Ranu Mukherjee (art patron)
Indian art patron (1907 – 2002) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lady Ranu Mukherjee (born Priti Adhikary) (1907 – 2002) was an Indian patron of the arts. She was associated with Rabindranath Tagore during the later years of his life and established the Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata.[1][2]
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Early life
Born as Priti Adhikary, Ranu Mukherjee's ancestral home was in Tungi village in the Nadia of British Bengal. She was born on 18 October 1907, in Varanasi,[3] Uttar Pradesh.
Relationship with Tagore
Summarize
Perspective
By age 11, Ranu had read a collection of Tagore's works.of Short Stories Golpoguccha). She was a student of the Theosophical School at Kashi.
In 1918, Tagore invited Ranu's father to work with Kshitimohan Sen at Shantiniketan's Vidya Bhavana. Her elder sister, Asha Aryanayakam, and her husband were already living at the Shantiniketan Ashrama. Having read Tagore's works, such as Gora, Noukadubi, Chinnapatra, and Dakghar, Ranu moved there. While staying at Shantiniketan, she was tutored by artists Nandalal Bose and Surendranath Kar.[1]
She developed a close relationship with Tagore, with whom she had exchanged letters from Varanasi as a reader of his works. She called him 'Bhanudada,' a name inspired by Tagore's pseudonym, Bhanusingha, used for his poems in Bhanusingha Thakurer Padabali.[4] Sources indicate this relationship developed at a time when Tagore was recovering from the loss of his daughter Madhurilata and arranging finances for Santiniketan.[2]
Some sources describe Ranu as a source of inspiration for Tagore, drawing comparisons to his earlier muse, Kadambari Devi.[5] The relationship between Tagore and Ranu, documented in 208 letters from Tagore to Ranu and 68 letters from Ranu to Tagore, was reportedly misunderstood by some at the time.[6] The letters indicate the influence Ranu, aged 12, had on Tagore. Ranu accompanied Tagore on travels, including to Shillong, where Tagore composed Shesher Kobita.[2]
In 1920, when Tagore's play Bisarjan was staged at the Empire Hall, Tagore played the role of Jayasingha, while Ranu Mukherjee played Aparna.[1][5]
Personal life
In 1925, Ranu married Sir Birendranath Mukherjee,[4] an Indian industrialist. Having acquired an understanding of art and culture under Tagore's mentorship at the Shantiniketan school, she became known as Lady Ranu Mukherjee.[7] After her marriage, Ranu's relationship with Tagore changed. Tagore acknowledged the shift in their connection, writing: "Ranu, please do not call me Bhanu Dada any more. Bhanu Singha is lost forever. He cannot be brought back."[2][8]
Legacy and contributions
Lady Ranu Mukherjee founded the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata in 1933; construction of the present building began around 1952. Ranu Mukherjee contributed paintings and artworks from her family collection, which she had inherited, to the Academy. The collection Rabindra Gallery, included her photographs from the time at Shantiniketan and manuscripts of Tagore's poemsBhanusingha Thakurer Padabali.[9][10] In this initiative, she was supported by the then Chief Minister of Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, and her husband, Sir Birendranath Mukherjee. The Academy developed into an institution for arts and culture.[9] She remained the President of the Academy until 1997. She also maintained connections with prominent institutions such as Lalit Kala Academy, Indian Museum in Kolkata, Calcutta University, Banaras Hindu University, Asiatic Society, and Rabindra Bharati University.[1][4]
Death
References
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