CULTURE

ARTSCAPE
London studio brings royalty out of closet
Rana A. Siddiqui

• Maharaja of Jind (1879-1948): Sir Ranbir Singh succeeded to the throne at the age of eight upon the death of his grandfather, who had been awarded the honorary title of Raja-i-Rajagan in perpetuity on account of his fierce loyalty to the Empire during the Second Afghan War in 1878. This image was made a year after his invitation to meet the Prince of Wales. • Sirdar Charanjit Singh of Kapurthala (1883-) Sirdar Charanjit Singh’s visit to England in 1920, at which time this photograph was taken, was mentioned in the courtt Circular of 9 June 1920: ‘Sirdar Charanjit Singh gave a dinner party at Claridges Hotel last night to meet the Secretary of State for India and Mrs Montagu.

Those were the days when the royals in India ruled. They mesmerized those who watched them face to face -- with their glitz and glamour, style and manner. They remain, but in the albums of connoisseurs and curators. One of such collection is now exhibited in The British Council. It is on view till November 27.

It is an exhibition of the Lafayette Portraits of Princely India in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and British Council. The Lafayette Studio is in Bond Street, London that is specialized in photographing the aristocracy.

The council exhibits some 60 images of royal India tracing it back to early 18th century as also some who's who of the British Empire.

Rulers, royalties and dignitaries from outside the UK would visit this studio to have an 'official' portrait made. Thus, the exhibition not only covers images of Queen Elizabeth, Rudyard Kipling, Prince Nicholas of Rumania, Earl and Countess Mountbatten, but also the likes of Shrimant Maharaja Sir Sayajirao iii Gaekwad of Baroda, the famous Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar -- the word's best cricketer (after whom Ranji Trophy was named) and many others.

• Maharani Siniti Devi of Cooch Bihar (1864-1932): Maharani Siniti Devi, wife of Sir Nirpendra Narayan, wears a gown of white satin (made bya French dress maker) with an ‘Empire’ wreath design embroidered in gold. She also wears the Badge of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India. The Maharani wore this dress at the Coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 • Colonel Shri Sir Ranjitsinghji Vibhaji (1872-1933): Maharaja Jam Saheb of Nawanagar is popularly rembered as Ranji - one of the world’s best cricketers, and the author of The Jubilee Book of Cricket. Although he lost an eye in a shooting accident, he continued playing cricket to show that it was possible to bat with only one eye’.

All photographs contain the period of the royalty, the finest details of the accessories adorned, a little bit about their lives and an apt paragraph from their autobiography/biography lending it an absorbing attention.

Take for example, the picture of four princes of Cooch Behar (1886-1937). The details underneath picture, contain briefs about their lives, death as also tears which formed an integral part of their lives owing to separation from parents.

These princes were schooled, away from home and parents at Eton, learnt Greek and French but were alien to their own Cooch Behar language.

Then there is the picture of Maharajadhiraj Bhopal Singh Bahadur of Udaipur (1884 --1955), who died a tragic death, childless, leaving two widows and seven Rolls-Royces.

And there are more, like the Rani Amrit Kaur Sahib of Mandi whose mother, the third queen of her father Maharaja Sir Jagjit Singh Bahadur of Kapurthala, was also a dancing associate of the infamous Dutch spy Mata Hari.

The exhibition is a must-visit for all who want to know our royal past.

If you visit Gallery Om at Defence Colony, you might not feel like staying for long and have glimpses of 'Hues 2001'- a group exhibition of artists from South of India and West Bengal, unless you meet its curator Ms Seth. She will usher you to the newly explored realms of art, through some 25 paintings by both famous and lesser-known mix of artists like Jogen Chowdhury, Dipali Bhattacharya, Dutta Banosode, Suhas Roy, Yusuf Arakkal, Lalu Prasad Shaw and others. Out of which Dutta Banosode, whom she has introduced for the first time, stands unique.

His works capture the attention for their fresh idea -- the Buddha by pen on rice paper and predominantly black background. The Buddha is portrayed thinking--- the process of which is shown through a cloud of thought above him. The specialty of rice paper is that, it is hand-made. The brown rice paper is pasted on black canvas. The comparative shades of black, brown and white provide the painting, a different appearance and thus hold attention.

While, the self-taught painter Achuttan Kuddulur's abstract paintings have bright shades of blue, green and orange. "He mostly paints in bright shades," the curator tells you. It has a hidden human face, characterized by irregular, flat lines. Amid aesthetic, yet dull paintings of Dutta, Suhas and others, Shauvaprassana's paintings of flowers in pot and otherwise bring a cheerful ambience to the gallery. His flowers wear bright colours of season - yellow and orange. Dipali's canvas, portraying a woman lost in serene environs of half-moon night might steal some of your concentration. The gallery's forthcoming exhibition, namely, 'You and Me', by the famous artist Bulbul Sharma and Neenaladri commences on December 5.

A euphonic treat for connoisseurs

"In the nature's bulk of secrecy, little I can read," thus said the Bard in his famous creation, Antony and Cleopatra. Goes true with most, even artists who try hard to read most in nature. The very attempt showed itself in the sonorous renditions of geet and ghazal by the famous exponent of Hindustani classical music, Ustad Ghulam Sadiq Khan.

His nephews, Ghulam Habib on tabla, Ghulam Husnain, (who is a singer himself) and Shahzad Husain (guitarist), accompanied him in the Pragati Maidan's Falaknuma Open Theatre, organized by ITPO, recently.

The evening, beautified by half moon and an unroofed theatre, was released from the limiting circumstances of race, space and time. To add to the charms, the Ustad sang compositions from the famous poet Jigar Muradabadi, starting with,

(Those who are looking for an oasis in the beloved's long hair, will always wander in desert). Enough to capture even an average music listener's attention.

Ghulam Husnain, who accompanied the Ustad on harmonium, was coaxed into singing by his guru. He came out with a ghazal emphasizing the need of love in life: 

Tum na mano magar haqqiqat hai

Listen to his euphonic voice with closed eyes and you will not be able to tell him from the famous Pakistani Ghazal singer, Ghulam Ali. The ghazal had a magic spell on audience. So, the demands for encore poured in. To satisfy the audience, he sang the famous Ghulam Ali number:

Chupke chupke raat din, aansoo bahan yaad hai and the famous song from film Sath Sath, tum ko dekha to ye khayal aaya.

The numbers lifted even the most wilted of spirits who clapped and thumbed while enjoying the ghazal.

The feelings of love and separation kept playing their vital roles in most of the songs that the veteran singer sang:

And Hoozoor aap ka bhi ahtaram karta chaloon

The audience swam in rosy mist. Engulfed in the magical, euphonic treat, they refused to leave, even while the announcement of the end of the programme was made.

In the exuberance of joy, Ghulam Sadiq Ali, resumed to conclude the evening, well in tune with slipping hours:

Raat ke aakhir hote hote khatam tha ye afsana bhi

The evening, though ended on a good note, could not please many, who thronged there for a classical treat. "This evening was not meant for the lovers of classical music in the first place," explained Ghulam Sadiq Ali. "It was for those, who wanted to lighten themselves after a day's toil," added the organizer, ITPO, Mr Utpal.