Kruti Mukherjee 

As a young child of 13 years, my father had taken me to the Faculty of Fine Arts and tried to explain the importance of the institute, asking me to be a part of it one day. Five years later I got the opportunity to fulfil the dream he had once shown me. As I entered the faculty for my entrance I couldn't understand the importance of me being a part of this prestigious institute. Preparing for this exhibition and collecting all the historical documents, I got to live those moments of the Mini India that the senior teachers often talk about. 

The exhibition is an attempt to highlight Faculty of Fine Arts at M.S. University as the first post-independence art institution in India where the founders were aware of the larger implications of the role of the faculty in re- framing fine arts education in post-colonial India. The exhibition was, from the beginning planned where we wanted to showcase works of each artist spanning from various time periods also trying to incorporate their handling of various mediums. We had started working for the exhibition in 2020 but the pandemic gave us a break of 2 years until now when finally we are sharing this with the viewers. As we started approaching the artists, we were getting more and more ideas and suggestions to make this exhibition a memorable one. Understanding the importance of letters, sketches, photographs etc as archival materials giving clarity about that time, we also started collecting these, Slowly this became an extensive documentation of the historical records, trying to bring to the surface all the art currents of that time. Selecting the artists for the show and restricting them to a specific number was certainly due to the restriction in the exhibition space available. otherwise we would have included at least 10 more artists. The idea to create separate spaces to accommodate individual artists works gave us the opportunity to do justice to their art works and the stylistic language. Many of the artist represented here started their association as a student to later get absorbed as the teaching faculty. Earlier I had curated the GURU POORNIMA exhibition in 2006 which focused on the art works of the teaching fraternity of Baroda Fine Arts, but that time we could accommodate only one work by each artist. Therefore this time, I and Hitesh Rana, both wanted to make sure that we showcase a larger body of work by each artists. On this occasion I got the opportunity to talk to the senior artist and take their interviews. Listening to Jyoti sir, Parimoo Sir and Sheikh Sir, I almost entered their era as a visitor, trying to look at and understand their time. It is a mammoth task to collect around 500 works of these 34 artists which Hitesh Rana has done with all passion and enthusiasm. While this exhibition focusses on tracing the evolution of art in Baroda like a necklace of different idioms that developed to give an elevated identity to Baroda Art forever, it opens on the silver jubilee celebration of the Sarjan Art Gallery. The exhibition shows a museum kind of display of art works, where art works ranging from different time periods, old Kodak moments, personal interactions of the artist with their contemporaries or seniors as well as their own explorations through sketches, drawings, writings, etc are shown in one space to take the viewer into a visual time travel. 

One can see the earliest work by the first teacher Shri U.P. Rao, a sketch done in 1918, much before he joined the faulty in 1950. This faculty has played a significant role in the national (Indian) art scene as well as a mark in the international scenario. We should be proud of the fact that the first batch teachers Shri N.S. Bendre received his Padma Shri in 1969 and Padma Bhushan in 1990. Shri Sankho Chaudhuri received Padma Shri in 1971, Shri K.G. Subramanyan (fondly called Mani Da) received Padma Shri in 1975, Padma Bhushan in 2006 and Padma Vibhushan in 2012. The other Padma Shri awardees have the first batch student Shri Jyoti Bhatt who received it in 2019. Shri Shanti Dave-in 1985, Shri Haku Shah -in 1989, Shri Bhupen Khakhar in- 1984 and G.M. Sheikh who received Padma Shri in 1983 and Padma Bhushan in 2014. When a nation grows, it is appreciated for the manner in which teats it's artisans and the culture it showcases. Since its inception the artists associated with Baroda had started gaining recognitions at national level. All the senior artists have wholeheartedly contributed in making this unique and historical art exhibition. This exhibition is going to be a memorable show and an enriching experience for all the art lovers and the young generation.