Beohar Rammanohar Sinha (15 June 1929 – 25 October 2007) was an Indian artist who is very well known for his illustrations in the original final manuscript of

Constitution of India The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ...

, including the complete

Preamble A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subj ...

-page, which was brought to fruition in 1949 as one of the most beautiful Constitutions in the world in addition to being the most comprehensive one. He is also known as a cultural ambassador of India who disseminated Indian art in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The t ...

, and brought Oriental Art to India.Dhimole, S. (2009), "Rango Ki Koochi Se Jeeta Jahaan", NaiDunia Jabalpur. His works are housed in numerous prestigious public and private collections throughout the worldShukla, P.S. (2012), "Sansruti: A Retrospective on Beohar Rammanohar Sinha", Roopankar, Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal. and his murals still adorn the walls and gigantic dome of

Jabalpur Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. ...

’s historic Shaheed-Smarak or Martyrs’-Memorial Auditorium even after more than half a century, though now demanding conservation. Rammanohar always signed his artworks in the cursive

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

-script, either in short ''Ram'' or in full ''Rammanohar'', but rarely scribed his surname. Most of his later paintings bear a unique red seal with his surname ''Sinha'', primarily in

-script but also sometimes in the

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...

-script, in addition to his said signatures in ink.

Childhood

Rammanohar was born on 15 June 1929 in the then Jubbulpore, the largest and most important city of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

’s

Central Provinces The Central Provinces was a province of British India. It comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur ...

. He was the youngest of the three sons of renowned Gandhian Beohar Rajendra Sinha - an acclaimed scholar, historian, theologian, littérateur,

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

-activist,

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

-authority and, to a lesser extent, a journalist and a politician - who happily embraced numerous terms as political-prisoner while leading the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal ...

as a part of Satyagrah. During Rammanohar's childhood, their residence BeoharNiwas-Palace in Jubbulpore's Satya-Kua locality used to be abuzz with nationalistic activities and was frequented by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...

Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...

, Maithili Sharan Gupt,

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India du ...

, Kaka Kalelkar, Makhanlal Chaturvedi,

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Abdul Ghaffār Khān (; 6 February 1890 – 20 January 1988), also known as Bacha Khan () or Badshah Khan (), and honourably addressed as Fakhr-e-Afghan (), was a Pakistani Pashtun, independence activist, and founder of the Khudai Khidmatgar ...

Vinoba Bhave Vinayak Narahari, also known as Vinoba Bhave (; 11 September 1895 – 15 November 1982), was an Indian advocate of nonviolence and human rights. Often called ''Acharya'' (Sanskrit teacher), he is best known for the Bhoodan Movement. He is con ...

, some of whom would stay for days. The seeds of nationalism, philanthropy and simplicity consequently got imbibed in him.

Foundations

As a part of his schooling in the then Jubbulpore, Rammanohar initially attended Anglican Christ Church Boys Senior Secondary School for a short while, but did not find the convent milieu conducive to his temperament and his family's nationalistic ideologies. He, therefore, switched very soon to the nationalist Pt Lajja Shankar Jha Model School Jabalpur and also spent some time studying in the

Hitkarini Sabha Hitkarini Sabha ( hi, हितकारिणी सभा) is a historic, educational, non-profit organization located in the city of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is runs some of the oldest academic institutions in the region. It was ...

School. On various

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

festivals, Rammanohar used to assist his mother RajRani Devi, a polytheist, in drawing a wide variety of folkloristic motifs for her Pujas. To her teenager son, in addition to allowing an extra share in the sumptuous prasad, she also used to recite captivating narratives and melodious

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

s that often incorporated conventional explanations as well as diverse interpretations of those motifs. This laid his foundations in visual arts. Even after the death of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

in 1941, Rammanohar's father Beohar Rajendra Simha continued visiting

Shantiniketan Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his s ...

to meet his friends Banarsidas Chaturvedi,

Hazari Prasad Dwivedi Hazari Prasad Dwivedi (19 August 190719 May 1979) was a Hindi novelist, literary historian, essayist, critic and scholar. He penned numerous novels, collections of essays, historical research on medieval religious movements of India especially K ...

Kshitimohan Sen Kshitimohan Sen (2 December 1880 – 12 March 1960) was Indian scholar, writer, a Sanskrit professor and an M.A. in Sanskrit from Queen's College, Benares. He was born in a family hailing from Sonarang in Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh). H ...

and others. On one such visit in 1946, Rammanohar accompanied him, but decided to stay back, sharing K. G. Subramanyan’s room in the hostel. Rammanohar carried out his graduation in fine arts in Kala Bhavana at the nationalist

Visva-Bharati University Visva-Bharati () is a public central university and an Institution of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which means the communion of the ...

