This story is from April 18, 2015

Haldar’s rendition of Bagh frescoes to get new colour

Almost 90 years have gone by since Asit Kumar Haldar – the first Indian to be appointed principal of Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts by the British – painted copies of the Bagh Caves frescoes and installed them in the college.
Haldar’s rendition of Bagh frescoes to get new colour
LUCKNOW: Almost 90 years have gone by since Asit Kumar Haldar – the first Indian to be appointed principal of Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts by the British – painted copies of the Bagh Caves frescoes and installed them in the college. The paintings, that had been pinned to the walls and had been lying in decay, have now been taken up to be restored.
Fragments of some of them were lying scattered in the college quarters amid seepage of water, bird beat, dust and dirt.
The project, undertaken by college authorities on a budget of Rs 30 lakh, has begun in collaboration with Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage or INTACH.
Many in Lucknow feel that Haldar’s paintings are a prized possession for the city.
With a net worth of Rs 10 crore today, the artistic rendition of the Buddhist caves of Bagh in Gwalior was created by Haldar in 1926-27. This was after his expedition to the caves in 1921, as an official of Tagore University, Shantiniketan. The exclusive collection by Haldar (1890-1964), the grandnephew of Rabindranath Tagore, is said to be the only copy of the frescoes in the world.
The paintings, put up together as a mural, were taken off the wall in a fragile condition. Senior conservationist DN Srivastava, who has started work on the mural, said, “It was like a puzzle and a lot of time was spent trying to set it in place. We will be conserving the piece up to 80% because it is mandatory to show the difference between the old and the new. Synthetic resin and wood dust would be used to conserve the pieces and we have begun by attaching wood ply behind the mural for support. The fragile nature is such that it is breaking on the slightest touch.”

Explaining the loss suffered over time, college principal P Rajivanayan said, “There was a lot of water staining. There was no protective coating on the mural which lead to colour flaking. There was a loss of area too. It was about time the conservation was taken up. Haldar is an esteemed name to be attached with Arts College.”
Artist Girish Tiwari, an alumnus of the college, said, “It was because of Haldar's active role that the college had come into existence and it was because of his aptitude that the college reached this height.”
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