From the Pens of Some Stalworts of the World of Indian Art on the Dhoomi Mal Gallery
| Varsha Das |
| Jagmohan |
| A.S.Raman |
| Dr S.K. Bhattacharya |
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| The Gallery is much more than a showplace of paintings and scuiptures
and graphics. It is a forum for all those involved in the art scene of today.
It is a meeting place. It is an altelier too. One evening Assad Khan may
be giving a recital on his veena to a selected crowd. Another day, the Madhubani
artists, jagadamba Devi and Seeta Devi may be seen demonstrating how they
paint. Yet another day, the Japanese tea ceremony may be on with all the
visitors being regaled with delicious tea. And, once in a while at an informal
get-together of Hindi poets, an impromptu kavi Sammelan may result.
Dhoomi Mal Gallery has followed a wise policy over the years of encouraging artists of all types- the established and the up-an-coming, artists from the North and the South, from the East and the West, artists of the traditional style and artists of innovations Without indulging in sectarianism or factionalism, it has been steadily supporting a wide range of artists. |
| My interest In art dates from the eady forties. It Is traceable to my
close association with that universally loved dealer-artist team1 Ram Chander
Jam -just Ram Babu to his numerous friends and admirers and Sailoz
Mookherjea. They both endeared themselves to the artist
community not only of Delhi but of the whole country by their
human warmth and personal charm. Ram Babu was more a promoter than a dealer.
The Dhooml Mat Art Gallery set up by him was more a meeting place for artists,
critics and collectors than an art-shop. It was the first of Its kind in
India.No other city hadthe counterpart of Ram Babu,who loved art and artists
for their own sake and not for their saleability which never interested him.He
was indeed a most loveable man, totally involving himself in the problerms
of artists irrespective of their temperaments and techniques.He offered his
genious help and active co-operation to any one who approached him. He often
even antagonised his business associates just to be of service to artists
he spared no effort to further the cause of art and artists more for idealistic
than for commercial reason at a time when art promotionwas almost totally
absent. He did not mind losing in his ventures, which gave him immense spiritual
satisfaction.
Through publications reproductlons exhIbitions and even through direct financial help he supported many artists who later became famous. Artists with different backgrounds such as A R. Chughtal, Jamini Roy, Manishi Dey, Sushil Sarkar, Salioz Mookherjea and several others received recognition from the elite of Delhi wholly through Ram Babu's efforts. Thus, his sons Mahender and Ravi, today are the in-heritors of a great tradition of close rapport between the artist and his promoter. I am very happy that the Gallery has achieved a distinctive identity over the years, thanks to the pioneering efforts of Ram Babu. |
| Dhoomi Mal Gallery at Connaught place has a long history of art activity
in the capital. As early as 1946 Ram Babu, the then owner of Dhoomi mal organised
group show of artists in the Gallery, this is the first Art gallery in New
Delhi and is contemporaneous to the establishment of the All India Fine Arts
and Crafts Society, I remember seeing group shows of many renowed artists
of India in this Gallery, when I was an under-graduate student of Hindu College.
They Organised group shows of artists like sailoz Mookherjea, K.S.Kulkarni,
Shanti dev, Bimal Das Gupta, and others. This Gallery organised a full scale
exhibition of Jamini Roy in the early 50's. sailoz Mookherjea was a regular
visitor of this gallery.
During those early days in the cultural history of the capital of India, Dhoomi Mal Gallery played a pioneering role in patronage of art. ram Babu was a very genial gentleman, who understood the moods and Idiosyncracles of many artists. He even distributed prizes to artists like sailoz Mookherjea and other after group shows in the gallery. Some times the Gallery bought painting from the artists and thus many artists survived the hazards and turmoil of penury. Dhoomi Mal Gallery patronized art in a big way by publishing monographs of contemporary painters like Barada Ukil, Biswanath Mukherjee and others. It published a book by manohar Kaul of New Delhi on contemporary Indian Art in the late 50's. Later on many artists joined the gallery for their one-man show and the gallery was visited by ambassadors, Prime Ministers and President and the member of Parliament of many countries. Shanti Dev and Bimal Das Gupta Patronized this gallery for many years during the 60's and early 70's. The cultural life of Delhi was enriched by the efforts of Ram Babu by patronizing artists like Sardara Ukil in the 40's, when art was almost unknoen in New Delhi. The role of the art gallery in the cultural life of a nation can never be underestimated. Dhoomi Mal Gallery at connaught Place has really played a pioneering role in the development of art in New Delhi |