Satish Gujral

Satish Gujral (25 December 1925 – 26 March 2020)[1] was an Indian painter, sculptor, muralist and writer of the post-independent era.[2] He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, in 1999. His elder brother, Inder Kumar Gujral, was the Prime Minister of India between 1997 and 1998.

Satish Gujral
Gujral in December 2017
Born
Satish Gujral

(1925-12-25)25 December 1925
Jhelum, Punjab, British India
Died26 March 2020(2020-03-26) (aged 94)
New Delhi, India
EducationMumbai
Known forIndian art, sculpture, mural and literature
SpouseKiran Gujral
Children3
Parent
RelativesInder Kumar Gujral (brother)
Naresh Gujral (nephew)
Sheila Gujral (sister-in-law)
Feroze Gujral (daughter-in-law)
AwardsPadma Vibhushan (1999)

Early life

Gujral was born in Jhelum in the Punjab Province of British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan) into a Punjabi Hindu Khatri family.[3] He was the son of Indian politician Avtar Narain Gujral and the brother of I. K. Gujral , the 12th Prime Minister of India; his sister in law, Sheila Gujral, was a noted Hindi poet. His nephew Naresh Gujral is also a politician.[4]

Education

Because of his hearing problem, many schools refused admission to Gujral. One day he saw a bird sitting on a tree branch and drew a picture of it. It was an early indication of his interest in painting and later in 1939, he joined the Mayo School of Arts in Lahore, to study applied arts. He moved to Bombay in 1944 and enrolled in the Sir JJ School of Art. In 1947, due to a recurring sickness, he was forced to drop out of school and leave Bombay.

In 1952, Gujral received a scholarship to study at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, where he was apprenticed to the renowned artists Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.[5]

A mural by Satish Gujral at Punjab Agricultural University campus in Ludhiana, Punjab

Works

The Partition of India and the associated agony of the immigrants impacted a young Satish and manifested itself in the artworks he created. From 1952 to 1974, Gujral organised shows of his sculptures, paintings and graphics in many cities across the world such as New York City, New Delhi, Montreal, Berlin and Tokyo, among others.[6]

Gujral was also an architect and his design of the Belgium Embassy in New Delhi was selected by the international forum of architects as one of the finest buildings built in the 20th century.

Personal life

Gujral lived with his wife Kiran in New Delhi. Their son Mohit Gujral, who is an architect, is married to former model, Feroze Gujral. They also have 2 daughters, Alpana, a jewellery designer, and Raseel Gujral Ansal, an interior designer and owner of Casa Paradox & Casa Pop and is married to Navin Ansal.[7]

Dozens of documentaries have been made recording Gujral's work. The Films Division of India produced a short documentary film on his life, titled Satish Gujral, directed by Balwant Gargi it provides an overview of his life and works.[8]

He was also part of the 2007 BBC television film, Partition: The Day India Burned. A 24-minute documentary called "A Brush with Life" was released on 15 February 2012 which was based on his own book with the same name. Four books of his work have been published, including an autobiography.[9]

Global policy

Along with his brother Inder Kumar Gujral, he was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting a world constitution.[10][11] As a result, for the first time in human history, a World Constituent Assembly convened to draft and adopt the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.[12]

Awards

Gujral was awarded India's second-highest civilian honour Padma Vibhushan in 1999. In April 2014, he was honoured with NDTV Indian of the Year Award.[13]

References
  1. "Renowned artist Satish Gujral passes away at 94". GlobalNewshut. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. "Archive News". The Hindu. 17 March 2011. Archived from the original on 23 March 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  3. "Satish Gujral, an invaluable pearl of the Indian art world". Newstrackindia.com. 1 January 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  4. Hebbar, Nistula (27 March 2020). "Satish Gujral passes away at 94". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  5. "Memories of partition and more from ace artist Satish Gujral". Sify. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  6. "Satish Gujral". famouspunjabi.com. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  7. Rashmi Hemrajani (13 March 2013). "Art-inspired jewellery | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  8. "SATISH GUJRAL | Films Division". filmsdivision.org. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  9. "The Official Website". Satish Gujral. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  10. "Letters from Thane Read asking Helen Keller to sign the World Constitution for world peace. 1961". Helen Keller Archive. American Foundation for the Blind. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  11. "Letter from World Constitution Coordinating Committee to Helen, enclosing current materials". Helen Keller Archive. American Foundation for the Blind. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  12. "Preparing earth constitution | Global Strategies & Solutions | The Encyclopedia of World Problems". The Encyclopedia of World Problems | Union of International Associations (UIA). Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  13. "Amjad Ali Khan, Satish Gujral honoured with NDTV Indian of the Year Award". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
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