Case Study: 1/media/subjects... · He signed all his cartoons as ‘DENLEY’, an anagram of his...

Case Study: 1

Mss Eur/F236/155

&

Add Or 3866-3886

Violence on the Canvas: Calcutta Riot (1946) in the Paintings of Gopal Ghose

Gopal Ghosh (1913-1980) was born in Calcutta, and his childhood was spent in Simla, the summer capital of the British Raj. He was also brought

up in Banaras and Allahabad, two old cities of India where various Indian cultures found their successful confluence. His training in art started in

the Maharaja’s School of Arts and Crafts, Jaipur. Initially Ghose was influenced by the Bengal School, an art movement in Bengal which culminated

with the Nationalist Movement of 1905. The Bengal School tried to discover an indigenous expression of art free from the western influences. Later,

Bengal School found an artistic kinship with the Japanese art, and artists like Abanindranath Tagore, Kshitindra Nath Majumder adopted many

Japanese techniques like morotai. Gopal Ghose, though did not belong to Abanindranath’s milieu, found his interest in landscape, a subject that

many of Bengal School artists chose enthusiastically.

Mss Eur/F236/155

Gopal Ghosh (1913-80)

The British Library has an important file on Gopal Ghose (Mss Eur/F236/155) which is included in the private collection entitled ‘Papers of

W.G. Archer, Indian Civil Service, Bihar 1931-47, and his wife Mildred Archer, expert on Indian Poetry and art (1929-1986)’. This file contains few

letters of Gopal Ghose written to W.G. Archer where he tried to explain his concept of his own art and technique. In a letter, written on 15 August

1948, Ghose announced his allegiance to Pablo Picasso, ‘I must be frank and flowery that I like Picasso, not only…[because] he has changed his

name from Ruiz to Picasso, but … [for] his everlasting vitality and vigour….In Picasso’s fuss I find power of Picasso- so dearly I admire the Pablo

of Power’ (Mss Eur/F236/155). It was a long journey, indeed, for him, from Abanindranth to Pablo Picasso.

Ghose’s association with Calcutta was renewed when he started teaching at the Indian Society of Oriental Art in 1940-1945. Besides he

continued to teach at the Bengal Engineering College, Shibpur, and Scottish Church College. Calcutta in 1940’s was not a happy place, the first

half of which was spent under the shadow of imminent Japanese bombing, and the second half of the decade saw an unprecedented communal

riot between Hindus and Muslims over the Partition question. The communal politics took an ugly turn in 1946 with an obvious result of mass

killings on the street of Calcutta. On 15 February 1946, the British Parliament discussed the dire situation in Calcutta, and Mr. Arthur Henderson,

the Under-Secretary of State for India, made a statement on the situation in Calcutta:

The casualties reported up till midday on Thursday [14 February 1946] were: Civilians, 38 dead and 527 injured, of whom 276 were still in

hospital. Of the police, 82 were injured, 22 of whom were detained in hospital. The military casualties were, one officer seriously wounded,

and two British other ranks and two Indian other ranks injured. The reports which my noble Friend has received since the statement which

I made to the House on Wednesday, in reply to the noble Lord the Member for Horsham (Earl Winterton) indicate that Wednesday was

marked by a renewal of mob violence which mostly took the form of erection of road blocks, interference with vehicular traffic, and damaging

and looting shops and other buildings.

House of Commons Hansard Archives http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1946/feb/15/calcutta-riots

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1946/feb/15/calcutta-riots

But it was still a prelude to the worst to come, and on the 16th August 1946, following the ‘Direct Action Day’ Calcutta would be witnessing the

beginning of a large scale mass slaughter in the name of religion. This communal killing would be continuing even well after the Partition and Indian

Independence in 1947.

Gopal Ghose made a few paintings in Calcutta during the second half of February 1946, and it seems that he was almost in hurry to finish

them. They all came in a gush, and within a few days, he completed them all. The British Library holds 21 of his original paintings of which 18 were

created in 1946. Though nowhere in his entire correspondence with Archer, did Ghose give any reference to the violence he must have witnessed

in Calcutta, his disillusionment on human civilization became apparent when he wrote about ‘animal’ as his favourite subject:

Yes, the animal I like most…The various types of animal I enjoy,… when I come in contact with animals I feel myself happy. Animal still I

keep in my right hand side; rightly speaking animal can cure a lot in an age of so-called civilized world I don’t find any happy atmosphere.

