Jatin Das is an Indian painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and muralist. He is also an acclaimed poet and author. He is a contemporary artist who uses oil, acrylic, watercolour, ink, and Conté (hard crayon made of clay) in his painting. The editions of etchings, drypoint, lithograph, and serigraphs are the forms of prints that he paints. Both nationally and internationally, Jatin Das has organised more than 68 one-man exhibitions. Wrapped Woman, Shakti, Interaction, Sringar, Krishna, Radha Krishna Ganpati, Radhika, The Presence, Woman in Stance, and Classical Torso are some of Jatin Das’ prominent paintings.
Wiki/Biography
Jatin Das was born on Tuesday, 2 December 1941 (age 81 years; as of 2022) in Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, India. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. After finishing his school studies, Jatin Das went to Sir J J School of Art, Bombay to study painting from 1957 to 1962.
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: Grey
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Wife & Children
Jatin Das married twice. Jatin Das first married Varsha Das, and later, both separated mutually. He then married Bidisha Roy Das.
Jatin Das’ daughter and first wife, Varsha Das
Jatin Das with his second wife, Bidisha Roy Das
Later, Jatin Das separated from his second wife, Bidisha Roy Das. Jatin Das has two children from the first marriage, a son named Siddhartha Das, who is a cultural professional, and a daughter named Nandita Das, who is an Indian actress and the recipient of several prestigious accolades. The name of his second son is Rehan Das.
Jatin Das (second from left) with his children Nandita (second from right), Siddhartha (extreme left), and Rehan (extreme right)
Early Life
Jatin Das was born in the Mayurbhanj district of Orissa and was raised in a middle-class Bengali family. His family culture inclined him towards Indian forms of art and culture. In childhood, he used to worship the deities by singing religious songs, which ultimately made him a music lover when he grew up. During his stay in Bombay, he often went to attend the live music concerts of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
Career
Jatin Das began participating in various art exhibitions both in India and overseas soon after completing his studies. In the beginning, he participated in the Biennales in Paris (1971), in Venice (1978), and the Documenta in Kessel (1975).
One-man Exhibitions
Gradually, he started his own one-man exhibitions and some of them were held at Sir J.J. School of Arts, Bombay in 1962, Studio, Private Show, New Delhi in 1974, and Taj Art Gallery, Bombay in 1982. Urja Art Gallery, Broda in 1979, Archaeological Museum, Thessaloniki, Greece in 2005, Lalit Kala Academy, Chandigarh in 2011, and Jehangir Art Gallery, Presented by Art & Soul Gallery, Mumbai in 2017. The names of some of the Murals & Sculptures Commissions held by Jatin Das are Collage Mural, Agricultural Ministry, Pragati Maidan in 1972, Fresco, Birla Kreeda Kendra, egg tempura, Bombay in 1964, Façade mural, Chelsea Arts Club, London, the UK in 2009, 200 feet Mural, Bangalore International Airport in 2014, and Adani Corporate House in 2019.
Group Exhibitions
Some of Jatin Das’ popular group exhibitions were organised at Maharashtra State Art Exhibition, Archer Jehangir Art Academy, Bombay in 1962, Tokyo Biennale, Septième Biennale de Paris, France in 1971, the 15th International Art Show, Japan in 1984, Popular Publication, Tao Gallery, Mumbai in 2011, Pink Filly Breast cancer campaign, Art & Soul Gallery, Mumbai in 2014.
Camps & Workshops
Thereafter, Jatin Das participated in various art and culture camps & workshops such as New Delhi, Printmaking & Smithsonian, USIS Workshops, Paul Lingren in 1970, Calcutta, Artists Camp, CMC in 1986, New Delhi, Park Hotel, Children’s Art Workshop in 1993, Hyderabad, Art Camp, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in 2002, National Artist Camp, Lalit Kala Academy, Governor House Odisha in July 2012, SPIC Macay Workshop, Bhubaneswar in December 2014, Varanasi (Banaras) in 2018.
Hand-made Fans Collection
Jatin Das spent more than sixty years, establishing a large personal collection of traditional hand fans. This collection of hand fans is majorly from the Indian subcontinent and is often exhibited in several museums and workshops in India and globally such as at Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, Fan Museum in London, National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, Reitberg Museum in Zurich, and National Museum in Manila. This collection of handmade fans by Jatin Das has been preserved in a museum in New Delhi.
