BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 8 DECEMBER 2022
The West Bengal Heritage Commission has officially announced the house of internationally renowned sculptor and painter Ramkinkar Baij in Yugi para in Bankura as a heritage property. He was an Indian sculptor and painter, one of the pioneers of modern Indian sculpture and a key figure of Contextual Modernism.
The former chairman of state Heritage Commission, painter Subhaprasanna Bhattacharjee placed a heritage plaque thus making his ancestral house as a heritage building and property. Actress and vice chairman of State Tourism Development Corporation, Sayantika Banerjee was also present.
It was a long time demand of the people of bankura to make the house of ramkinkar Baij as a heritage house.
Ramkinkar baij was very close to nobel laureate rabindra nath tagore. He was also a student of Nandalal Basu.
On 25 May 1906, Ramkinkar Baij was born and in 1925, renowned journalist and nationalist publisher Ramananda Chatterjee brought him to Visva Bharati University. He joined as a student of charukala. He
passed away in 1980.
Besides receiving Padma Bushan, he has also received academy fellow in 1976,Deshikottam by VBU in 1977, and D.Lit by Rabindra Bharati University in 1979.
A great grandson by relation, Shiba Prasad Baij has urged the state government to set up a museum in his house and install a bronze statue.
The Heritage Commission is also working on the houses of Ramananda Chatterjee and Yogeswar Vidyanidhi, added Shubhaprasanna Bhattacharjee.
Born in a poor barber’s family, Ramkinkar Baij is considered as the ‘Father of modern Indian sculpture’ and his contribution to contemporary arts is immense.
The West Bengal tourism department has earmarked heritage tourism as one of the key areas. Recently, on the directives of the chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the state tourism department has identified several focus areas including heritage and cultural tourism.
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