Letter to W.G. Archer, 15 August 1948 [Mss Eur/F236/155]

Landscape painting not only made Ghose famous but also gave him respite from drudgery. He commented:

I used to run for open space. Landscapes are the next wonder-world to me; Landscapes are to me lungs of the soil- I breathe in landscapes.

(ibid)

But interestingly, many of the landscapes that Ghose painted in the February of 1946 feature an impending disaster in forms of storm clouds or

forest fire.

Add Or 3875

Storm Clouds

Medium: watercolour; gouache

Signed and dated in Bengali: ‘Gopal Ghose. 15/2/46.’

Add Or 3881

Flame of the forest trees (palas)


Signed and dated in Bengali: ‘Gopal Ghose. 28/2/46’

There are four paintings, all made in February 1946, depict directly the violence on the streets of Calcutta. The scenes of agitation, violence and

death are smeared with bright colours, though the human figures have been relegated into mere shadows. The non-human objects, building, flags,

weapons, trees, vehicles on the street made stark contrast to brightly lit blue or pink sky.

Add Or 3883

Demonstrators in Calcutta



Add Or 3884

The Calcutta maidan during the communal troubles with military firing



Add Or 3885

A burning liquor shop, Calcutta, and soldiers firing



Add Or 3886

Calcutta riots


Signed and dated in Bengali: ‘Gopal Ghose. 29/2/46

Case Study: 2

P2349 : 1941-1947

Rudolf von Leyden (1908-1983): Cartoons on Political Situations in India During 1940’s

Rudolf von Leyden was born on 8 August 1908 in Berlin in an illustrious family. His grandfather Ernst von Leyden was a physician, and knighted for his services

to the Prussian Court. His father Viktor von Leyden was a high ranking civil servant, and wrote books on legal themes. His mother Luise Reichenheim was of a

Jewish origin. This was not a convenient family identity to live with in Berlin during 1930s especially after Hitler became the Chancellor in 1933. Moreover,

Rudolf had interests in communism which made his life further difficult in Germany, and Georg-August University in Gӧttingen, where Rudolph did his Ph.D in

Geology, stripped him of the degree on the grounds of his communist leanings. He left Germany in 1933, and joined his brother in Bombay (now Mumbai). Their

parents also left country and joined them in Bombay six years later.

Rudolf, though studied Geology, never worked as a geologist, instead started to contribute political cartoons to The Times of India, which were published

in its supplement The Illustrated Weekly of India. A majority of his cartoons concerned the political situations in Europe during the World War II, and they were

ostensibly against the Axis power of Germany, Japan, and Italy. At the same time, he drew a substantial number of cartoons on India, and its political and

economic situations. Leyden was particularly sensitive towards the Partition question and the economic corruptions which became integral to Indian ways of life

during the last decade of the colonial rule in India.

Rudolf left India in mid-sixties, and started to live the rest of his life in Vienna. Rudy von Rudolph passed away on March 25, 1983, just before he was to receive

the prestigious Cross of Honour by the Austrian Government for his contribution to art and culture.

He signed all his cartoons as ‘DENLEY’, an anagram of his name Leyden.

Source: Rudolf von Leyden, Max Muller Bhavan Bombay, Mumbai, 1999

All the cartoons are taken from the following album in the British Library.

Title: An album containing 259 caricatures drawn by Rudolf von Leyden (Denley) published in The Illustrated Weekly of India 1941-47. Presented by the

artist. Artist(s): Leyden, Rudolf von (1908-1983)

Collection Area: Visual Arts

Reference: P2349

Creation Date: 1941-1947

Cartoon Newspaper Date Caption Note

The Illustrated Weekly of

India

28 June 1943 Our Cartoonist’s

impression of Mr.

Munshi’s resignation

from the Congress on the

issue of non-violence

Dr Kanhaiyalal Maniklal

Munshi, a Congress

leader resigned from the

Congress in 1940 over his

disagreement with

Gandhi.


