somewhat a departure from what one usually sees in a Raza painting. And, he has also used texts and verses to bring out the concept of Gandhian ideas.
For instance, one of the paintings titled, ‘Peed Parai’ has the popular verse, ‘Vaishnava Jana To’ by poet Narsinh Mehta inscribed in it. And so has the ‘Thoughts of Gandhiji’ in which against a sunny yellow background, Raza has written words from the Mahatma’s speech.
Raza was barely eight years old when he first saw Mahatma Gandhi in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh. The Mahatma had come there to address a public meeting during the freedom struggle of India. There were no exchanges, but Raza seemed to have been deeply influenced by Gandhian philosophy. The biggest example of this is when the Partition took place in 1945 and communal riots broke out, Raza’s brothers, a sister, and his first wife decided to move to Pakistan, however, he refused to shift to Pakistan saying that he would want to stay in his ‘watan’.
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“I remember him telling me once that ‘yeh to humara watan hai… hum kyun isse chod ke jaate,” reminisces Vajpeyi. “But one of the main reasons for taking this decision,” Vajpeyi says, “was that he had thought that leaving the country would mean betraying the Mahatma.”
While Raza spent nearly six decades of his life in France, never did he lose the connect with India. During his frequent sojourns to the native land, he used to visit Sewagram or Rajghat or Sabarmati because he always considered these places as holy.
“I had the fortune to accompany him during some trips and whenever he would visit any of these places, he would bow down on his knees and touch the earth with his forehead in salutation to the Mahatma,” says Vajpeyi.
Book launch
An 80-page book by the same name was also launched at the opening of the exhibition and the book features essays by Nandalal Bose, Gopal Krishna Gandhi and Vajpeyi.
At the opening, Raza’s close friend and contemporary artist Krishen Khanna was also present. He delved into the past and shared several anecdotes about the person whom he knew so intimately. “He never forgot India. Whenever he used to visit India, he ensured that he interacted with the young artist. He always gave them feedback and suggestions, and was extremely encouraging,” he recollected. “But those days are gone… I feel bereft. Everyone has gone one by one… he was the last one to go,” a teary-eyed Khanna added.
( On till February 28 at Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre. The show will then continue at Akar Prakar gallery, Hauz Khas Village till March 31)