FEATURE

Jazu Bhai Naik

Tales of an Artist and an Art College

Jazu Bhai Naik, the founder of BA Mehta Kala Mahavidyalay, Amalsad even at the evening of his life works for the welfare of the artists who are not recognized by the mainstream art centers and art market. Teaching art is his mission and guiding artists towards a better future is his principle. JohnyML features the life of this veteran.

Even at the age of 82  Jazu Bhai Naik is as energetic as a young man. Age, thirteen cancerous growths at the left side of his neck and the gnawing pain of it have not tired this veteran artist, who calls himself ‘an art teacher first and last’. A complete Gandhian in thoughts and life style, Naik has been training several artists from the South Gujarat region that comprises the industrial cities of Surat and Vapi. Like a patron saint he looks after the activities of the Gujarat Kala Pratishthan, an organization initiated by him for the welfare of the South Gujarat artists. And he is the father of the BA Mehta Kala Vidyalay, Amalsad (see the cover story).

From his bedroom cum studio at the first floor of a moderate house unit, he looks at the BA Mehta College, the prestigious art institution of the region that he initiated almost five decades back, located right across the street. “I am like the emperor Shajahan in his confinement. I keep looking at that college building and the activities happening there, like Shajahan looking at his Taj Mahal,” says Naik. And memories take him to those years during which he struggled to establish an art institution in South Gujarat. “In those days the meaning of becoming an artist was primarily to become an art teacher. But my mission was not just to become an art teacher who could earn a living out of that. I took my medium as message to initiate several young talents from this region,” remembers Naik.

Though Naik would like to call himself an ‘art teacher’, he has done around four thousand portraits of saints, dignitaries and ordinary people who wanted their portraits to be done by an artist. When practicing art full time was not paying much to those students whom Naik had initiated into art, he found out a way to get some money for them. “It was a time when colour photography was becoming a fashion. Many people wanted to convert their black and white snaps into colour. I, for a small amount, offered to covert the black and white pictures into colour pictures. Soon it became a rage amongst the people and most of the college students got this commission work and they could earn well till the colour photography became accessible to all the people.”

Born in a lower middle class family, Jazu Bhai Naik showed extreme talent in portraiture, nature studies and drawing from an early age itself. “My father did not have much money to send me to a school. Some patrons helped me to have my basic schooling for free. Then I got a small job as a drawing teacher in one of the schools in the South Gujarat region. I wanted to study more and went to do a course in Drawing Teacher Certificate (DTC) at Sir J.J.School of Arts, Bombay in 1946. I got my skills honed there and came back with a lot of confidence.”

However, Naik’s mind was not in living the life of a ‘drawing teacher’. Inspired by Gandhian philosophy, he wanted to do something for the local talents. After managing some funds from the government agencies, he started a ‘college’ under a mango tree. “Y.K.Shukla, a specialist in art and craft, who had then was a part of the government administration, came to check the ‘facilities’ of the college, and offered a grant, provided the basic facilities could be built in a given period of time.” For Naik, it was a challenge and he did not want to wait for the stipulated time scheme the government representative had given. In 1962-63 academic year itself he could convince the authorities and gain the funds.

An institution started under a mango tree, now has its own buildings with all the basic facilities but Naik is not happy about the turn of events. “Somehow, things are not happening the way it should happen. The small town colleges are not given any importance in the general art scene. Those artists who are not able to go to the big cities are just neglected. There is a fair amount of competition and scorn that the regional artists have to face. None, including the government authorities do anything for the regional artists. There is not a system to choose the talented ones from amongst these people and promote them.” Naik is even critical about the functioning of the Gujarat Lalit Kala Akademy, which he says has gone to the hands of sycophants and cronies of power.

Jazu Bhai Naik’s basic philosophy in life is ‘manvata’ (Huamnism). Being a humanist, he believes that the artist should be a complete man like a ‘woman/mother’. “Mother cherishes, nourishes and forgives her children. Mother is always universal. Artist should be a perfect mother therefore a complete man. And an artist should not loose contact with the Supreme Force, that is God,” Naik makes his philosophy clear. Perhaps, Jazu Bhai Naik is not aware of the contemporary art practices. If at all aware, he does not believe in the nudity in art and related issues. “I am not against nudity. Nude studies are done for perfecting one’s awareness of human body. Why don’t our artists paint male nudes? Why do they only paint female nudes? There is some problem in this attitude of these artists,” observes Naik.

For Naik, artists’ job is to think, philosophize and articulate. Artists are the beacons of the society. “They should be full of humanitarian thoughts and love. And their sadhna, exercise should be for achieving these goals through their art, whatever medium or style they prefer to work with.”  He also believes that those artists who have become successful in their career should contribute immensely to the local art colleges in their native places. From his experience as an art teacher for half a century, Naik says that there are not several artists who have given their due back to their places of origin. “Even M.F.Husain who has gained international acclaim and riches has failed in this count. What has he done for the Indian artist both from urban and rural areas?” he asks.

Naik keeps his vision clear and he pinpoints the ‘lacks’ of the regional art students and artists. “Language is a barrier. They all should be trained in language also so that they could update themselves, catch up with the national and international events and also they could effectively communicate with the artists from urban centers. The language barrier should be broken down.” Gujarat Kala Pratishthan works towards these ends. “We try to infuse the local artists with confidence and we give opportunity for them to exhibit their works. If someone is not having enough resources to continue with an independent art practice, our organization pitches into help him.” May be this is an effort not recognized by many but recognition or lack of recognition does not bother Jazu Bhai Naik. He is clear about his life mission. “I still do portraits of saints and I inscribe humanitarian couplets from scriptures and texts under these portraits. I am still a sadhak, a student. And god is so great that he gave me brushes to believe and anchor my life.