Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra- a history

The documentation of the recent history of the arts and artists of India has been more fanciful than factual. Artists, creative as they are, compile profiles that do not always stick to facts or bear scrutiny in historical terms. It is left to chroniclers to set the record right. The history of post-independence India is rather recent to have been recorded fully. Early scholars were busy trying to revive and reestablish art forms lost to a long, colonial rule. This book focuses on the last fifty years, coinciding with India attaining freedom from foreign rule. Most dramatis personae are alive and have contributed personal recollections to the book. Sumitra Charat Ram symbolises the generation that was born at the beginning of this century, and through the changing fortunes of the country, helped serve the arts and artists of India by creating a viable platform - the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra - where very few existed in Delhi. Her persona is a perfect foil for the two worlds - the artistic and the commercial - to meet. Ashish Khokar, her collaborator, comes from a family of scholar-artists and is a product of young, independent India. His concerns, as also his insights, are from a point of view of a new, vibrant India. Exposed to arts and artists from childhood and trained in several forms, he offers insights into their beings, while the critic in him dissects their life and times dispassionately. Ultimately, this compilation is relevant for no other reason than the fact that while stars and established names are celebrated, a lot of lesser known but no less talented people are neglected or remain uncelebrated. A sizeable section of this book reads like a who's who of the art world of India, especially of its capital city, New Delhi. This is the story of the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, which is the story of the countless artists it has produced and projected. This book celebrates India's artistic genius. And, in the process, celebrates those who made it possible.