Ram Kinker Baij Biography 
Ram Kinker Baij was one of the pioneers of modern Indian sculpture who lived in 20th century. He was known as a sculptor and painter. He has been associated with Non-cooperative movement by Gandhi. In 1970, Indian government honoured him with Padma Bhushan. Deshikottom by Visva-Bharati University and D.lit by Rabindra Bharati University are other major honours received by him. As most of his artistic creations have been inspired by the lifestyles of rural dalit people of Bengal, many people believe that he too belongs to tribal group. Actually his family surname was Poramanik and was abandoned by him in the early 1925. Noted painters like Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and Jahar Dasgupta were his students at Shantiniketan.
Baij was born on 25 May 1906 in Bankura, Bengal of British India. He grew up watching local craftsmen and image-makers at work. He made clay models and paintings with workers as theme. During teens, Ramkinkar used to paint portraits of Indian freedom fighters involved in the Non-Cooperation Movement. He was advised by Ramananda Chatterjee, a renowned journalist to join Santiniketan. Thus at the age of 20, he joined the Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan as a student of fine arts where he received a diploma. At Santiniketan, he received the guidance of Nandalal Bose who encouraged him a lot. Later he joined the same school and went on to become head of the sculpture department. He played a significant role in placing the institute as the art capital of India.
During late 1930’s and early 1940’s, he emerged as one of the finest Indian artists of modern times. He was invited to participate in the Salon des Realites Nouvelles in 1950 and in the Salon de Mai 1951. During 1970’s he received many honours. Now some of his sculptures are preserved and displayed at locations including Kala Bhavan and Santiniketan.
Published: N/A
Updated: January 10, 2014