, from 1946 to 1950. He was the favorite disciple of one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a key figure of contextual modernism,

Nandalal Bose Nandalal Bose (3 December 1882 – 16 April 1966) was one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism. A pupil of Abanindranath Tagore, Bose was known for his "Indian style" of painting. He became the principa ...

. In unison, he was also trained and mentored by

Ramkinkar Baij Ramkinkar Baij ( bn, রামকিঙ্কর বেইজ) (25 May 1906 – 2 August 1980) was an Indian sculptor and painter, one of the pioneers of modern Indian sculpture and a key figure of Contextual Modernism. Early life and ...

and

Benode Behari Mukherjee Benode Behari Mukherjee (7 February 1904 – 11 November 1980) was an Indian artist from West Bengal state. Mukherjee was one of the pioneers of Indian modern art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism. He was one of the earliest artists in mo ...

. As a part of his postgraduation during 1951 to 1953, along with gaining expertise in

Fresco-secco Fresco-secco (or a secco or fresco finto) is a wall painting technique where pigments mixed with an organic binder and/or lime are applied onto a dry plaster. The paints used can e.g. be casein paint, tempera, oil paint, silicate mineral pain ...

under

, he chose to specialize in

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

painting under Yu Wan-shan who founded the

Huafan University Huafan University (HFU; ) is an institute of higher education founded by members of the Buddhist community in Shiding District, New Taipei, Taiwan. The university consists of 4 colleges, 12 departments, 12 graduate institutes, and 5 research cen ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

– the only institution outside India that uses

Lion Capital of Ashoka The Lion Capital of Ashoka is the capital, or head, of a column erected by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in Sarnath, India, . Its crowning features are four life-sized lions set back to back on a drum-shaped abacus. The side of the abacus ...

as its logo. This was Rammanohar's first brush with the Oriental art with which he stayed despite the opportunity of relocating to

Slade School of Fine Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised a ...

in London on his senior Krishna Reddy's behest.

Nationalistic early artwork

Rammanohar's most famous works include the illustrations on the pages of the original calligraphic manuscript of

, including the complete Preamble-page, which were endorsed in 1949 by

without any alteration whatsoever. Subhas Chandra Bose INA

So that his art on the

Indian Constitution The Constitution of India (IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ri ...

represents the sum acumen of original Indian art in its unadulterated purity, Rammanohar took the Herculean-challenge and made exploratory trips to such places as Ajanta,

Ellora Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temple cave complexes in the world, with artwork dating from the period 600–1000 CE., Quote: "These 34 ...

Bagh Bagh ( fa, باغ, link=no, meaning "garden") may refer to: Places India * Bagh Caves in Madhya Pradesh, India * Bagh, Dhar, a town in Madhya Pradesh, India Iran * Bagh, Ardabil, a village in Ardabil Province * Bagh, Larestan, a village ...

Badami Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from CE 540 to 757. It is famous for its rock cut monuments ...

Sanchi Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen town, district headquarter and north-east of Bh ...

, Sarnath and

Mahabalipuram Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram, is a town in Chengalpattu district in the southeastern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, best known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of 7th- and 8th-century Hindu Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It ...

. From these cradles of pure Indian art, he used such summary motifs as Padm,

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afric ...

Airavata Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elephant Airavata, Folio from a Jain text, Panch Kalyanaka">Shachi.html" ;"title="Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi">Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elepha ...

, Vyaghra, Ashwa,

Hans Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjab ...

and Mayur to symbolically convey the essence of

pictorially. Rammanohar initially refused to subscribe his signatures on his artworks in

but his mentor

, who shouldered the responsibility of the overall project, saw things from historic perspectives and, therefore, strongly insisted that Rammanohar sign at least some of the pages "so that future generations are able to recognize, remember and celebrate the artist who ornamented the Constitution of India." In fact, in addition to all the embellishments, most of the basic sketches, line-drawings (''pictured'') and designs for final illumination of the original manuscript of

were executed by Rammanohar, who was the senior-most and favorite disciple of

. On the original manuscript of

, Rammanohar's artworks on page 1 (Harappan seal), 102 (Lanka), 104 (Vikramaditya and his coin/seal), 105 (Nalanda seal), 106 (Kalinga archer), 113 (Nataraja and Swastika), 160 (Subhas Chandra Bose), 167 (Landscape), 181 (Maritime Expedition motif), 231-232 (borders) bear testimony to his saintly refusal to sign his artworks as a mark of his altruistic contribution to the Nation. In the nationalistic style typical of the revivalist

Bengal School of Art The Bengal School of Art, commonly referred as Bengal School, was an art movement and a style of Indian painting that originated in Bengal, primarily Kolkata and Shantiniketan, and flourished throughout the Indian subcontinent, during the Britis ...

