Ranu Mukherjee (art patron)

Lady Ranu Mukherjee (born as Priti Adhikary) (1907 – 2002) was a notable patron of art, and one of the most famous personalities in the sphere of Indian arts and culture. She became Rabindranath Tagore's muse, during the last years of the poet's life, and their relationship remains a fascinating tale of creative dynamics, respect and platonic poetic love. Her appreciation of art and literature had a distinct Tagorean sensibility. She is credited to have established the Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, and was honoured with the Légion d'Honneur by the Government of France.

Lady Ranu Mukherjee. Portrait by Atul Bose.

Early life

Lady Ranu at the annual exhibition of the Academy with Dr. Karan Singh, Debiprasad Chowdhury, Atul Bose, and O.C. Ganguly.

Ranu Mukherjee's natal home was at Tungi village, in the Nadia district, of British Bengal. She was born on 18 October 1907, in Varanasi, where her father Phani Bhusan Adhikary was working as a professor at the Kashi Hindu Central College. Initially, she was named Priti Adhikary. Seven years after Ranu's birth, her father joined the Benaras Hindu University as a Professor of Philosophy. Her mother Sarjubala Devi, a singer, was an honorary music teacher at Annie Besant's Theosophical School. She was the youngest daughter of Harimohan Chattopadhyay, a Sanskrit scholar hailing from Chandannagore. Under the influence of her elder brother Kaliprasanna Chattopadhyay, Sarjubala Devi grew up to be a fond devotee, and ardent reader of Rabindranath, and his works. Later, she played a central role in working for the spread of Tagore's ideas and teachings at Kashi. It was under her influence that her husband, and later Ranu would grow up, under a very Tagorean environment. Ranu Mukherjee inherited not just her mother's love for Tagore, but also her courage and strength of character. Priti became Rabindranath Tagore's last muse, and she ultimately came to be known by Ranu - a name given to her by the poet himself.

Relationship with Tagore

Lady Ranu with the then Governor T.N. Singh.

Lady Ranu with Raja Gopalachari.

Aged 11, Ranu had finished reading Tagore's Collection of Short Stories (Golpoguccha). She was then a student of the Theosophical School at Kashi. It was in 1918 that Tagore invited Ranu's father to come and work with Kshitimohan Sen at Shantiniketan's Vidya Bhavana. Her elder sister Asha Aryanayakam and her husband had been the inmates of the Shantiniketan Ashrama for a long time. Ranu, who had already read Tagore's Gora, Noukadubi, Chinnapatra, Dakghar, etc., shifted here. She was tutored by the artists Nandalal Bose and Surendranath Kar while staying at Shantiniketan. Soon she became very close to Tagore himself, with whom she had already exchanged letters from Varanasi, as a passionate reader of his works. What started was a very special relationship between Ranu and Tagore, whom Ranu endearingly called Bhanudada (after Tagore's pseudonym Bhanusingha that he had adopted to write his Bhanusingha Thakurer Padabali). The relationship blossomed at a difficult time when Tagore was recovering from the loss of his daughter Madhurilata, and remained preoccupied with the prospect of arranging finances for his dream project of Shantiniketan. Ranu reignited Tagore's poetic inspiration, reminding him often of his first muse Kadambari Devi. Tagore's poetic creations gained a fresh fervour. The 208 letters written by Tagore to his Ranu, and 68 letters written by Ranu to her poet, bear a testimony to this special relationship which was misunderstood by many at the time. The letters show how Ranu, aged 12, had inspired the poet. Ranu accompanied the poet everywhere, and even went with him to Shillong where Tagore had composed Shesher Kobita. In 1920, when Tagore's play Bisarjan was staged at the Empire Hall, Tagore had played the role of Jayasingha, while Aparna's role was played by Ranu Mukherjee.

Lady Ranu with eminent personalities during an exhibition.

Personal life

Lady Ranu with Atul Bose and O.C. Ganguly.

In 1925, Ranu was married to Sir Birendranath Mukherjee, a famous Indian industrialist. With a mature perception of art and culture, coupled with finer abilities that she had acquired under Tagore's mentorship at the Shantiketan school, she fittingly became Lady Ranu Mukherjee, the Grand Dame of Bengal. However, after having married to a rich family, the relationship between the poet and his muse got disrupted. The poet realised more than anyone else, that Ranu now belonged to a milieu that is less sensitive to poetry and art, and hence he wrote: “Ranu, please do not call me Bhanu Dada any more. Bhanu Singha is lost forever. He cannot be brought back.”

Legacy and contributions

Academy of Fine Arts.

Lady Ranu with the then governor Dharma Vira, and Chief Minister Siddharth Ray.

Lady Ranu Mukherjee founded the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata, in 1933, although it was around 1952, that construction of the present building began. Ranu Mukherjee contributed to the Academy, the series of paintings and artworks that her family had, and which she herself had inherited. The special Rabindra Gallery, included her photographs at the time of Shantiniketan, manuscripts of Tagore's Bhanusingha Thakurer Padabali, etc. In this initiative she was supported by the then Chief Minister of Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, and her illustrious husband, Sir Birendranath Mukherjee. The Academy under her able trusteeship became the city's epicentre of arts and culture, and one of the most important art societies of India. She remained the President of the Academy till 1997. Besides, she also maintained a close connection, and held respectable positions at Lalit Kala Academy, Indian Museum in Kolkata, Calcutta University, Benaras Hindu University, Asiatic Society, Rabindra Bharati University, etc. She was awarded the Légion d'Honneur by the French Government.

Death

Ranu Mukherjee, the last Grand Dame of Indian arts and culture, died on 15 March 2000.