Amrita Sher-Gil Indian Cultural Centre, Budapest
Interview with Shri Malay Mishra, Ambassador of India
The name of the Hungarian-born Indian painter, Amrita Sher-Gil is going to be assumed by the Indian Cultural Centre in Budapest on the 67th anniversary of the independence of India on 15 August, Friday. On this occasion Malay Mishra, the ambassador of the Indian Republic to Hungary gave an interview for the homepage of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. On what occasion, are you going to name your Cultural Centre?
– The Cultural Centre is going to be named after Amrita Sher-Gil and shall be called Amrita Sher-Gil Cultural Centre on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of India's Independence Day on 15 August 2014. This is an extremely important occasion being a National Day for us. Independence of India evokes memories as well as devolves duties for every Indian citizen. It was on this day on the midnight of 14-15 August that India gained freedom under the inspiring leadership of Mahatma Gandhi from 200 years of British rule. Gandhiji led a battle with the weapons of peace and non-violence, unheard so far in history that a weaponless and defenceless nation could rise up against the mighty British imperial power and subjugate them finally, humbling them to agree to granting full independence. India later became a Republic on 26 January, 1950 with the adoption of the Constitution declaring India a "sovereign democratic republic".
Why have you decided to name your Cultural Centre after the famous painter Amrita Sher-Gil?
– Amrita Sher-Gil is the truest representative of the Indo-Hungarian cultural connect. Born of a Sikh father and Hungarian mother, she exemplified the true essence of both Indian culture as well as European. Her life of nearly three decades was chequered with many incidents and activities that made Amrita Sher-Gil and her enormous body of work world famous. She is one of the most eminent contemporary painters of India and her legacy has been preserved in the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in New Delhi. In fact, we are planning to have an exhibition of some of her major works in Budapest sometime later this year with the collaboration of NGMA and the Hungarian Ministry of Culture which will be held under the ongoing Indo-Hungarian Cultural Exchange Programme.
Are there any examples for naming Indian Cultural Centres in the world e.g. in London?
– There are several examples of Indian Cultural Centres being named after Indian luminaries. The Indian Cultural Centre in London is named after Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. The Cultural Centre in Berlin has been named after Rabindranath Tagore, one of the greatest cultural personalities of India. The Cultural Centre in Cairo is named after Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India and the Cultural Centre in Moscow is named after Nehru as well.
Would you foresee any impact of the naming on Indo-Hungarian cultural cooperation?
– Yes, we do foresee a certain impact of the naming of the Indian Cultural Centre in Budapest. The Centre, functioning since 2011, has been galvanized of late and organizing a series of activities, both in teaching dance, music, Yoga, language (Hindi) as well as organizing exhibitions, performing art shows and popular Indian cinema to a wide range of Hungarian audiences. The Centre has also become extremely popular and is now one of the highlights in the cultural landscape of Budapest. The Centre has been collaborating with several municipalities and cultural centres in various parts of Hungary in organizing ‘India Days' and such other related events. The Centre is, therefore, apt to be called Amrita Sher-Gil Centre, given the affinities of Indian and Hungarian cultures and the fondness of Hungarian people for all aspects of Indian culture.
– The Cultural Centre is going to be named after Amrita Sher-Gil and shall be called Amrita Sher-Gil Cultural Centre on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of India's Independence Day on 15 August 2014. This is an extremely important occasion being a National Day for us. Independence of India evokes memories as well as devolves duties for every Indian citizen. It was on this day on the midnight of 14-15 August that India gained freedom under the inspiring leadership of Mahatma Gandhi from 200 years of British rule. Gandhiji led a battle with the weapons of peace and non-violence, unheard so far in history that a weaponless and defenceless nation could rise up against the mighty British imperial power and subjugate them finally, humbling them to agree to granting full independence. India later became a Republic on 26 January, 1950 with the adoption of the Constitution declaring India a "sovereign democratic republic".
Why have you decided to name your Cultural Centre after the famous painter Amrita Sher-Gil?
– Amrita Sher-Gil is the truest representative of the Indo-Hungarian cultural connect. Born of a Sikh father and Hungarian mother, she exemplified the true essence of both Indian culture as well as European. Her life of nearly three decades was chequered with many incidents and activities that made Amrita Sher-Gil and her enormous body of work world famous. She is one of the most eminent contemporary painters of India and her legacy has been preserved in the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in New Delhi. In fact, we are planning to have an exhibition of some of her major works in Budapest sometime later this year with the collaboration of NGMA and the Hungarian Ministry of Culture which will be held under the ongoing Indo-Hungarian Cultural Exchange Programme.
Are there any examples for naming Indian Cultural Centres in the world e.g. in London?
– There are several examples of Indian Cultural Centres being named after Indian luminaries. The Indian Cultural Centre in London is named after Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. The Cultural Centre in Berlin has been named after Rabindranath Tagore, one of the greatest cultural personalities of India. The Cultural Centre in Cairo is named after Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister of independent India and the Cultural Centre in Moscow is named after Nehru as well.
Would you foresee any impact of the naming on Indo-Hungarian cultural cooperation?
– Yes, we do foresee a certain impact of the naming of the Indian Cultural Centre in Budapest. The Centre, functioning since 2011, has been galvanized of late and organizing a series of activities, both in teaching dance, music, Yoga, language (Hindi) as well as organizing exhibitions, performing art shows and popular Indian cinema to a wide range of Hungarian audiences. The Centre has also become extremely popular and is now one of the highlights in the cultural landscape of Budapest. The Centre has been collaborating with several municipalities and cultural centres in various parts of Hungary in organizing ‘India Days' and such other related events. The Centre is, therefore, apt to be called Amrita Sher-Gil Centre, given the affinities of Indian and Hungarian cultures and the fondness of Hungarian people for all aspects of Indian culture.
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Art historian and member of MMA, Katalin Keserü did a great deal for the familiarization of Amrita Sher-Gil (1913–1941) in Hungary, who is regarded as the reformer of modern Indian painting. Her first major exhibition in Europe was arranged by Keserü in 2001 in the Ernst Museum in Budapest. In the same year Sándor Sára, one of the best living Hungarian film directors made a three-part documentary on her, after she had been selected as one among the hundred most significant Indian personalities of the 20th century in 2000. Keserü published a monograph on her in 2007. On the centenary of her birth Keserü arranged a lifework exhibition of 50 pieces in June 2013 and the poster versions of her paintings were placed on the fence of the Hungarian National Museum. In last July Keserü made an exhibition of her works in the Vaszary Villa in Balatonfüred. In last September in Paris a commemoration of her took place in the UNESCO Palace with the participation of Keserü and fine artist Attila Csáji, vice-president of MMA, as well as Katalin Bogyai, Hungary's Ambassador to UNESCO. In November 2013 MMA held a two-day conference on Amrita Sher-Gil and the history of the Hungarian-Indian cultural connections in Budapest. 