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Farewell Manjit Bawa

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It was a black Monday on December 29th 2008 as the famous sixty seven year old painter Manjit Bawa expired at his Green Park home in the south of Delhi. He had been in coma since three years due to a stroke before he took his last breath. His wife had already passed away some years back, leaving Bawa by his lonesome self to muse over shared memories.

Manjit Bawa was just as famous among Indian as he was appreciated among foreign art circles all over the world and is a painter who will always be remembered as one who brought about a drastic change in Indian creativity by using bold vibrant striking colors.

Bawa was educated in the top Art College of Delhi as well as the London Printing School. He began his career by silk-screen printing in the year 1964 in London from where he rose to great heights.

His original ideas were far better than the Western shades of brown and gray and he use bright shades of violet and red. He was said to be a great lover of nature and Indian myths, which inspired him in his work. He wished he could change the sky from blue to red as red was one of his favourites. He did not care about the regular fashion and trends, instead he followed his heart. I will always remember him as a courageous and brilliant painter who was always full of life till his last breath.

Background And Formative Career: Manjeet Bawa’s early years

The famous Manjit Bawa was born in Punjab in a small place called Dhuri in 1941. Manjit Bawa had a dear friend Jogen Choudhury who was with him in a new art movement as well. Their paintings were quite similar and each had a unique touch of simplicity and style to it.

His paintings show the positive side of love, nature and peace. Some themes are divine in nature, portraying various Gods, particularly Krishna playing the flute beside cattle, animals that survive on other animals and men sitting together. All this shows that he had a feeling of Sufi mysticism when he was thinking of what to paint, which was observed by many critics.

Manjit Bawa was among the first who blended miniatures with iconography in the year 1993 and this remarkable exhibition was curated by Anupam Poddar. He worked on smaller but fascinating works at Espace Gallery, which was a remarkable exhibition of Gems despite their miniature size.

The day Bawa suffered a brain stroke Uma Nair, an art critic said that he fainted in his car when he’d finished attending an art exhibition at Bodhi Gallery and was on his way home.

It was that night that Nair had seen him wearing a black suit for the first time as usually he was always spotted in the traditional Indian kurta and loose fitting trousers. He was taken to a hospital immediately by the judge of Bodhi art, Amit.

Nair said that Bawa will always by remembered as a legend due to his exceptional sense of drawing and that his work will always be alive and appreciated in decades to come. We whole-heartedly agree.

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