The making of Manaku

Mona

Ancient, celebrated texts of Geet Govinda, Ramayana, Bhagwata Purana come alive in famous Pahari painter Manaku’s works and for the first time you can get to know the celebrated artist through famed art historian BN Goswamy’s book, Manaku of Guler!

Sitting in the living room of his home in Sector 19, hours before the launch of his latest book, he admits to feeling some satisfaction, surely no hubris, that he penned the first-ever book on traditional artist—Nainsukh of Guler. The new book delves more into the world of Pahari painter in the 18th century. 

“Tradition is largely anonymous. And, certainly the artists aren’t getting benefitted with writings on them, they have been long gone but it is an amazing journey to get to know the mental make-up of a painter to understand the true nature of his works.”

The book, a collaboration between Museum Reitberg, Zurich and the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh had Goswamy on Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research work for five long years – three years at the museum in Chandigarh that houses many of Manaku’s works, and two years compiling. 

As there has hardly been any ‘solid’ information on Manaku, this book was a journey charted through the stylistics of his work. The writing with the 151 paintings on Geet Govinda credits Manaku to be the artist and part of Ramayana—Seige of Lanka (started by his father Pandit Seu) and Bhagwata Purana are also ascribed to him. 

“Compared to his brother Nainsukh, Manaku’s paintings are more traditional, conservative, and grave kinds,” says Goswamy, who emphasises the lighter/witty touch in his younger brother Nainsukh’s works.”

Manaku’s identity has long courted controversies. It was in the ‘bahi’ of pandas in Haridwar that the art historian could spot an entry that establishes him. “Interestingly I found almost an entire page by Nanisukh in his own writing that mentioned his lineage and date of his visit along with a small but amazing painting of Ganga avtaran in Haridwar.”

Goswamy, who released the Manaku of Guler in Zurich early September, mentions how the western art critics are in awe of the life and work of the traditional Indian artist. “I did mention in that talk how saints are supposed to have communion with gods, I can’t say that about today’s babas but Manaku sure held meetings with the divine.”

This recipient of Padma Bhushan, who painstakingly researched for this book, quotes a Persian couplet, “Zubaan dar kash aye mard-e bisyaar daan// Kah fardaa qalam neesat baar bey zubaan (Pull your tongue back, O you, who think you know so much/ For the pen of future will surely not be without a tongue of its own!”)

Twenty-six books down the line, Goswamy’s next is going to be a seminal work titled Readings in Indian Art by Oxford University Press early next year.

One can see some 33 of the paintings by Manaku at Government Museum and Art Gallery-10.

mona@tribunemail.com