, Rammanohar executed a myriad of fresco-secco in 1952-53 on the walls and the dome of Shaheed-Smarak or Martyrs'-Memorial Concert Hall in

, depicting various episodes and landmarks in India's struggle for independence starting from 1654 CE and ending with the unfurling of Indian tricolour on

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...

in 1947 CE. These were the leftover-drawings that were to be included in the Constitution, but could not be. Of particular significance are the one depicting the

Quit India Movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

(''pictured'') which has also been published in

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...

and the one on Rani Durgavati, which has been credited with the very first ''unambiguous'' painting of the valiant warrior queen of the Gondwana-fiefdom of Garha-Mandla who dared to challenge

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

’s mighty army in order to safeguard her country’s independence. Likewise, Rammanohar also executed

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanis ...

depicting the birth of

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

on the walls of Kala Bhavana hostel building in

. In preparation for the 59th annual congregation of national leaders in

Kalyani, West Bengal Kalyani is a planned urban city in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is also a municipality and Community Development Block in Nadia. It is located around 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Kolkata — the capital of West B ...

in 1954, Rammanohar and his team illuminated the entire venue, especially the gateway and the stage, with panels and posters on nationalistic themes using locally procured biodegradable material, natural earth colours and

Khadi Khadi (, ), derived from khaddar, is a hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth promoted by Mahatma Gandhi as ''swadeshi'' (self-sufficiency) for the freedom struggle of the Indian subcontinent, and the term is used throughout India, Pakistan ...

. Rammanohar received widespread acclaim for these artworks. File:Quit India Movement.JPG, Quit India Movement: A fresco in Martyrs'-Memorial Concert Hall in

File:Maharani Durgavati.jpg, Rani Durgavati gearing up to challenge Akbar’s army: A fresco in Martyrs'-Memorial Concert Hall in

Cultural diplomacy

As a scholar and cultural emissary, the Indian government sent Rammanohar to the

between 1957 and 1959 to "establish a direct cross-cultural and inter-civilization bridge". While in China, Rammanohar worked with great maestros Qi Baishi,

Li Keran Li Keran (; 26 March 1907 – 5 December 1989), art name Sanqi, was a contemporary Chinese '' guohua'' painter and art educator. Considered one of the most important Chinese artists in the latter half of the 20th century, he was also an influentia ...

, Chen Banding,

Pan Tianshou Pan Tianshou (; 1897–1971) was a Chinese painter and art educator. Pan was born in Guanzhuang, Ninghai County, Zhejiang Province, and graduated from Zhejiang First Normal School (now Hangzhou High School). He studied Chinese traditional painti ...

, Wu Jingding,

Wu Zuoren Wu may refer to: States and regions on modern China's territory *Wu (state) (; och, *, italic=yes, links=no), a kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period 771–476 BCE ** Suzhou or Wu (), its eponymous capital ** Wu County (), a former county i ...

, Li Kuchan, Fu Baoshi, Yu Fei’an, executed numerous artworks jointly that include the famous painting ''Meishan Bridge'' pictured drying in the background, and interacted with a few political top brass after Phase-I of the Chinese

Hundred Flowers Campaign The Hundred Flowers Campaign, also termed the Hundred Flowers Movement (), was a period from 1956 to 1957 in the People's Republic of China during which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) encouraged citizens to openly express their opinions of t ...

. In unison with

Rahul Sankrityayan Rahul Sankrityayan (born Kedarnath Pandey; 9 April 1893 – 14 April 1963) was an Indian writer and a polyglot who wrote in Hindi. He played a pivotal role in giving travelogue a 'literary form'. He was one of the most widely travelled scholars ...

