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The Indian Academy of Fine Arts (IAFA) in Amritsar has been working for the cause of fine arts in the north-west region. However, a dispute among members of the 83-year-old premier institution, one of the very few in the country to be recognised by the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, over controversial changes in its constitution recently has hurt the sentiments of artists and residents of the city. In an uncalled for move, sweeping powers have been given to patron Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, who has been nominated member till death while the term of all other office-bearers is four years. The magnificent academy was established in 1928 by the legendary Master Gurdit Singh to promote art and culture. The political wrangling is a matter of concern for an institute which has seen enormous contribution by internationally acclaimed artists like Sobha Singh, S. G. Thakar Singh, Master Gurdit Singh, G. S. Sohan Singh and Hari Singh, who had "slogged to make it one of the greatest art galleries in the country". Sobha Singh earned the title of "People’s Painter" through his exquisite iconic portraits of the Sikh Gurus. S. G. Thakar Singh, as a landscape painter, was the ‘John Constable of India’. Both were conferred with the Padmashri for their contribution to art. Thakar Singh was also nominated Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) when Punjab Vidhan Sabha had the bicameral system. Gurdit Singh painted portraits of celebrities with great virtuosity. G. S. Sohan Singh and Hari Singh had their studios in busy commercial streets of Amritsar, where they painted in full public view of the passersby. This exposure was akin to what modern-day art workshops provide to curious onlookers for informal education in creativity. Since its establishment in 1928, the IAFA, which has 140 members and an 18-member governing council, has been visited by dignitaries such as the Presidents of India like Dr Rajendra Prasad, who laid down the foundation stone of the main building of the academy on April 13, 1961, Dr S. Radhakrishnan, Dr Zakir Hussain, Dr V. V. Giri, Giani Zail Singh; Prime Ministers of India: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mrs Indira Gandhi;`A0and Chiefs Minister of Punjab: S. Pratap Singh Kairon, S. Beant Singh, Captain Amarinder Singh, and S. Parkash Singh Badal. The current dispute has forced the district administration to intervene. Deputy Commissioner K. S. Pannu, who is also chairman of the IAFA, has constituted a five-member committee to review and amend the constitution. Those at the helm of
affairs should follow the example of Dr M. S. Randhawa, who promoted
the academy by encouraging and recognising artists as a lifelong
mission.
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