India

NA Getting the Bird Japan luring Thailand in

order to ‘kill’ it.


India

18 July 1943 Cloth Control Order-

Before and After

Cloth Control Order

became effective in India

in 1943 to restrict the

supply of clothes to

civilians during the World

War. This probably

affected corrupt cloth

merchants.


India

29 August 1943 Shoot, Man, Shoot…! Sir Jwala Prasad

Srivastava (1889-1954)

served as the Member-in-

charge of food from

1943-46, during the food

crisis in India and famine

in Bengal


India

7 November 1943 Work to be done The Viscount Wavell

(1883-1950), the Viceroy

of India (1943-47). His

tenure as a Viceroy was

marked with crises in

India spawned by the

World War II, including

famine.


India

5 December 1943 Hasten the Day! Cartoon on the brutal

treatment of Japan on

Indian prisoners of war


India

27 February 1944 The straw that… Sir Edward Benthal, the

Member of the Supreme

Council of the

Government of India in

charge of railways hiked

rail fare.


India

16 April 1944 Railway fares are to “stay

put”

Sir Edward Benthal, the

Member of the Supreme

Council of the

Government of India in

charge of railways hiked

rail fare, which he

revoked later.


India

23 April 1944 Someone likes the smell

of it!

American industries

becoming interested in

the 15 Years Plan for

India as it included the

purchase of foreign

equipment.


India

30 April 1944 Hosts-Ghosts or Boasts Subhas Chandra Bose

collaborated with Japan

and formed ‘Government

of India’ in Singapore.


India

21 May 1944 War of Extremities Probably refers to the

Japanese friendship

messages to India on

Asian fraternity

particularly through Azad

Hind Fauj.


India

4 June 1944 Taking the Bull by the

Horn

The textile Commissioner

trying to control black

market in cloth during the

time of rationing of all

essential commodities

including cloths.


India

2 July 1944 The Paper Weight Control and rationing of

paper in India during the

World War II.


India

30 July 1944 Honourable Rotten

Apples

Indian and other allied

soldiers in acts of

onslaught against Japan,

‘shaking’ the Japanese

cabinet and high

command.


India

10 September 1944 Untitled Hike of food price by

black-marketeers, and

dishonest businessmen

taking the advantage of

War.


India

1 October 1944 Run along little man, I

am busy…

Andrew Pearson, or

‘Drew’ Pearson, an

American journalist who

was critical of Allied

policies of War, is seen in

the cartoon, in an act of

mudslinging to an Indian

soldier.


India

8 October 1944 ‘Sine die’ The ever-widening gulf

between Jinnah’s Muslim

League and Gandhi’s

Congress led to rapid

communal polarization in

India before

Independence.


India

12 November 1944 Keep it under your sola

hat!

The Controller General of

Civil Supplies in India

took measure against

dishonest sellers by fixing

maximum price.


India

24 December 1944 Perhaps some fresh air… The viceroy Wavell,

Congress and Muslim

League have their own

agenda on the question of

the wellbeing of India.


India

11 March 1945 The budget or the storm

that passed


India

1 April 1945 Bring them back alive!


India

8 April 1945 For whom the bell toll The defeat of the

Germans in the World

War resulted into collapse

of stock market both in

USA and India.


India

27 May 1945 V-Day in Ahmedabad The mill-owners’

Association refused the

demand of the Labour

Association to continue

giving the dearness

allowance to the local

textile workers for three

months after the end of

the war in Europe.


India

24 June 1945 Bombay will ration

foreign spirit from 1st

July

The rationing of

commodities would result

into opportunities for

black market.


India

1 July 1945 This journey is

necessary!

On June 14 1945, Lord

Wavell announced a plan

for a new Executive

Council in which all

members except the

Viceroy and the

Commander-in-chief

would be Indians.


India

30 September 1945 Remember how hard it

was to bring it in?

HPPO or the Hoarding

and Profiteering

Prevention Ordinance

was likely to be

withdrawn much to the

relief of dishonest

businessmen.


India

23 December 1945 The Magic Wand Lord Wavell’s statement

about the ineffectuality of

the Quit India movement

for achieving Indian

independence.


