Sudhir Khastgir

He was influenced by the Tagore family and his classic works include paintings of scenes from Indian mythologies, women, and village life. He was also the first art teacher at The Doon School, Dehradun, when it opened in 1935. Today, the many statues and murals on display at Doon, and frescoes of dancers at the entrance of a local cinema hall, The Orient, are his creations.

Sudhir Khastgir studied at Academy of Fine Arts, Munich and Visva-Bharati University. The field of work recorded is painting. Work by Sudhir Khastgir is recorded in the collections of Victoria Memorial and National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru. Distinctions recorded are Padma Shri in arts.

• Name — Sudhir Ranjan Khastgir • Born — 24 September 1907 • Birthplace — Chittagong, Bengal Presidency, British India • Died — 6 June 1974 • Place of death — Kolkata, West Bengal, India • Known for — Painting • Movement — Bengal school of art, modern Indian art

• Illustration — Tagore by Khastgir, depicting Rabindranath Tagore Khastgir was born in Chittagong, Bangladesh in 1907. He soon moved to Kolkata, India for his schooling. After graduating from the Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan, he went to Academy of Fine Arts, Munich to study Fine Arts on a scholarship. After returning from Munich, he became the first Arts master at the newly opened The Doon School. He remained in Doon for the next 20 years. During this period, he also directed some dance-dramas based on the works of Rabindranath Tagore. While at Doon, he achieved considerable national fame and was invited by the Uttar Pradesh Government to head Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow (University of Lucknow) in 1956. Khastgir was given the Padma Shri award by Government of India in 1957, for his significant contributions to Indian art.

His elder brother, Satish Ranjan Khastgir, was a noted physicist. His daughter, Shyamoli Khastgir, an environmental activist, lives in Purba Palli, Shantiniketan.