Sangita Jindal walks you through her journey with art
Sangita Jindal
It is an absolute privilege to be sharing my personal journey and its milestones with such
a distinguished audience. I look up to so many people here.
I grew up in Kolkata. My youth was spent hobnobbing with artists and other creative individuals. My mother, Urmila Kanoria, always told me about art. In our family, when all the women were eager to buy jewellery, my mother always told me that what is more important is to go to art galleries and get involved.
In those days, art was neither fashionable nor was it viewed as an asset. In the ’70s, it was
art for art’s sake. I remember the time when my mother bought a Hussain painting for Rs. 200
only. It was then, as a child, that I realised that I wanted to buy art and, at some point, build my own art collection. A decade later, in 1984, my mother established the Kanoria Centre for Arts in Ahmedabad, where we have our family home. Those were heady days. Her vision was limitless and she encouraged all those who came within her ambit to appreciate and acquire art. Her enthusiasm fuelled my own interest. Her passion and persistence was inspiring. It led
me to collect art from an early age.
Just after I got married, I bought an Anjolie Ela Menon and a Hussain as a wedding gift from the family. Post marriage, I was young, restless and eager to be involved in the world of art. My engagement with art and culture happened when I met Dr. Jamshed Bhabha of the NCPA. He asked me to start a centre at the NCPA, and so the Jindal Arts Creative Interactive Centre (JACIC) was born. This was in 1994. I became the Director of JACIC through which I started meeting a lot of people. I met theatre people, artists and musicians from whom I learnt a lot. I got married very early, at the age of 20; so by the time I came to Mumbai, I wasn’t even a graduate. I thought that the only way of learning was through practice. Dr. Bhabha and Vijaya Mehta helped me and made me meet lots of people when JACIC was born. I had the privilege of being associated with some of the most memorable events and performances by Mallika Sarabhai and The Mystic Park. We also organised film screenings, Carnatic music courses and Western music appreciation courses. We also arranged residencies. Artist
residencies that brought people from abroad were also organised.
Luckily for me, I married into a family that was, and continues to be, supportive of my work, and urged me to pursue my nascent inclinations. From 1994, I began acquiring art with a view to build a corporate collection. Today, the Jindal Corporate Collection of Art consists of approximately 500 paintings by leading contemporary Indian artists. I hope to build a contemporary art museum in Mumbai. We already have a space, we’re just waiting for the
establishment to take shape. There are only two such museums in India.
Art India, was another stepping stone. I started Art India magazine in 1996. It is an important forum for discussing, interrogating and appreciating art practices. Art India has been responsible for giving a platform to artists and critics to engage in a mutually replenished
intellectual dialogue with each other.
In each issue of Art India, we take up a socially relevant concern. We have talked about violence through art. When the Bombay riots took place, the issue dealt with terrorism through
art. To my pride, Art India has a huge international following and we have been appreciated by Bozar Magazine in Paris. At the Indian Art Fair in New Delhi, we tried to use steel in art. Then came Kala Ghoda. My association with the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival as a Chairperson from 2000–2004 gave me the opportunity to experience and interact with various art patrons across the globe from various fields such as visual arts, dance, music, theatre, cinema, literature through lectures, seminars and a vibrant street festival. The success of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival has arguably encouraged the setting up of several other art and cultural festivals such as the Bandra Festival, among others.
When my husband Sajjan started a steel plant at Bellary in Karnataka, I used to go with him and I asked the locals what I could go see. A temple, maybe? They introduced me to Hampi. We all like going on vacations abroad but no one wants to see our own country. Twenty-five kilometres from Hampi, there is a city built by Krishna Deva Raya. Being involved with contemporary art, I didn’t know much about heritage and I realised that there is a treasure there that was slowly decaying. I went to New York and I met Bonnie Burnham, who is the Head of the World Monuments Fund, and said that I wanted to do something. She said, “If you can give 50 per cent for the restoration, I will match your contribution.” I met Abha Lamba, who’s a conservation architect, and promised to do my best. Today, we have restored four temples in Hampi, for which we have also been awarded by UNESCO.
Following this, I wanted to start an art school. On a visit to London, I saw the Prince’s Drawing School and wanted to recreate it in India. My husband said it would be a greater contribution if I improved the condition of an existing school. So, I went to the Dean of the J. J. School of Arts and I did my bit for its conservation. Of course, I couldn’t do much because of the prevelant red-tapism and the job still remains unfinished. If we can even conserve what we have, that in itself is beautiful.
After this, we started a new complex called Kaladham, which is in Bellary in Karnataka. The
idea took form when I went to Australia for a holiday. I went to museums there and at Museum Victoria in Melbourne, there was a beautiful exhibition of Hampi.
It was a 3D panoramic view and I felt that we in India don’t know much about this heritage site. When I came back, I met Mr. Jagmohan, who was the Culture Minister in Delhi, and said, “Sir, I have seen a beautiful exhibition at the Museum Victoria. Could we bring it to India? JSW can sponsor it.” And Mr. Jagmohan said, “We’ll see.” I waited and waited. After three months, I went back to Mr. Jagmohan and said, “Sir, I am willing to sponsor it. Could I bring that Hampi exhibit to India?”
“Who’s going to see it? There’s nothing I can do,” he said. I made up my mind that I would not give up, so I brought that exhibition from Museum Victoria and installed it at Kaladham, in the JSW township in Hampi. Now we have a 3D, visual and interactive exhibition. We also built one in Vijaynagar. The problem there is that there is no access to the city. There were SpiceJet flights that plied the route, but now they have been discontinued. However, people usually go to Hubli and they drive three hours to see this beautiful exhibition.
In Vijaynagar, we’ve also built the Freedom Park, which houses India’s tallest and largest flag pole. The tricolour is on a 63-metre flag post. This again, is a source of inspiration to so many people. I am also involved with the JSW Foundation. Two per cent of the JSW Group’s earnings go towards my foundation and we have done a lot of work with it. I am also very involved with TedX, which is a thinking platform, in the capacity of a trustee. Our TedX Gateway is in December and we try to do whatever we can for it. I’m also very involved with the Think Festival and we have additionally started the Earth Care Awards. Mr. Al Gore had come to India and we are trying to award NGOs that are doing good work in the field of
environment and pollution.
Furthermore, we are trying to restore SNDT. There is a Kanyashaala in Girgaum. As you know, Girgaum is a crowded place, but it has such a beautiful building which is just rotting without any electricity even. We are restoring it through SNDT and there will be an arts school built in the same building. A similar building is being restored at Commercial Street, Bangalore. It will be restored into an art, photography and media school with Srishti, an art organisation. I took the road less travelled and it led me to various colourful avenues. My journey has been one of growth and learning, a journey which continues. And I can only wait with bated breath for what the future holds.
Excerpts from a Q&A session:
Q: We are very proud to have you here, Ms. Jindal. My question is: are artists a bit whimsical because they are so creative?
A: An artist is someone who is a creator. A creator writes, draws and plays music. People say that an artist is whimsical, but I disagree.
There are a lot of gallerists or collectors who exploit artists. All of you know about M. F. Hussain and Raza. They are not whimsical. They have a certain quality that we don’t.
Q: There’s a lack of public installations and special public parks, which should be made in
cities, towns and villages in India. What is your view on that?
A: Public spaces are extremely important. I have tried to do my best. I did a project at Priyadarshini Park with Dr. Bhabha and P. C. Alexander, who was the then Governor, but there is too much red-tapism. However, I feel that there is a need for a public culture. When we go abroad, we see so much culture on display, which is missing in India. If we want to grow, we as a nation have to work towards this.