, Rammanohar's creative initiative in cultural diplomacy has been credited with easing tensions substantially over the disputed Sino-Indian border for a few years. Rammanohar also spread Indian art overseas while personally mastering all three far-eastern schools of painting Kung-pi, Shui-mo and Xie-yi, as well as the lacquer-work. As such, classic Indian influences are clearly evident in some of the artworks of

Ye Qianyu Ye Qianyu (or Yeh Ch'ien-yü; 31 March 1907 – 5 May 1995) was a Chinese painter and pioneering manhua artist. In 1928, he cofounded ''Shanghai Manhua'', one of the earliest and most influential manhua magazines, and created '' Mr. Wang'', one ...

Shi Lu Shi Lu (; 1919–1982), born Feng Yaheng (), was a Chinese painter, wood block printer, poet and calligrapher. He based his pseudonym on two artists who greatly influenced him, the landscape painter Shitao and writer Lu Xun. Life and art Shi Lu ...

and many other renowned far-eastern painters. Rammanohar has, thus, occasionally been referred-to as the

Huen Tsang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

of India. File:Li Keran with Rammanohar.jpg, Chinese maestro Li Keran visiting Rammanohar's studio in Peking c.1957

Interaction with contemporaries

Of his Indian contemporaries, he was particularly close to

S. H. Raza Sayed Haider Raza (22 February 1922 – 23 July 2016) was an Indian painter who lived and worked in France from 1950 until his death, while maintaining strong ties with India. He was born in Kakkaiya (District Mandla), Central Provinces, British ...

, B. C. Sanyal, K. G. Subramanyan and

Narayan Shridhar Bendre Narayan Shridhar Bendre (21 August 1910 – 19 February 1992), was a 20th-century Indian artist and one of the founder members of Baroda Group Narayan Shridhar Bendre was born in Indore. He made a name for himself as a landscape artist. ...

. Raza visited Rammanohar's studio in India and he also visited Raza's studio in 1997 during his sojourn in Europe. Likewise, Jagdish Swaminathan in 1987 and M. F. Husain in 1986 visited Rammanohar's studio, in addition to visiting his exhibitions in India and Europe. Modern painter Akbar Padamsee was so inspired by his art-genre that he not only acknowledged it but also expressed his keen desire to learn it from Rammanohar. With Rammanohar, some of these artists even exchanged paintings as gifts. As such, in addition to artworks of the above, his diverse collection also included paintings of

Kattingeri Krishna Hebbar Kattingeri Krishna Hebbar (15 June 1911 – 26 March 1996) was an Indian painter and art educator. He is well known for his paintings that captured the social life of the common people in India. Inspired by traditional Indian art, he combined t ...

, Abdulrahim Appabhai Almelkar,

Gopal Ghose Gopal Ghose (5 December 1913 – 30 July 1980) was an Indian painter from West Bengal. In 1943, he was one of the founders of the Calcutta Group, perhaps the first group of modernist painters in India. Life and career Ghose was born in Calcut ...

, Manjit Bawa, Jeram Patel, Jyoti Bhatt,

Jogen Chowdhury Jogen Chowdhury (born 19 February 1939) is an eminent Indian painter and considered an important painter of 21st century India. He lives and works in Santiniketan. He graduated from the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata and subsequentl ...

, Manohar Akre, Ram Kumar in addition to those of the

Santiniketan Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by hi ...

art maestros, that he gave away. Other artists, sculptors and printmakers who visited Rammanohar's studio from time to time included Surendranath Kar, Avtar Singh Panwar,

Kripal Singh Shekhawat Kripal Singh Shekhawat (1922-2008) was a renowned craftsman and ceramist of India. He was famous for his skills in Blue Pottery of Jaipur and is credited for the revival of that art in India. Life and career Born in Mau Rajasthan in 1922, he ...

, Balbir Singh Katt,

Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh (born 16 February 1937) is a painter, poet and art critic from Gujarat, India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1983 and Padmabhushan in 2014 for his contribution in field of art. Early life Sheikh was born on 16 Febru ...

, Chinmay Mehta,

Somnath Hore Somnath Hore (1921-2006) was an Indian sculptor and printmaker. His sketches, sculptures and prints were a reaction to major historical crises and events of 20th century Bengal, such as the Bengal Famine of 1943 and the Tebhaga movement. He was ...