India

20 January 1946 Untitled The Cabinet Mission led

by the Secretary of State

for India, Lord Pethick-

Lawrence brought

proposals about processes

to Indian Independence.

Congress did not agree to

many of its proposals.


India

27 January 1946 …failed to return On 12 January 1946, the

Demonetisation

Ordinance was passed in

British India, and high

value notes of Rs. 500,

1000, 10000 were

demonetised. The black

market was supposed to

suffer by it.


India

10 February 1946 Untitled Over 40,000 primary

school teachers in service

under local bodies in the

Province of Bombay

decided to go on strike in

demand of increased

dearness allowances.


India

3 March 1946 Mother’s darlings


India

10 March 1946 One more river to cross The communal violence

and deterioration of law

and order in India in 1946

were part of Indian

Independence process.


India

17 March 1946 International Art Post war situations of all

the concerned countries

including India.


India

31 March 1946 Untitled The Cabinet Mission led

by the Secretary of State

for India, Lord Pethick-

Lawrence brought

proposals to Indian

leaders about transfer of

power.


India

28 April 1946 “Say, you are only

pretending”

Sections of American

public opinion

underestimated the

seriousness of India’s

food position.


India

18 August 1946 Perhaps if the gentleman

would remove his

weight…?

The rise in the food index

was due to the twin effect

of Government’s

announcement of

rationing and subsequent

attempts of racketeers to

corner available stock.


India

27 October 1946 Dressed for the occasion? Cooverji Hormusji

Bhaba, popularly known

as C.H. Bhaba was in

charge of the ‘Works,

Mines and Power’ in the

interim government

initiated modernization

plan for cotton industry.


India

17 November 1946 No tail to wag the tiger A.V. Alexander,

Minister-designate for

Defence, stated in the

House of Commons that

the Government’s aim

would be to provide an

efficient fighting force in

which the tail was to be

kept as short and teeth as

long and keen as possible.


India

1 December 1946 The world needs some

fun, after all


India

8 December 1946 Valet or Vale


India

22 December 1946 Atlee in Wonderland


India

29 December 1946 Yes-I can see some future

for you-some sort of a

future

Pundit Nehru’s speech to

the Associated Chambers

of Commerce in Calcutta.


India

5 January 1947 New year’s resolutions

for 1947 or so much

wishful thinking!


India

12 January 1947 Beware of the Dog


India

16 February 1947 …about it and about… Complex and difficult

process of negotiation

between Congress and

Muslim League


India

2 March 1947 See no black market- hear

no black market- speak

no black market


India

NA (probably March

1947)

In praise of fairness In a letter dated 18 March

1947 to Lord

Mountbatten, Clement

Atlee requested him to

aim 1 June 1948 as the

date for transfer of power.


India

30 March 1947 The captain’s baggage Lord Mountbatten of

Burma was the last

Viceroy of India and saw

through the transfer of

power. He was also the

first Governor General of

independent India.

Case Study: 3

IOR/POS/3658

&

Mss Eur Photo Eur 211:1947

Reports of Bengal and Punjab Boundary Commission, dated July-August, 1947: Contents

The Boundary Commission was appointed by Lord Mountbatten to draw boundaries to divide Punjab and Bengal regions of the Indian subcontinent

in order to create two separate dominions that would come to exist after independence. In an official memo published on 30 June 1947, titled

‘Partition of the Provinces of Bengal and the Punjab, Boundary Commissions’ (IOR/L/I/1/770) it was announced:

There shall be two Boundary Commissions, one for Bengal and the other for the Punjab, consisting of the following:-

For Bengal. Chairman – to be appointed later, Members – Mr. Justice Bijan Kumar Mukherji, Mr. Justice C.C. Biswas, Mr. Justice Abu

Saleh Mohammad Akram, Mr. Justice S.A. Rahman.

For Punjab. Chairman – to be appointed later, Members - Mr. Justice Din Mohammad, Mr. Justice Mohammad Munir, Mr. Justice Mehar

Chand Mahajan, Mr. Justice Teja Singh

Note. It is intended to appointment the same person as Chairman of both the Boundary Commission.

