Razen Manandhar
God is mean. He seldom gives both a brush and a pen to one person. And
he further gave the zeal, mission and craft to make a platform to present both
brush and pen. The only person in our context with all these charecteristics is
none other than Lain Singh Bangdel, a character of his own, who passed away
last week on the very auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami.
Ramchandra might have conquered the invincible Rawana on this day, but
time proved itself more powerful than Ramachandra himself and snatched away the
Gift for Nepal and made such a void here that will be more than hard to fill
up.
He was born in Darjeeling, India in 1924 in a middle class family. His
parents never had dreamed of making him an internationally renowned artist
scholar. After spending his school days at Government High School of Darjeeling
and a District Borad Scholarship took
him to Government Collage of Arts and Crafts and from where he was graduated in
1945.
But instead of returning home to fulfil his father's dream, he stayed in
Kolkota and tried his luck now and then. He worked for several advertising
agencies, got sacked for being "incompetent". More than art teachers,
he was trained by failures that also made him ambitious and provoked him to set
his goal.
His firm ambition to become an artist made him one-month-long voyage to
London and move to France, his ultimate destination in 1952. Since he was there
without any concrete programme, mountains of difficulties were obvious. He
lived in outskirts, in poorly heated rooms and he had to walk around the city
to sell his early paintings. For almost two decades, he remained truly "an
artist" in Paris and London, where he learned much more than the
techniques of making strokes on empty canvass.
The dice was cast in 1961 when artist Bangdel got an
opportunity to be introduced to His Late Majesty King Mahendra. Panchyati
System was quite new and His Majesty was in search of personalities, who could
show Modern Nepal to the world from different angles. The four-year old Royal
Nepal Academy needed some artists to showcase Nepal's art. Though Nepal had
been a treasure of art and architecture for millennia, and contemporary art has
entered Nepal much earlier than Bangdel was born in an Indian town, he was granted
membership of the Academy by the king himself. Thus, luck had it that his
working place became Nepal, the country his ancestors had left generations ago.
The time was Panchayati, when the king's decision was considered all in
all. Being a king-nominated member of the Academy was just different in those
days. His well-maintained relation with his late majesty as well as his
expertise made him vice-chancellor in 1974 and again the first non-royal
chancellor in 1979 and worked as the head of the academy till 1989. He was
fortunate to be remain in the highly powerful organisation of the scholars,
backed by the state itself, for almost all of the Panchayati period. This was
also the most productive days of his life—series of painting exhibitions and
book publications he brought in this period, followed by dozens of decorations,
were his achievement as well as Nepal's. Most of his books were published from
the Academy where as some were published abroad.
Right after coming to Nepal, he exhibited his semi abstract paintings at
Saraswati Sadan. It was the time when Jadadish Samsher and Genendra Bahadur
Amatya had come up with abstract works so it will be exaggeration to call him
pioneer of "modern art" but his ones were more sharpened with the
addition of European outlook. Making a position in Nepal's art areana, where
most of the aritists were submissive, shy and unexposed to Western world was
not difficult for him. He thus became an
icon of modern art, with his characteristic of matching green with soothing blue
and composing figures with cubic applications.
Establishment of Nepal Art Circle is Bandels another side of
contribution. Founded to exhibit replicas of European art today stands as a
government aided institutions, of which he was secretary till his last day. A
group of artists, New Artists' Ciercle today are following his path.
Bangdel was born to be an artist but his contribution to literature of
Nepali language was not less remarkable. He had published 'Bishwa Katha Sangraha' before he left for London.
His life in London, France and Spain gave the literature of Nepali some
remarkable volumes in different genres. Students of literature today remember
him for his books, mainly Spain ko Samjhana, Muluk Bahira, Maitighar, Langadako
Sathi, Bishwa ka Chha Mahan Kalakar and Rembrandt.
An unfogettable part of his contribution to Nepal is his deep study in
Nepal's stone scupture, mosty of the early age. Bangdel might never had
imagined that his small valley is rich with uncountable stone sculptures, some
dating as early as the first century BC. His delegent study and interpretation
opened a new age of studying Nepal's cultural heritage, or he at least open the
window to Nepalis, who often boast of their legacy. His research produced
Prachin Nepali Murtikalako Itihas (1982), Ancient Sculptures of Nepal
(1982,India) Stolen Images of Nepal (1989) and Inventry of Stone Sulptures of
the Kathmandu Valley (1995) are some of his books.
Despite all, he was constantly isolated form Nepali artists' circles,
criticised of misusing his power and also as being undemocrtic to juniors.
Still, his contributions to Nepal, Nepal's art, heritage and literature will be
remembered and Nepalis will have to wait for long till some able person holds
mission and power to replace his vacuity.
The Kathmandu Post
