Saturday, September 28, 2002
M A I N   F E A T U R E


FOND REMEMBRANCES
He knew how to bring out the artist in his students
D.S. Kapoor

Kanwal Nain Kotra
Kanwal Nain Kotra

WITH the death of Kanwal Nain Kotra in June this year, Punjab has lost a great artist and an illustrious teacher. Besides being excellent in his subject, he was a very kind, soft-spoken and disciplined person, who advised his students to adopt sincerity as their guiding principle in life. He was both very positive and multitalented.

Kanwal Nain was born on July 22, 1919, in Multan, Pakistan. His father Khushi Ram was a Civil Engineer in the Railways. When he was 18 years old, Kanwal expressev d a desire to learn painting. Though his father did not want him to become a painter, he went to Calcutta and joined Visva Bharati in 1938 to learn mural designing and ornamental painting under the guidance of well-known artist Nand Lal Bose. He was also taught various methods of designing, embossing and colouring leather.

At Santiniketan, Kanwal was trained in different techniques of painting. An eminent Indian sculptor, Ram Kinker, taught him the technique of sculpting. Amongst his batch mates were Dinker Kaushik, who later became Principal of Visva Bharati, and Shanker Chaudhary, an eminent sculptor.

 


After completing his training in art, Kanwal Nain returned to his native place in Multan and got married to Phool Rani in 1945. He spent some time at Mayo School of Art, Lahore, where he interacted with teachers and students of the institution. He also got the opportunity to meet some renowned teachers of Mayo School of Art like B.C. Sanyal, Thakur Singh, Dhan Raj Bhagat and Amarnath Sehgal.

In 1945, Kanwal left for Bombay to work as a set designer in a Hindi film called Dak Bangla, in which renowned artist and singer Kundan Lal Saigal featured. Due to some family problems, Kanwal could not work in more films and had to return to Multan to join his family. In 1946, he joined Dev Samaj College as a teacher of fine arts.

A painting made by the late artist
A painting made by the late artist

After Partition, the family shifted to Ferozepore and then to Ghaziabad. Kanwal got a job in the government polytechnic in Nelokheri, near Kurukshetra. During those days, a government school of art and craft had been set up in Shimla on the pattern of Mayo School of Art in Lahore. An alumnus of Mayo School of Art, S.L. Prasher, was asked to set up the art school. In 1958, when Prasher visited Nelokheri as an examiner, he met Kanwal Nain. Finding in him all the qualities of an excellent teacher, he got him appointed in the art school in Shimla.

During those days, Shimla was an important centre of art and culture. Kanwal Nain took a lot of interest in his students and taught them various techniques of the Bengal school of art. His style of teaching was simple and flexible.

When Chandigarh came up as the new capital of Punjab, the art school shifted to this town. Kanwal retired in 1976 but his relationship with Government College of Art continued till his last days. He along with his colleague B.R. Rattan continued to serve the college as and when their services were required. On the occasion of the golden jubilee celebration of the institution last year, he visited the campus to observe various types of art performances. Even before his death, he was invited to this institution to organise a workshop on watercolour techniques for the students of BFA. He was often requested to judge various art exhibitions and competitions arranged at both the state and national level by various organisations. Many of his students have created a niche for themselves in the world of art. In 1996, the All-India Fine Arts and Craft Society honoured him for his lifetime contribution to the field of art. A number of portraits of freedom fighters painted by him are displayed at the Portrait Gallery in Chandigarh.

I had a close association with Kanwal Nain because he was my father’s colleague in the art college. During my school days I used to accompany my father to the college to see the artwork on display. Many times I got the opportunity to have a chat with him. He told me many interesting stories related to his work at Mayo School of Art and Santiniketan. After I joined Government College of Art, Chandigarh, as faculty member in 1990, I met him at the inauguration of an exhibition at Punjab Kala Bhavan. He asked me whether my father was living with me. When I replied, "No, I am living with my father," he was so impressed with my answer that he held me tightly in his arms. He was the celebrated master of his work and knew how to bring out the artist in his students. The best homage to the grand teacher would be to carry forward his teachings and the precious legacy of the institution of art to which he devoted the major part of his life.