Chronology of important events

1916 Jan 14 born at Faridpur, East Bengal (now in Bangladesh).
1922-32 Sent to famous Hindu School, Calcutta.
1930 Visited Santiniketan with professor Pramode Ranjan Pal (uncle) and met Nandalal Bose in Kala Bhavan, both encouraged him to take fine arts as a career in life.
1933-39 Graduated from Government School of Art, Calcutta in first division the 6 years Diploma in Fine Arts and won a scholarship. During the curriculum he became direct student of the Principal Mukul Chandra Dey, Ramendranath Chakraborty, Basant Coomar Ganguli, Pralhad Karmakar and Monindrabhusan Gupta.
1940 Joined Indian Society of Oriental Art, Calcutta for a 2 years Diploma in Indian Art where he studied painting under Kshitindranath Majumdar and received guidance from Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore and Giridhari Mohapatra. Undertook decoration work of the pandal and painted portraits of national leaders for the Hindu Mahasabha Session, Calcutta. Influenced by the paintings of Ju Peon (from China) and Hamen Majumdar during their exhibitions held in Calcutta.
1941 Took one year Art Appreciation Course of Calcutta University under art historians Stella Kramrisch, Sarasi Kumar Saraswati, Niharranjan Ray and Devi Prasad Ghosh.
1942-44 Worked as artist at the Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art, Calcutta where he painted replica of life size frescos of Sigiria caves of Sri Lanka and Padmapani Buddha of Horizinara temple of Japan.
1943 Served as an artist in the Geographical Society, Calcutta University, Calcutta.
1944-45 Worked as commercial artist with Metro Publicity, Ideal Publicity and other British firms.
1945-48 During partition (India-Pakistan) served as instructor to set up the training center in Ranaghat and Midnapore (West Bengal) rehabilitation camps. Here he painted several landscapes and portraits in water color.
1949 Migrated to Gandhinagar refugee camp, Bhopal and served as toy instructor. First Bhopal state chief commissioner Noel Banerjee (I.C.S) got impressed by his paintings and bought several of them.
1950 At the insistence of Bhopal state chief commissioner Vishwanathan (I.C.S) he was invited to join Government Model High School, Shahajenabad as first drawing teacher. President Dr. Rajendra Prasad inaugurated his one man show at Indore.
1951-54 Came in close association with Bhopal state chief commissioner Bhagwan Sahay (I.C.S) and taught him to paint. During this period he continued to work with him to paint landscapes and portraits.
1951 Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee opened his solo painting exhibition at Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh).
1952 Appointed drawing teacher at Jehangiria High School, Bhopal.
1954-56 By orders of Bhopal state chief minister Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma he started the art department at Government Basic Training College, Bhopal and assumed the post of professor. Came in contact with Bhopal state chief commissioner K.P.Bhargava (I.C.S) and tutored him in painting.
1956-61 Joined Government Postgraduate Basic Training College, Bhopal as lecturer in fine arts.
1959 The Indian Ambassador to Nepal Bhagwan Sahay invited him to Kathmandu to paint. His solo painting exhibition was arranged by Press and Cultural attache of Indian Embassy Dr.Shiv Mangal Singh 'Suman' with the paintings painted during his stay in Nepal. The exhibition was opened by Prime Minister of Nepal B.P. Koirala. All paintings were sold. Sherpa Tenzing Norkay sat for a portrait painted by him. A solo painting exhibition organized in Pachmarhi was inaugurated by Madhya Pradesh chief minister Dr.Kailash Nath Katju.
1961-77 By orders of Madhya Pradesh education minister Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, he started fine arts department at Government Maharani Laxmi Bai Girls Postgraduate College, Bhopal and assumed the post of Head of department where he taught hundreds of talented students. Remained chairman and member of Board of studies of fine arts in Vikram University, Ujjain, Bhopal University, Bhopal Jiwaji University, Gwalior, Indore University, Indore, M.P. Kala Parishad, M.P. Text Book Corporation, Vishwavidyalayin Rachna Academy, Bhopal. Painted in oil, life size paintings of Maharani Laxmi Bai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi and Kamla Nehru. While in Bhopal he painted in watercolor and oil many landscapes of Idgah hills, old fort, corner of lakes, dunes, terrain, mosques etc, still life and portraits.
1962 Delhi lieutenant - governor Bhagwan Sahay invited him to paint at Delhi where he produced lot of watercolor paintings of garden view and flowers.
1964 Simla lieutenant - governor Bhagawan Sahay asked him to come down to Simla to paint the landscapes of Himalayas.
1965-71 Founder member and president Rhythm Art Society, Bhopal.
1974 Publication of landscapes in M.P. govt. calendar.
1977 Retired as Head of department of fine arts from Government M.L.B. Girls' Postgraduate College, Bhopal.
1978 Invited to attend seminar-cum-workshop on 'Fundamentals of Arts' by Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh (Madhya Pradesh).
1980 Visiting fellow of fine arts at Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh.
1982 M.P. chief minister Arjun Singh inaugurated the one man show of his paintings at Lalit Kala Bhawan, Bhopal.
1995 Invited to participate in artistes' camp at Pachmarhi, organized by North Central Cultural Center, Allahabad.
2006 Sep 13 passed away in his home in Bhopal.

Awards and Honors

1938 Highly commended bronze medal in All India Art Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta.
1941 Rajaramdeo gold medal for best water color landscape painting, Rajaramdeo Rao gold medal for best water color painting and Kamalyar Jung silver medal for best painting in Western style in All India Art Exhibition, Hyderabad.
1985 Silver plaque and anga vastra in 2nd All India veteran Artists Exhibition, AIFACS, New Delhi.
1995 Honored on the occasion of Guru Purnima, Sanskar Bharati, Bhopal.
1998-99 State level 'Shikhar Samman' (Roopankar Kalayan') of Madhya Pradesh government.

Biography publications

1978 Dictionary of International Biography XIV, part II, published by International Biographical Center, Cambridge, England.
1981 Artists' Directory, published by Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi.
1990 Reference Asia, published by Rifacimento, International, Delhi.

Work in collections

Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art, Calcutta
State Art Gallery, Gwalior
Regional College of Education, Bhopal
M.P. Police, Bhopal
Govt. M.L.B. Girl's Postgraduate College, Bhopal
Hamidia College, Bhopal
Shiksha Mandal, Ajmer
Union Carbide India Limited, Bhopal
Brittania House, Bhopal
Directorate of Industries, Bhopal
Many private collectors

Solo Exhibition of Paintings

  • Calcutta - 1945, 83, 86
  • Ranaghat - 1948
  • Indore - 1950
  • Sanchi - 1951
  • Bhopal - 1952, 54, 82
  • Kathmandu(Nepal) - 1959
  • Pachmarhi - 1959
  • Simla - 1964
  • Mumbai - 1984

Participation in group shows

  • All India / State art exhibitions in
  • Calcutta - 1937, 38, 41, 43, 46, 83
  • Delhi - 1940, 69, 85
  • Patna - 1941
  • Hyderabad - 1941
  • Gwalior - 1951, 57, 58, 69
  • Bhopal - 1953, 54, 60, 61, 64, 66, 72, 73, 74, 75, 87, 95, 98, 99
  • Khairagarh - 1978, 80
  • Pachmarhi - 1995