Both the Commissions were instructed ‘to demarcate the boundaries’ of the two parts of both Bengal and Punjab ‘on the basis of ascertaining the

contiguous majority areas of Moslems and non-Moslems. In doing so it will also take into account other factors.’ Besides, a number of Expert

Committees and Sub-Committees were formed by the Indian Independence Act 1947 to work on the nitty-gritties of the Partition.

The Chairman of both the Commissions Sir Cyril Radcliffe submitted his report, and it was published a few days after India and Pakistan became

independent.

Partitioning a country like India was not an easy job, as mere drawing of boundaries would not suffice for this purpose. The Commissions also

worked on dividing resources, money, military personnel, arms, archives, libraries, and even office furniture like typewriters, and electric fans. The

report along with the proceedings of Expert Committees was divided into several volumes, and a mere look at the following content pages of them

would reveal the enormity of the task of partitioning a country like India. The British Library holds Volumes I – III & VI, and their content pages are

given below.

The content pages are arranged in the following manner:

VOLUME – I

Cover Page (Image C1)

Contents of Vol – I (Image V1)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 1 [General] (Image 1.1)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 2 [The Partition “Machinery”] (Image 1.2)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 3 [Division of Personnel] (Image 1.3)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 4 [Division of Office Equipment & Furniture] (Image 1.4)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 5 [Division of Office Records] (Image 1.5)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 6 [Division of Libraries, Archives & Museums] (Image 1.6)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 7 [Unique Establishments] (Image 1.7)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 8 [Judicial Bodies & central Acts – Effect of Partition] (Image 1.8)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 9 [Provincial Problems] (Image 1.9)

Contents of Vol – I, Chapter – 10 [Miscellaneous] (Image 1.10)

Volume – II


Contents of Vol – II, Page 1 (Image V2.1)

Contents of Vol – II, Page 2 (Image V2.2)

VOLUME – III


Contents of Vol – III (Image V3)

Contents of Vol – III, Chapter – 1 [General Revenues] (Image 3.1)

Contents of Vol – III, Chapter – 2 [Miscellaneous Revenues] (Image 3.2)

Contents of Vol – III, Chapter – 3 [Contracts] (Image 3.3)

Contents of Vol – III, Chapter – 4 [Currency, Coinage & Exchange] (Image 3.4)

Contents of Vol – III, Chapter – 5 [Budget & Accounts] (Image 3.5)

Contents of Vol – III, Chapter – 6 [Economic Relations (Controls)] (Image 3.6)

Contents of Vol – III, Chapter – 7 [Economic Relations (Trade)] (Image 3.7)

Contents of Vol – III, Chapter – 8 [Domicile] (Image 3.8)

Contents of Vol – III, Chapter – 9 [Foreign Relations] (Image 3.9)

VOLUME – VI


Contents of Vol – VI (Image V6)

Contents of Vol – VI, Chapter – 1 [General] (Image 6.1)

Contents of Vol – VI, Chapter – 5 [Decision of the Indo-Pakistan Boundary Dispute Tribunal] (Image 6.5)

(Image C1)

(Image V1)

(Image 1.1)

(Image 1.2)

(Image 1.3)

(Image 1.4)

(Image 1.5)

(Image 1.6)

(Image 1.7)

(Image 1.8)

(Image 1.9)

(Image 1.10)

(Image C2)

(Image V2.1)

(Image V2.2)

(Image C3)

(Image V3)

(Image 3.1)

(Image 3.2)

(Image 3.3)

(Image 3.4)

(Image 3.5)

(Image 3.6)

(Image 3.7)

(Image 3.8)

(Image 3.9)

(Image C6)

CONTENTS

PAGES

1. General 1—24

2. Bengal Boundary Commission: 25—122

A. Report of Non-Muslim Members 25—70

B. Report of Muslim Members 71—123

3. Bengal (Sylhet) Boundary Commission 124—156

A. Report of Non-Muslim Members 127—141

B. Report of Muslim Members 142—152

C. Sir Cyril Radcliffe’s Award 153—155

4. Punjab Boundary Commission 156—310

5. Decisions of the Indo-Pakistan Boundary Dispute Tribunal 310—322

(Image V6)

(Image 6.1)

(Image 6.5)

Case Study: 1/media/subjects... · He signed all his cartoons as ‘DENLEY’, an anagram of his...

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