, Sukhen Ganguly, Sovon Som, Jadunath Supakar, Biswarup Bose. Even litterateurs like Nirmal Verma and

Ashok Vajpeyi Ashok Vajpeyi ( hi, अशोक वाजपेयी; born 1941) is an Indian Hindi-language poet, essayist, literary-cultural critic, apart from being a noted cultural and arts administrator, and a former civil servant. He was chairman, Lali ...

visited his studio-cum-residence. File:Raza with Rammanohar.jpg, Padma-Vibhushan S.H. Raza visiting Rammanohar File:Husain with Rammanohar.jpg, Padma-Vibhushan M.F. Husain with Rammanohar File:Padamsee with Rammanohar.jpg, Padma-Bhushan Akbar Padamsee with Rammanohar

International collections

* The

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, UK. * The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum,

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

, UK. * The

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, UK. * The Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement International,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

, Japan. *

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...

at Millbank,

, UK. * The Imperial Commonwealth Institute,

, UK. * The

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

, Canada. * The

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

Barber Institute of Fine Arts The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is an art gallery and concert hall in Birmingham, England. It is situated in purpose-built premises on the campus of the University of Birmingham. The Grade I listed Art Deco building was designed by Robert A ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, UK. *

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

, UK. * AAFC, Federal

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...

. *

Air India Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the ...

Art Collection,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

, India. *

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

, India. *

Lalit Kala Akademi The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art (LKA) is India's national academy of fine arts. It is an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, in ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

, India. * India Tourism Development Corporation,

, India. * The

Rashtrapati Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, rāsh-truh-puh-ti bha-vun; ; originally Viceroy's House and later Government House) is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. Rashtrapati B ...

(Presidential Palace),

, India. * China Central Academy of Fine Arts,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

, People's Republic of China. * The Kala Bhavana Collections at

, India. * The Roopankar Museum

Bharat Bhavan Bharat Bhavan is an autonomous multi-arts complex and museum in Bhopal, India, established and funded by the Government of Madhya Pradesh.The architect of the Bharat Bhavan is Charles Correa. Opened in 1982, facing the Upper Lake, Bhopal, it ho ...

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...

, India. * The

Indira Kala Sangeet University Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya (IKSV), also Indira Kala Sangeet University, is a public university located in Khairagarh, Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh, India. History In 1956, Maharaja Birendra Bahadur Singh and maharani Padmavati D ...

Khairagarh Khairagarh is a city in Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district. Formerly, it was the part of Rajnandgaon district. History Khairagarh State was a feudatory state of the former Central Provinces of British India. Pandadah (8 kilometer from K ...

, India. * The Rani Durgavati Museum,

, India. * The Martyr's Memorial Permanent Art Collection,

, India. * Government Kalaniketan Institute of Fine Arts,

, India.

Worldwide auctions

Rammanohar's paintings have been auctioned alongside those of Hebbar, Husain, Raza, Souza, Gaitonde, Subramanyan, Pyne and others in New York and London by Sotheby's.

Selected honors and awards

* ''KalaShri'' title award for exemplary contributions in the field of fine arts, New Delhi, India, 2001. * ''Award of Honor'' for demonstrating the highest order of active concern for humanitarian services and social welfare, Lions International, 1997. * Veteran Artist Award, AIFACS, New Delhi, India, 1993. * ''Shikhar Samman'' for excellence, outstanding creativity and long time dedication to arts, Bhopal, India, 1991. * ''Special Award'', AIFACS, New Delhi, India, 1953. * ''Special Award'', Bombay Province, British India, 1944. There were media reports about his name having been recommended for the highest civilian honor

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

for 2007-08, but he passed-away before the final list could be drawn-up in New Delhi. A campaign for bestowal of India’s highest civilian award upon him was initiated by Parliamentarian (later Chief Minister)

Bhupinder Singh Hooda Bhupinder Singh Hooda (born 15 September 1947) is an Indian National Congress politician who is the current Leader of the Opposition in Haryana Legislative Assembly. He also served as the Chief Minister of Haryana from 2005 to 2014. When he ...

(04-01-1999), Parliamentarian

Jayashree Banerjee Jayashree Banerjee (born 2 July 1938) is a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party from Madhya Pradesh, and a former member of parliament. She contested Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha election in 1972 as a member of Jana Sangh from Jabalpur Cantonment s ...

(12-12-2001) and Vice Chancellor Justice Gulab Gupta (04-11-2003). For conferment posthumously, it has since been supported by Assembly Speaker Ishwardas Rohani (10-11-2009), Parliamentarian Rakesh Singh (11-11-2009), Legislator Lakhan Ghanghoriya (15-11-2009), Bar Council Chairman

Rameshwar Neekhra Rameshwar Neekhra also spelt Nikhra is an Indian politician. Neekhra is a cousin of veteran Bollywood actor Ashutosh Rana. He is a Law graduate. He was elected to the Lower House of Parliament the Lok Sabha 7th & 8th loksabha two consecutive ter ...