Advisory Committee Member
Several noted Indian private and government organisations and institutions have appointed Jatin Das on their advisory board. These organisations include Art Advisor, Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), Member of the advisory committee, Delhi Urban Art Commission, Member of the advisory committee, Rural India Complex, 1972 (now the National Crafts Museum), Member of the advisory committee, Philately, New Delhi, Member of the advisory committee, Republic Day Parade committees, Govt. of India, Member of India International Centre (IIC), Delhi, and Jury Member, War Memorial, New Delhi, 2016.
Teacher
Jatin Das served the Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, India from 2009 to 2011 as a Visiting Professor in the faculty of Fine Arts. Jatin Das was appointed as a Professor Emeritus at JMI University in 2008 in the faculty of Fine Arts. Jatin Das has also taught as a visiting professor at the National School of Drama, School of Planning and Architecture, College of Art and National Institute of Design.
Lectures
Jatin Das is often invited by various well known educational institutions and organisations to deliver lectures on the art and culture of India. Some of his memorable lectures were at Kanoria Art Center, Ahmedabad (2020), Kala Bhavan, Shanti Niketan (2020), Students of BHU, Art Camp, Varanasi (Banaras) (2018), Khairagarh University, Chhattisgarh (2018), NSD, New Delhi (2017), Santacruz University, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2009), and Stanford University, CA, USA (2009).
Other Works
Jatin Das has worked for the Indian Postal Service by drafting the postal stamps on road safety, world peace, and the International Red Cross. He is the founder of ‘The Poetry Society’, New Delhi, and the co-editor of the Blunt: Poetry Magazine, Bombay, which was started by him along with R. Parthasarthy and Indrasen M. Jayakar in 1964. In 1997, Jatin Das established a registered trust named JD Centre of Art (JDCA) to promote various forms of art and Indian culture by housing his collections at this trust. B. V. Doshi, an eminent architect, designed the structure of this trust.
Literary Works
Apart from being a painter and cultural artist, Jatin Das is also an acclaimed author. Jatin Das released a book titled “The Art of Jatin Das” in 2003. A collection of poems titled ‘‘Poems by Jatin Das’’ was released in 1972 by Jatin Das under the publishing house ‘Writers’ Workshop Calcutta. Later, a book titled ‘To Stir the Still Air’ based on the fan collection by Jatin Das was published by Mapin International.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
In 2015, Jatin Das received the D.Litt. (Honoris Causa) degree at Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh. In 2012, he was conferred with the Padma Bhushan award by the government of India. In 2010, Jatin Das earned the D. Litt. (Honoris Causa) degree at Ravenshaw University, Odisha. In 2007, Jatin Das was conferred with the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity by the Italian President in New Delhi. In the same year, he earned Bharat Nirman Award and Seminar Management Institution, Bhubaneswar. In 2007, he was conferred with the D.Litt. (Honoris Causa) degree at the Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar. In 2006, he was honoured with the Utkala Award by Bengal Governor in Kolkata.
Controversy
In 2018, the co-founder of Elrhino Paper, Nisha Bora, accused Jatin Das of sexual harassment. In her statement to the police, she stated that Jatin Das sexually assaulted her by kissing her forcefully when she went to meet him at his studio. Another woman named Garusha Katoch also accused Jatin Das of sexual misbehaviour amid the #MeToo Movement in India. Thereafter, Jatin Das was blamed by a journalist with the Indian Express newspaper, Anushree Majumdar, for sexual misconduct. Later, Jatin Das publicly stated that he did not even know these women, and the accusations put against him were vulgar.
Facts/Trivia
- Jatin Das is well known for his philanthropic activities in India. He came into the limelight in 1999 for his charitable works when the super cyclone hit Orrisa. Soon, a charitable relief and rehabilitation project work in many villages in the affected area was initiated by Jatin Das. Apart from the Orrisa Cyclone tragedy, Jatin Das held twelve artist camps and four workshops on his artwork in his career to raise money for the fourteen charitable shows in India.
- Jatin Das painted a 7 x 68 feet mural named ‘Mohenjo-Daro to Mahatma Gandhi’ during the prime ministerial tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who inaugurated this mural at the Parliament of India.
- Jatin Das primarily focuses on the relationship between a man and a woman in his paintings. This painting describes the crisis, contacts, disclosures, and emotional tensions between them.
- In 2015, the Government of India issued notices to Jatin Das and other twenty-four artists in Delhi to vacant the government accommodation that was granted to them for three years; however, they had been living in that accommodation for decades.
