Knowledge nugget of the day: Nandalal Bose

Knowledge Nugget: Nandalal Bose

Subject: Art and Culture

(Relevance: Art and prominent personalities are important aspects of the UPSC CSE syllabus. In this context, Nandalal Bose is a significant figure, because of his contribution to the freedom struggle and constitution of India through art. )

Why in news?

Today (3rd December) marks the birth anniversary of Nandalal Bose, who is recognized as one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a prominent figure in the neo-Bengal school. Notably, the illustrations in the Constitution of India were conceived and created in Santiniketan by Nandalal Bose and his team.

Key Takeaways :

1. Born in Munger, Bihar, on December 3, 1882, Bose was one of the greatest exponents of modern art. He was mentored by Abanindranath Tagore and was renowned for his distinctive “Indian style” of painting. In 1922, he became the principal of Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan.

2. Bose played a significant role in training generations of artists. He was greatly admired by his contemporaries and inspired his students to draw inspiration from both nature and various art traditions, just as he did.

In all forms, ordinary or extraordinary, I seek the life rhythm (pranachanda) of the reality whose vitality has generated the whole world and all its forms, actual and imaginary, and pulsates within them.-Nandalal Bose

3. His influences encompassed many styles, including Japanese Nihonga traditions, Mughal and Rajasthani miniatures, palm-leaf manuscripts, and murals found in the Ajanta Caves.

At the Haripura session (1938), the panels were meant to decorate the gates and the pandal pavilion, intended to portray village scenes familiar to ordinary people, using local material. Bose stayed in Haripura for months to observe the local population and customs, creating several preparatory sketches. (Photo: Instagram/@umatnair)

4. During a period when India’s artistic traditions had significantly diminished due to years of British colonial rule, Nandalal Bose played a pivotal role in the cultural regeneration and independence of the nation through his contributions in art and education.

5. Nandalal Bose passed away on April 16, 1966, in Santiniketan, West Bengal. He received numerous accolades throughout his life, including the Padma Vibhushan, awarded by the President of India in 1953. The National Gallery of Modern Art houses over 6,800 of his works in its collection.

6. Notably, in 1976, the Archaeological Survey of India, part of the Department of Culture, recognised the works of Nandalal Bose as “art treasures” under the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act of 1972. While not considered antiquities, his works were deemed “art treasures” due to their artistic and aesthetic value.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Artwork on the Constitution of India

1. The Constitution of India is not just the lengthiest written Constitution in the world but also the most richly illustrated. Its 22 parts feature beautifully hand-painted images, and its pages are adorned with elaborate borders, created by Nandalal Bose and his team.

2. When placed in sequence, the narrative scheme of the paintings and illustrations represents different periods in Indian history, from the Indus Valley civilisation to the freedom struggle, also including scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

3. The illustrations also present the diverse geography of India, from camels marching in the desert to the mighty Himalayas. “It is a sequence of images which is his (Nandalal’s) vision of India’s history. He is not illustrating the content of the Constitution, but he is placing the history of India as he saw it. Present-day scholars and historians might have some disagreements about the sequence but that was the broad chronology talked about back then,” said art historian R Siva Kumar.

The Preamble page has intricate patterns sketched by Beohar Rammanohar Sinha. (Photo courtesy: DAG)

4. The Preamble page of the Constitution has intricate patterns sketched by Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and bears his signature, while Dinanath Bhargava sketched the National Emblem, the Lion Capital of Ashoka.

5. The Bull Seal, excavated from the Indus Valley region, is the first pictorial representation in the Constitution, appearing in ‘Part I: The Union and its Territory’. ‘Part II: Citizenship’ features a hermitage scene with male ascetic figures offering prayers in a meditative environment.

6. For Part III on Fundamental Rights, the artists turned to the Ramayana, drawing a sketch of Ram, Lakshman and Sita returning home after the battle in Lanka. Part IV on Directive Principles of State Policy begins with a scene from the Mahabharata, with the discussion between Arjun and Krishna before the onset of the war.

7. In  scene of hermitage that appears in Part V, Buddha is the central figure, surrounded by disciples, animals, and birds in a serene setting.

8. Out of the select representations in colour is an image in Part VI of Mahavir, the 24th Jain Tirthankara, seated crossed-legged in meditation.

9. In Part VII of the Constitution, Emperor Ashoka is seen seated on an elephant, propagating Buddhism and  Part IX has a scene from King Vikramaditya’s court with musicians and dancers, representing him as a patron of art.

10. The Part XIII, depicts sculptures from Mahabalipuram and the descent of Ganga to Earth.

11. In Part XVI of the Constitution, the only prominent female figure illustrated is Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, depicted in her armor alongside Tipu Sultan, the king of Mysore. Chhatrapati Shivaji and Guru Gobind Singh are featured in Part XV.

12. In Part XIX, Subhas Chandra Bose is seen against a mountainous backdrop, saluting the flag, with members of Azad Hind Fauj marching ahead. Gandhi appears twice, leading the Dandi March and visiting riot-hit Noakhali in Bangladesh.

(Sources: From Ram to Akbar to Gandhi: Artwork on the Constitution, who painted them, ngmaindia.gov,

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