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Journalism of Courage
Right opposite the illustrious Prince of Wales Museum, lies the Cawasjee Jehangir Hall which houses the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA). The gallery, a parallel of the NGMA, Delhi, celebrates its first year of existence on December 23. And by any standards, the year has treated NGMA well. So far, C J Hall has played host to six major exhibitions, starting with the Progressive Art Group — which was on from December 1996 till February 1997 — and was followed by a Japanese exhibition. Then came exhibits like the one by Neville Tuli, 50 Years of Mumbai Art, Otto Dix and the ongoing exhibition on 50 years of Indian Photography. As an added attraction, NGMA organised gallery talks and seminars conducted by leading veterans of the art world.
The credit behind the success story goes largely to Saryu Doshi, the honorary director of NGMA. Though the gallery remains dependent on the central government for administrative and financial support, she ensures that all decisions regarding exhibitions are taken here itself. However, her style of functioning has not met with the approval of everyone. Prafulla Dahanukar, a member of the advisory committee, admits that Doshi has achieved quite a lot in a short span but she also accuses her of arbitrariness. Citing the written material on the brochure for the exhibition `Progressive Art Group’ as an example, Dahanukar says, "She can decide which artist to display but cannot distort history." A criticism which the second exhibition also came under. Doshi defends her stand by saying that she is providing a window to history and is not chronicling it.
And credit must be given where it is due. Right from the word go, Doshi has had to handle a deluge of red-tapism and government lethargy. For instance, when renovations of the C J Hall began, the fact that it is a heritage building put severe constraints on the restructuring work. Ultimately, it led to an impasse between the architect and the government, delaying work by two months. And given the size of the building — five galleries and an auditorium — the staff strength of three clerks and three gallery attendants, sanctioned by the government, is woefully inadequate.
Inherent to the structure are handicaps that cannot be overcome. The storage space for the ever-increasing inhouse collection is already falling short. Also, the gallery’s structure is such that it does not lend itself to more than one exhibition at a time. This means that during installation and deinstallation periods, the gallery has to remain closed.
But Doshi insists these are teething problems and will be solved in the near future. "With the way things work in Delhi, it is difficult to get anything sorted out. But we are chugging along," she says. Initially, she also had problems with staffers turning up late and going home early. She sorted that out by reaching office before everyone else and setting an example. "If it was my house, I would have shouted and screamed. But you have to learn to get around bureaucracy," she says.
Not that Doshi has won the battle every time. For the `50 Years of Mumbai Art’, she had managed to get a sponsorship of Rs 5 lakh. But the cheques lay around for three months awaiting clearance from Delhi. Also, till recently, the Mumbai NGMA could not have its own bank account.
The centre also needs to establish an identity of its own — as Mumbai’s premium art house. Though it attracts over 200 visitors every day, the daily turnout never matches the glitzy crowd that attends its high-profile exhibition openings. People like V P Singh, Shyam Benegal and the cultural affairs minister, Pramod Navalkar, may have visited the gallery — but only after losing their way. Apparently, Navalkar who wasn’t sure where the C J Hall was located, meandered into the Jehangir Art Gallery first.
"We are still finding our feet and it takes time to register. Why should we beat the gong? Our work will speak for us," insists Doshi. Which is why she insists that NGMA will never become a commercial hall. "It is more of a national museum than a gallery," she says. But these protests come after the ruckus that was kicked up when artists got wind of the fact that NGMA was considering a fee of Rs 15,000 a day to rent the hall. And commercial rates would be as high as Rs 44,000. Exhibition curators like Neville Tuli, however, feel these rates are reasonable, as the C J Hall provides a unique exhibition space of five whole floors. Also with the price of art escalating, he feels it’s affordable.
But Doshi is not cooling her heels for Delhi to come clear on policies and pricing for its Mumbai wing. The NGMA show calendar is choc-a-bloc what with `Enduring Images’ slotted for February. Among the largest and by far the most ambitious, this British Council-sponsored exhibition will be another feather in the cap of the centre and its director.
