Who was Raikrishna Das?
Raikrishna Das seeing the light of day in 13th November, 1892. He had deep understanding into the art of planting and sculptures especially the art of making statues. He had a good collection of pieces of different arts. He was both a lover and a creator literature. Kashi (Varanasi) is said to be a city of thought, reflection and creation in this city, Raikrishna Das was born in a prosperous and high family on 13th November, 1892.
People of Kashi khew him as “Nehi” his pet name. Nehi could have been the shorter form or abbreviation of Snehi. Raikrishna Das came to be devoted to Art, in spite of his taking birth. In a prosperous family and having led an affluent life of pleasure and majesty.
The reply to this question can be had only after the study of his contribution to art. ‘The Bharat Kala Bhawan’ is the living proof or his deep devotion to and loves of art. He was in fact the “Lord” as known among his art lover friends.
It is difficult to assess as to what basically he was as he has deep insight in many branches of art, and he was found of collecting things of pieces and creations of arts and literature. He first appeared as a story writer in the world of literature. But later on, he was so much busy in painting that his personality as a man of literature gradually faded. After the foundation of Bharat Kala Bhawan. Raikrishna Das was known as one having deep insight into Art on international level.
Man of Humanities
In the world literature, Raikrishna Das was a contemporary story writer of Prem Chand. The chief poet and story writer of Chhayawad Jai Shankar Prasad was one of his close friends. Prasad had very near and relations with Raikrishna Das. The deep effect of Prasad’s impracticality and emotionalism can be seen in many stories of Raikrishna Das.
Raikrishna is mainly story writer. Sadhana’ Ankhya’ and “Sudhanshu are collections of his stories. In Hindi Sahitiya Ka Itihas’ the comments on his stories are, “Raikrishna Das, like Prasad, wrote emotional stories. He is specialized in creating poetic atmosphere and dramatic style like Prasad.” This can be seen clearly in his stories like Anthapur ka Rahasya and Ramani ka Rahasaya.
Raikrishna Das wrote some verified prose as well. Praval’ is the collection of such prose; emotionalism in the verified prose has come to be recognized as living feature of his style. It has been said very aptly about his versified prose that, Erotism of Chhayawad style is the life factor of his versified prose.
The gentle and erotic part of human emotions has been specially painted in his works. Among the versified prose writers Raikrishna Das is the only name which can be bracketed with Makhan Lal Chaturvedi.
Raikrishna Das – The Great Devotee of Art
Raikrishna Das contribution to Indian art is yet to be assessed. Kapila Vatsayan knew Sri Raikrishna Das Closely and understood him deeply. She has said” “Assayers of the art of painting, specially of beauty of small painting, know it fully well that during the period from 1896 to 1908, the Principal of the government college of Art, Mr.E.B. Havell was explaining beauty of Indian painting is an irresponsible manner.
In this point in time, Raikrishna Das, made a collection of small paintings and examining them in the Indian context, gave them a particular name Collection of five thousands small paintings in the ‘Bharat Kala Bhawan’ his unique contribution in the world of collections of small paintings.
History of Art Paintings
Raikrishna Das was a very minute and rare type of assayer of aesthetics. Raikrishna Das the first person to accept and appreciate “experiments Bhartiya Murti Kala and Bhartiya Chitra Kala – these two books of Raikrishna Das are considered to be nucleus books of Indian Art.
These books of Raikrishna are a great and impressive help to the understanding of the genius of Indian Art. Bhartiya Chitra Kala ka Itihas (History of Indian Art of Planting) is a powerful work and a unique book on history of art of painting.
Bharat Kala Bhawan
Is the symbol of Raikrishna Das’s achievement and accomplishments in art performance. Its new Bhawan was inaugurated by prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. He was overwhelmed by its artistic beauty.
Raikrishna Das had procured and collected the best productions of Indian sculptures and paintings from different places and from rare resources. To make his collection unique, he had made all possible efforts. He donated this collection to the Banaras Hindu University with much more kindness then he cleverness with which he had made the collection.
Rai Saheb was not only a person of deep insight in Art, but also he could distinguish and discern art and artist. He inspired artists of his time hot them duly honored. He remember their productions which he took from and gave them due respect.
Moreover the creations of Art, Raikrishna Das collected in his Bharat Kala Bhawan, the manuscripts of famous literary persons. Rai Saheb kept them with care in his collections, manuscripts of samples of works of literary person’s viz. Bhartendu Harishchandra, Jai Shankar Prasad Maithil Sharan Gupta, Vasudeva Sharan Agarwal, Acharya Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi and more.
Lover of the Commendable and Assayer Human
Raikrishna Das had an eye of a person who is thankful for merit and the meritorious. He very well knew to discriminate between the ridiculous and the sublime. This was his inborn quality.
He had such a balanced eye that he could catch the finest quality at a glance, whether it is a painting, a jewel or a natural scene. He was a rare assayer of precious stones. People were often wonder struck on seeing his knowledge about the rarest of the rare jewels.
Thus Raikrishna Das was a complete man of art of a multi dimensional personality. About his personality, how true is this statement. “The people, who had short associations with him, did have a deep impression of his loving and awaked personality.
Such persons lend honour to creations of art, and are honoured; they give honour to the society. He received many honours, including Padma Vibhushan a title just below the “Bharat Ratna”. He received so much implicit faith of the persons of art and literature that any other single person must have had.
Accordingly persons who designate their ego to the goddess or art are born not more than two or three in a century among such persons Raikrishna Das was unique. His expression in more words than the words which he had used to express himself. This expression is immortality. To this immortality we bow down before him humbly.