(19-11-2009), Union Minister of Science and Technology (13-12-2016), MP Artists’ Forum (20-12-2016), Governor of West Bengal (27-12-2016), Legislator Ajay Vishnoi (25-10-2017), and many others.

Selected exhibitions

Rammanohar's artworks have been exhibited in several countries. Though the list is not exhaustive, some of his exhibitions are listed below. * Samanvai Art Gallery, Jaipur, India, 2013. * ''Sansruti'' Retrospective Show,

, Bhopal, India, 2012. * ''Image of India'', Art Pilgrim, London, UK, 2005. * ''Hiroshima Never Again'', Arpana Art Gallery, New Delhi, India, 2005. * '' Remembering Bhopal'', Varalakshami Art Gallery, New Delhi, India, 2004. * ''Indian Old and Contemporary Paintings'', Aryan Art Gallery, New Delhi, India, 2003. * Visual Art Gallery at

India Habitat Centre The India Habitat Centre is a multipurpose building in the city of New Delhi, India. It was the brain child of the HuDCO Chairman, Santosh Sharma. The India Habitat Centre is one of India's most comprehensive convention centers that is aimed a ...

, New Delhi, India, 2002, 1999. * Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, India, 2001. * Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi, India, 1999, 1997, 1994. * ''Art in Cinema'', Arushi Arts, New Delhi, India, 1999. * Beatrice Royal Contemporary Art Gallery, Southampton, UK, 1999, 1998. * The Williamson Art Gallery, Bidston, UK, 1997. * TheBhavan UK Centre, London, UK, 1997. * The Westminster Academy, London, UK, 1997. * The

Nehru Centre Nehru Centre is a centre to promote the teachings and ideals of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, through educational and cultural programmes in the city of Mumbai, India. The Centre organises scientific, cultural and educat ...

International Art Gallery, London, UK, 1997. * Jellys LegdChick Art Gallery, Reading-Berkshire, UK, 1996, 1995. * Indian National Exhibition of Art,

, Chennai (Madras), India, 1993. * The

Jehangir Art Gallery Jehangir Art Gallery is an art gallery in Mumbai (India). It was founded by Sir Cowasji Jehangir at the urging of K. K. Hebbar and Homi Bhabha. It was built in 1952. Managed by the Committee of Management, the entire cost of this mansion was ...

, Mumbai (Bombay), India, 1993. * The

All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society The All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) is an independent arts organisation in India, founded in Delhi in 1928. In the decade after Indian independence, many of its functions were transferred to three national academies: Lalit Kala A ...

(AIFACS), New Delhi, India, 1993, 1991, 1990, 1953. * The Birla Academy of Arts, Kolkata (Calcutta), India, 1992. * The

India International Centre The India International Centre (IIC) is a non-official organisation situated in New Delhi, India. Membership of the IIC includes artists, academicians, senior government officials, judges, jurists, parliamentarians, doctors, ministers, governors ...

, New Delhi, India, 1992. * The

, Bhopal, India, 1992, 1991. * The Taj Art Gallery, Mumbai (Bombay), 1992. * Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad, Jabalpur: 1991, 1990, 1986, 1968, 1966, 1965; Bhopal: 1978, 1973; Raipur: 1967, 1964, 1963; Gwalior: 1964. *

, New Delhi, India, 1987, 1978, 1974, 1969. * The

, Shantiniketan, India, 1987, 1972, 1960, 1959, 1951. * The

China Academy of Art China Academy of Art (), also translated as China National Academy of Fine Arts, was founded in Hangzhou in 1928 by the government of the Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China and the renowned educator Cai Yuanpei. It was the first a ...

, Shanghai, People's Republic of China, 1958. * The

Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (SFAI) () is a public fine arts university established in 1940 in the southwest City of Chonqing, China. It is one of the four most prominent art academies in China and the only one in southwest China. History and reput ...

(SFAI), Chongqing (Chungking), People's Republic of China, 1958. * The China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing (Peking), People's Republic of China, 1957.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinha, Beohar Rammanohar Indian male painters 1929 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Indian painters Indian illustrators People from Jabalpur Painters from Madhya Pradesh 20th-century Indian male artists